June is Migraine Awareness Month

Image: http://www.achenet.org/

Over the course of this month, I've been blogging about my experiences with migraines and chronic pain. I kind of grouped them together because it is migraine awareness months but I didn't plan any of them out in advance. They all came from things happening in my life.

Migraines are a part of my life, so I will continue to blog about it as things come up. I hope that my posts this month have been enlightening and interesting to some people.

Here's the list of all the migraine post from this month, in case you missed one!

A Day in The Life With Chronic Migraines

The Worst Superpower

Chronic Pain and Being a Shut-In

Being A Parent With Chronic Pain

The Worst Superpower

Image: Wikipedia.com

June is Migraine Awareness Month. This is my 2nd in a series of posts about my experiences with chronic migraines. You can read the first here.

I have an awful superpower. One that would not qualify me to be part of the X-Men or the Avengers. My superpower is being able to sense when storms are coming in.

Pressure changes are awful and they nearly always trigger a migraine. We are suppose to get a bunch of storms later today. I didn't feel too badly but I was sitting at my desk and working when suddenly my pain level jumped from about a 3 to a 6 or 7. Sudden jumps like that make me feel very woozy in part because my auras tend to make it seem like I'm looking through water.

I live in the mountains so the storms often don't make it past the mountains. The storms are a necessary part because when they come through they relieve the pressure that's built up. If they fall apart before they reach me, I tend to be miserable and in pain for several days.

I'd love to get rid of this superpower because weather / pressure changes is the one trigger I can't avoid. I can avoid drinking anything with caffeine, I can steer clear of raw onions, I can even keep my stress levels down. But I cannot control the weather.

I'm still working despite the high pain levels but it's going to be a 'head back to bed' kind of day for me!

A Day in The Life With Chronic Migraines

Image: http://migraine.com/

June is National Migraine Awareness Month and I'm hoping to do several posts to promote awareness. First up is how my chronic migraines can really screw with my life.

I have daily chronic headaches that get migraine bad. And when I say migraine bad, I'm not just taking about higher pain levels. I get auras and nausea, my brain gets fuzzy as does my vision. I get the whole migraine package.

This particular migraine started on Saturday after Wizard World. I slept poorly Saturday night and was feeling worse on Sunday. We drove home on Sunday and I went right to bed.

Monday I still felt bad but I felt well enough to work. I worked my shift and went back to bed. I rested all day. But I went into the living room after I put Emily to bed. There were voices outside my door which I knew someone was in my car port. I went and peeked out my windows and there was a man and woman walking down my driveway. I'm not sure why they thought it would be fun to trespass on my property, but it gave me a small panic attack.

I still rested the rest of the evening and got to sleep early. I slept like a rock but Todd said that I kept making weird noises in the night. I didn't wake up at all during the night which is odd for me

Now we get to the day in the life part. I woke up yesterday feeling like a train had hit me. I stumbled out of bed and went to my computer. Everything was blurry to the point that I had to touch my face to make sure I had put my glasses on. I knew I couldn't work like that so I emailed in sick.

I am very lucky because whenever I get sick my boss just moves my hours to my day off which is Sunday. I was a kind wife and I let Todd sleep in. I went into the living room with Emily and we watched all the Sailor Moon episodes that were up on Hulu.

During the last episode, Todd got up so I headed back to bed. I turned on Netflix and Charmed. I was sick enough that I couldn't do anything else - I tend to be a multitasker so my hands are using busy with cross stitching and other things. But the pain was bad enough that all I could do was lay there and watch tv in a dark room.

Finally my body decided that it was time to sleep. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. It was nearly time for Todd to go to work, so I had Emily come in the bedroom. She amused herself with our iPad while I cat napped for a bit. I felt better when I woke up. Enough that I could make supper and hang out with Emily.

I got Emily to bed and I went back to bed myself. Watched a little more tv and cross stitched a little more. Then I went to sleep.

Today I still am suffering from the same migraine but it's a little better so I'm working. Yesterday was not a typical day in my life, thankfully, but it happens thanks to my chronic migraines. Thankfully I have a good job and a good boss, an understanding husband and a great kid. But just a small thing like people walking up my driveway can give me a panic attack which can lead to higher pain levels.

My life is a game of Russian roulette. I don't get shot but I do get bowled over with the pain sometimes. I try to be as normal as I can but I'm not normal. I'm a chronic migraine sufferer.