On migraines

Do you get migraines? I hope not. I wouldn't wish one on my worst enemy (well maybe my worst...but not anyone else).

Migraines for me are best described as "emotional hangovers." Sudden increases in stress can also result in one. I think it's that the stress/emotion is so intense that it manifests itself physically in the form of a migraine. There's just too much for me to process, so it gives me the headache from hell.

They usually only last a day (half a day if I'm lucky), but they're exhausting, require lots of pain-killing drugs (aspirin works best), and I get light sensitive so I spend hours lying in bed with a blanket over my eyes. There's just nothing else I can do besides wait it out. And I feel drained for days afterwards.

I feel so much sympathy for those people that get migraines regularly. That have to have prescription drugs targeted to keep migraines at bay. I can't imagine having to live with migraines. I can still kill mine with regular doses of extra-strength aspirin and sleep over a 24 hour period. And I don't get them regularly, thank the heavens.

But one woke me up today. I could feel it coming yesterday afternoon with a dull ache between my eyes. I had a bit of a stress increasing shock on Monday, and the stress shows no sign of going away anytime soon, so by yesterday afternoon it had built up a bit. So I did my best to beat the migraine before it hit me (took aspirin before bed, went to bed really really early), but when the pain meds wore off at 3:30/4:00 in the morning, it woke me up. It was that intense. Ugh. Took most of the day for it to subside. And I'll be going to bed early tonight so it doesn't come back.

I really wouldn't wish a migraine on anyone.