Not Quite A Brain Freeze

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I've mentioned this before, but I don't get brain freezes. When I eat something really cold, I get a stabbing pain between my shoulder blades. Like a pre-chilled knife in my back.

Scientists have discovered that when something cold touches the roof of your mouth, nerve endings shoot up warnings to other nerves that are in charge of protecting your brain. These other nerves work instantly to get your brain back to a normal temperature of 98.6ºF by stretching the blood vessels in your head, eventually causing the headache after 30 to 60 seconds of eating or drinking.

Tadeusz F. Poplawski, M.D.
Child & Adult Neurology and Durham Regional Hospital
http://www.durhamregional.org/healthlibrary/kids/brainfreeze


I knew it! You know what this means? This means the nerves that are supposed to be sending warnings to my brain are sending them to my spinal cord. Or back muscles, or something. But the main point? I'm wired wrong. I always suspected this (indeed the kids in grade school warned me of as much, the little buggers.)

Every doctor I've ever asked has shrugged me off, probably on account of it happening for years and not having any adverse effect except weirdness. I figure I'm either an alien (nobody but me likes that theory, them folk of little imaginations!), or just wired a bit differently. Either way, people look at you oddly if you go "GAAH!" and arch your back like a seizure when you drink a smoothie.

Comments

[easytodistract.livejournal.com]

Look on the bright side - it could be worse. You could, for example, be the sort to have a 75% chance of having a sleep paralysis episode if you just happened to end up sleeping on your back.

Heh. I rarely feel sympathetic about writing and medical conditions (unless the other person's medical condition is worse than mine).

Anyway, if it has to do with nerves ... I kind of doubt there's a treatment for it or if there's one - might be prohibitively expensive. As far as I know, there's still a LOT to learn about the nervous system.

Just stay away from really cold stuff, I guess. Besides, my elders keep telling me that cold stuff isn't healthy. Tea and such is better.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I'm not worried, and I don't consider it something that I need to look on the bright side of, or something that needs to be treated. I'm not sick, I just have a different reaction to intensely cold foods than most people. What I am is curious, and I probably will be for the rest of my life until I meet someone who has the same reaction.

Besides, my elders keep telling me that cold stuff isn't healthy. Tea and such is better.

Room-temperature food is the safest if you're worried about temperature extremes, not hot things. Also, you should be careful what kind of tea you drink, and what's in it if you drink it all the time.

Don't take abstract health advise from any elder that doesn't have a medical degree. Being older doesn't make you smarter.

[easytodistract.livejournal.com]

Was just being a little sarcastic. (just a little) The 'look on the bright side' was a knee-jerk reaction.

Since it was a nerve-related medical condition, I automatically compared it to my own nerve-related medical worries and just envied you (a little).

I'd prefer having your nerve-switchero instead of how my sleep synapses (whatever they call it) is arranged around in my brain.

Anyway, just a little fyi incase you don't know what sleep paralysis is. Not something really serious, but it can be downright scary. In the old days, it was referred to as having a demon sitting on your chest.

(sighs at self)