Poetrymom - thanks; i have subsequently (sadly) been caffeine free for 7 weeks now. I do miss a nice cup of coffee in the morning to get me going. As far as school, I have classes only a few days a week and can generally make it through; I have good days and bad days, which I think are largely contingent on how much sleep i got the night before / current levels of stress.

As far as your light sensitivity; did you ever have any issues with lights at night (ie car headlights or street lights)? I dont have pain with bright lights, but notice halo/strobing from lights (especially when i barely squint my eyes). Not sure if anyone else reading this could relate or share there experiences with this?