Migraine Headaches Support Group
Migraine is a neurological disease, of which the most common symptom is an intense and disabling episodic headache. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head and are often accompanied by photophobia (hypersensitivity to light), phonophobia (hypersensitivity to sound) and nausea.
I have finally reached the point, at least for now, where migraines control everything I do. I no longer have any guarantee that when I wake up I won't have a migraine. I used to get migraines every 10 days to two weeks and then they would last 3-4 days. That was almost manageable.
Now, I am lucky to get a good day here and there. In November it was 14 migraines often with a "hangover" day to recover from the medication. I hate to eat out because if I don't know what is in the food, I could eat a food trigger.
It took me most of the day on Friday to put up the Christmas tree. That was a good day but I still didn't feel that good from the migraine the day before. Saturday, my daughter came with her family for dinner and to go see a light parade (scheduled a month ago) and I had a migraine that didn't go away till after they got here. Sunday I planned to go to church but couldn't go due to another migraine. Then I managed to pull myself together to go to a Women's Christmas dinner Sunday night. Here it is Monday at 5am and I have another migraine. So now, what will the rest of my day look like?
It is December and I still have shopping to do, wrapping, Christmas cards, shipping not to mention planning two Christmas dinners - one Christmas Eve and one Christmas Day.
My oh my.
How does everyone get through this? Better yet, how do you work and manage all of this?
Now, I am lucky to get a good day here and there. In November it was 14 migraines often with a "hangover" day to recover from the medication. I hate to eat out because if I don't know what is in the food, I could eat a food trigger.
It took me most of the day on Friday to put up the Christmas tree. That was a good day but I still didn't feel that good from the migraine the day before. Saturday, my daughter came with her family for dinner and to go see a light parade (scheduled a month ago) and I had a migraine that didn't go away till after they got here. Sunday I planned to go to church but couldn't go due to another migraine. Then I managed to pull myself together to go to a Women's Christmas dinner Sunday night. Here it is Monday at 5am and I have another migraine. So now, what will the rest of my day look like?
It is December and I still have shopping to do, wrapping, Christmas cards, shipping not to mention planning two Christmas dinners - one Christmas Eve and one Christmas Day.
My oh my.
How does everyone get through this? Better yet, how do you work and manage all of this?
I typically have a Christmas dinner party AND New Year's Eve party every year but those have been taken off the Christmas list this year.
I feel like my health is so fragile right now.
It sounds like you have a pretty busy schedule this month. Is there any way you can ask for some help from others?
I send you gentle hugs:)
I've noticed a lot of time the migraine is finally gone but I'm exhausted. I'm never quite sure if it's from the meds or something the migraine is leaving me with.
My wife and I are on a new trend with all our family gatherings that we host. We're leaning more and more towards things that are really easy to prepare or come already prepared. It takes 3 days to clean the dishes if all our kids come, so I know paper plates may be in the future. Soon these things are going to be potluck and we'll put up with the lack of control or coordination of the menu.
I have noticed that frequently my wife is exhuasted from doing things that don't have to be done, responsibilities that she's taking on that no-one expected her to do, things that probably no-one would miss. If her Mom is visiting then she has to spend hours more time cleaning.
I quit picking on my wife here. The point is that many of the burdens that we're carrying are things we picked up.
Here are the stages of a migraine-
Migraine Stages
Migraines tend to progress through 4 stages. Many people don't have all stages, and stages may differ with each headache.
Migraine Stages
Prodrome. A few hours to a day or so before the headache, you may feel tired, uneasy, or moody. You may also feel bloated or crave certain foods.
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Aura. Up to an hour before the headache starts, some migraine sufferers experience auraflashing lights, blind spots, other vision problems, confusion, or difficulty speaking.
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Headache. Mild to severe pain affects one or both sides of the head, often along with nausea. You may be highly sensitive to light, sound, and odors. Vomiting or diarrhea may also occur. This stage lasts 4 to 72 hours.
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Postdrome. After your headache ends, you may feel tired, achy, and "washed out." This may last for a day or so.
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Dan, you have very valid points! I think most women go into overdrive when our mothers come. lol But we also usually want things "nice" and darn near perfect. It is just the way God made us (we take care of the family and our home and you get the job and its your duty to protect us :-))
I tend to get a burst of energy at some point after taking my abortive med. I have that for about 4 hours and then I crash and need a nap.
Anyway back to TG. We always combine TG and Christmas with my family. My parents have retired and travel south for the winter and leave the day after TG. The week of Thanksgiving I had to deal with work FT, shopping, wrapping Christmas gifts, decorating the house, cleaning the house (that mom coming over thing lol), preparing the huge traditional meal all by myself, and also dealing with the migraines, and the PTSD anxiety of the MVC anniversary. Crazy! I am also a cancer survivor. My time dealing with cancer taught me how to dig deep and just continue on no matter how bad the pain. I was not going to allow the cancer to keep me down, and I am not going to allow any of these current afflictions to keep me down. I have found my own way of burying the pain and moving forward. After it's all said and done, then I usually collapse out of exhaustion. That's just my personal way of coping.
Hang in there Shelley, take it one task at a time.