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June 22, 2005

Author Boy in Caffeine-Related Blunder

Lately I've been up to my eyes doing rewrites and fixes for HYDROGEN STEEL, which Publisher Brian tells me are going well. This is good to hear.

I didn't get any homework done this past Monday, though; nor did I get any fresh ANTIMATTER VOODOO scribble done. I wasn't well. See, I did something dumb.

It's like this: a couple of months ago, I gave up caffeine--which at the time was under suspicion as a possible cause of my epic headaches. I'm pretty sure it wasn't, but I'm staying on the decaf because no caffeine is good for my blood pressure, among other things.

Monday afternoon, Michelle and I went out for a coffee to our latest coffee discovery, the MuzzBuzz kiosk located in the carpark of nearby Malaga Markets. MuzzBuzz provides excellent coffee in a handy drive-through, or walk-up, format. So we drove up (Michelle does the driving, btw), and Michelle ordered a small flat white for herself and a largish double Macchiato for me. Note the salient detail: a double Macchiato features two shots of espresso.

By the time Michelle realised she'd forgotten to order a decaf double Macchiato, it was too late. She explained the situation, and I thought, oh well, how bad could it be? I mean, I've inadvertently had actual caffeine, and the worst that happened was I got a bad headache. I figured this time would be much the same, and thus enjoyed my coffee.

Hmm...

Within a few minutes of finishing, things got much faster. I got all jittery and jumpy, and discovered I could talk really really quickly. And that was fun, but it wasn't the end of it. Then came the observation that my hands were shaking so much I couldn't write with a pen, right when I needed to handwrite a short letter (Michelle wound up taking dictation). Then there were all kinds of strange roiling, fluttering sensations in my innards that I thought were entirely uncalled for, and a constant sense of feeling incredibly on-edge, like wasps buzzing around in your head. It was a dreadful sensation--and it wasn't finished. The day wore on, bringing further miseries. At one point I thought I was going to be physically ill, I was feeling so out of sorts.

And then, much later, as the buzz wore off, the caffeine withdrawal headache kicked in, and kicked in hard. I spent much of the evening holding my head and feeling dismal--well, more dismal than usual, that is. Even the next day, I still felt a little out of sorts, not quite right, and a bit jumpy. I was absolutely gobsmacked about all this, that a double espresso (with its perhaps 300 mg of caffeine) could affect me so drastically.

I am so back on the decaf!

Posted by adrian at June 22, 2005 06:59 PM

Comments

Oy! Sounds dreadful! It's because of tales like these that I've never taken up the habit. And glad for it, too! : )

Hope you're feeling better!

Posted by: Cheyenne [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 23, 2005 11:59 AM

Wow! Experimentation is at the heart of good science, old bean. You now have empirical data to support your continued decaffeination.

Posted by: Charlie [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 22, 2005 11:35 PM

Yikes! I'm not really surprised though. I've been on my own fancy diet, and I'm much more sensitive to nasty foodstuffs as well. Basically, if you are always feeling a bit lousy, a bit MORE lousy doesn't feel like much. But, when you're feeling better and healthier, it hits you like a ton of bricks.

In short, stick to the decaf! You're on the right track.

*hugs*

Posted by: treefen [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 22, 2005 09:22 PM

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