Migraines

"I hate headaches. They ruin my day. Tuesday I had one off and on all day. I had a hair appointment so didn't have to do much, just sit there and let Kelly fuss over me. So Tuesday wasn't too bad. Went to bed and kept waking up with a BAD headache. Finally, when I couldn't bear it anymore I got up thinking it must be close to 5:30 am when my partner gets up for work. No, it was only 2:34 am. Took one of my migraine medications as this was definitely no plain headache. Then went and curled up in my chair. I can't lay down with a migraine, it makes it worse. So there I sat in the dark wanting my head to just explode and get it over with. My cats, Sam and Molly, came and curled up with me. The medication did nothing.

I sat or paced until 5:30 when my partner got up for work. He made me a cup of strong coffee. I use coffee medicinally. It really does help with migraines on occassion. Nope, nothing this time. Still that endless throbbing, nausea and a strong wish for death to come and take me! My neck muscles were killing me so I took a muscle relaxant, 3 extra strength Tylenol and a Gravol and at 9:30 headed for bed. I was able to sleep on and off and didn't get up until 5:30 pm. By now the migraine was just a dull afterthought. I felt like I had been run over by a truck and just sat for the rest of the evening until I crawled back into bed, not getting up until 9:30 today. Migraine is gone and I feel sooo much better.

The interesting thing about migraines to me is how different they can be between people. Four generations of us have them. My grandmother, her daughter who was my aunt, me and now my daughter. Sarah and mine are different. She can lay down, it makes mine worse. Noise doesn't bother me, it bothers her. Light bothers both of us. Advil liguid for migraines works for her, I am allergic to aspirin based medications and most migriane medication is really hit and miss with me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. What is common to both of us is that a migraine is completely incapaciating for us. We can't do anything when we have one. One of Sarah's co-workers gets migraines, because she can work with them and Sarah can't, Sarah was penalized for calling in sick the second to last time she had one. She was cut three days work. This last time, this week she was "let go". I quess we are all suppose to be the same. And those who don't conform to people's expectations of illness are somehow not doing what they are suppose to do. Doesn't make much sense to me. Illness affects each of us differently," I whisper.

Are you listening?