How to Handle a Migraine

Day 30 - 31 Day Challenge
To see the other posts in this series, click HERE.

If you have never had a migraine headache, you will not fully understand this post.  If you have, you will understand it all too well.

I have very sporadic migraines, maybe one or two every three years or so.  This week I had two warnings that migraines are approaching.  My symptoms are funny to the non-educated and when I am not experiencing them, they are funny to me as well.

When a head pounding issue is arriving it is polite enough to send messages ahead to prepare.  First my fingers go numb.  My index finger begins the numb parade. By the time I have feeling back in that pointer finger, the odd sensation has worked its way through all my digits in a wave from pointer to pinkie.  Then the numbness continues down my palm and disappears.

My tongue delivers the next warning.  Apparently, when the numbness is finished with my fingers, it travels up to my mouth, but only partially.  Half of my tongue tingles just like the effects of the dentist's novocain.  You can only imagine trying to explain what's going on when you tongue is just not cooperating.

Message number three comes from my eyes.  Blind spots occur in my peripheral vision, usually the outside edges, but last night it was the bottom, outside quarter of my right eye.  That was the biggest one ever.  Between the blind spot and good vision is what I refer to as a starry patch of rainbow colored flares.  Those are kind of pretty to look at if it didn't get in the way of actually seeing.

All these symptoms then disappear in the order of appearance.  Sometimes they overlap, but most of the time they are very mannerly and take turns.  This polite warning system allows me to prepare for the pain that may or may not follow. What? you may ask.  Yes, I have discovered I can go through all or some of the symptoms and not get the headache, but I will wake up the next morning with a killer of a hangover headache. The kind where the pain is a dull ache in the background until you cough or bend over or do anything that puts pressure on or to you head, then WHAM a sledgehammer of pain will stop you in your tracks.  Once the pressure is gone, so is the pain.  Your brain feels black and blue for several hours.  Day two after the migraine (for me anyway) all is right with the world with only the dull ache in the background.

Like I said, this happened to me twice this week on the days that my wonderful husband was out of town with work.  Thankfully, the pain did not follow the symptoms either time, but the lingering headaches did.  I am wondering if because the pain did not come, the symptoms will keep coming until the headaches arrive and clear the slate.

I have discovered, that when it is possible, I just need to not fight what is happening. I need to turn off the lights and just go lay down and ride it out.  The pain passes quicker and stays away longer than if  I try to muscle through my day and try to ignore the migraine notices.

I am not sure if there is a cycle to my migraines or if they are tied to any state of health, but I will do what I can to endure and bounce back from them as quick as possible so I can continue down the path towards better health.

Let's do this.