I suspected last night. There was a very strong smell in the kitchen. I threw out an old container with coleslaw but had cleaned afterwards or had I? I cleaned ones more but the smell still lingered. And I was tired, oh so tired. I usually turn the lights out by 11pm or midnight but was dozing off around 10pm already. I was feeling fine so I told myself I am just tired and probably missed some funny smelling leftover somewhere.
5:15am – I walk up with my right temple beating meaning the warning signs were right after all. Maybe I should have set my alarm to 4pm? It takes about two hours for the medication to properly kick in so that would have helped considering the main alarm goes off at 6am (and yes, I know that going to sleep at midnight leaves me with only 6 hours sleep which is not enough, but that is for another day). I get up and take my migraine medication (a triptan) and rinse down the taste with 2 ibuprofen (doctor recommended) and lots of water. For good measure I apply some tiger balm to my temple and neck and go back to sleep.
6am – The morning alarm goes off. Two hours are not up yet so the head is still throbbing. I hit snooze three more times before getting up for good. Breakfast for the kids and coffee and cereal for me.
7am – I slowly feel the pain abate. I take a hot shower even though the water feels like pin pricks on my skin (one of the side effects of the medication for me) but it still helps wake me up for good. Lunches need to be packed and one of the kids reminded to get ready (so thankful for my independent teenager). The kitchen still smells funny but apparently it’s just me who smells it.
7:45am – Load up the car with me and one kid and off we go. Grateful that I treated myself to a monthly parking pass this month. Headache is gone now but oh so tired. I make it to work alright.
8:30am – Sitting at my desk at work I contemplate what to do (or not do) today. Because I always feel slightly exhausted even after the pain is gone I tend to be more clumsy and slow. Since my work includes chemicals and biohazards I want to be sure I am up to the tasks ahead. Deciding on the cell culture room and some very easy tasks. I need to pay extra attention but I can do this!
10:30am – I finally starting to feel more like myself. So far I did not make any mistakes so all is well. It’s my lucky day.
Just for some general context: I had migraines on and off since my teenage years. They stopped in between to really kick back in during my early 20s when I got properly diagnosed. I am not sure if it’s done the same way but basically they ruled out any other neurological problem and my symptoms are textbook pretty. I have the pulsating pain on one side of my head (worst behind my eye), darkness is my friend and I am nauseous if the pain is too strong. I tried relaxation techniques, acupuncture, beta blockers, not eating certain types of food, cutting out alcohol – nothing of the then available preventive measures seemed to help. The acute medication did though (to the extend described above on most days). Apparently for me it’s mostly hormonal and related to weather changes. When we first moved to Northern California the very constant climate helped get them down from weekly to monthly what was a big relieve at the time. During both my pregnancies and two years after I did not have a single one. It recently got worse again with almost weekly attacks. There are some new treatment options out there but for now I am hoping it will calm down again eventually.
Things that help me get through the migraine day:
- Sleep, sleep, sleep
- Tiger Balm on my temple and neck
- A quiet room
- Herbal Tea
- Heating Pad for my neck (cold compress as you see recommended lost of places – not so much for me, so you just have to try)
- Taking the medication early enough
It’s okay, I am okay. I did not want to complain, I just wanted to share. If you have them, know that I am sorry and that you are not alone. If you have recurring headaches the first step should be a visit to your doctor to try and rule out more serious issues and to find solutions. It may be tricky but you might be able to discover triggers which you potentially can avoid. The American Migraine Foundation and the National Headache Foundation have lots of helpful resources including information on medications and therapies. There is hopefully something out there that will or already is helping you. I learned to live with it but I probably will never get used to it. I still feel a little guilty when I have to call in sick at work because of it or feeling bad because I barely manage to take care of my kids and have to leave it to my husband. It’s still like missing a day out of your live so for me that is probably around 40-52/year.
Home here and there 
Thank you for sharing. I get headaches sometimes but that obviously cannot be compared with migraines. Glad the meditation worked but I did not know that the side effect is fatigue and clumsiness. Thanks for educating your readers.
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It’s very different for everyone but in the end it’s always a trade off. For me the benefit far outweighs the negatives. There probably are plenty of people out there who don’t even take the medication because they are worried about the side effects but then again you might have none at all.
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It’s really interesting to read this. I have chronic headaches (not migraines) and when I went to the doctor, she gave some helpful suggestions (the combo of magnesium + Vitamin B has been helpful), it was clear that they she just didn’t have a solution. I feel like migraines would be so much worse, but, like you, when I do the math and realize that I have issues with menstruation 1-2 days a month that make it hard to live my life (12-24 days) and 1-2 days a month where my head hurts too much to do anything other than lay down (12-24 days), that’s WEEKS TO MONTHS of my life EVERY YEAR where I’m not productive. Human bodies are terrible.
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Chronic headaches must be so hard, too and it’s so frustrating that science learned so much but knows still so little how to help with certain ailments.
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I completely understand. For the past 20 years, I’ve suffered from migraines. I just started seeing a new migraine specialist, and I’m trying a new medication that has fewer side effects. I’m always glad to meet another migraine sufferer. It’s just nice to know someone who understands what you’re going through. 😘
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Thank you for sharing! I agree that somehow it makes it easier to know there are others out there with the same problem. I hope the new medication works better for you ❤️
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Thank you! 😘
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So great to see a post! So sorry that the impetus is painful migraines, ugh!
I get migraines too, but mine are very rare and not painful. I’ve never noticed the smell being an issue, but they are definitely related to my sinuses. Mine are ocular migraines, and the first symptom is blurry vision with squiggles around the corners. If I pay attention and can take a migraine Excedrin and then lay down in a dark quiet room, I will feel better in about an hour (though generally tired and spacey the rest of the day.) If I can’t get those things, I get very nauseous, and spend my time throwing up. Not at all fun. I’m thankful at least that they are not painful for me.
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I am still here 😉
Throwing up sounds no fun either and I do get the tired and spacey after taking the medication. Isn’t it interesting how different migraines can be? Same diagnosis but completely different causes/symptoms. There are still so many unknowns out there – still.
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I am so sorry you’re dealing with migraines. I can imagine the worst is trying to find a remedy and/or how to minimize the attacks and then still, the migraine is stealing time from your life. Ugh. It sucks.
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Oh this was tough to read as I could feel it all to well. It was like reading my own life (minus the kids). The smell is so off putting. I sometimes manage to get dressed and get the trash out just so I have the feeling of it’s gone.
Interesting that the triptan needs two hours to work. That is only the ibuprofen for me. the triptan works with in 30 minutes but then I do get the speedy ones. Maybe that would be an option to discuss. I’ve been on beta blocker too for preventive reasons but now we have switched to new monthly shots that do make the episodes shorter and not so intense.
Thank you for sharing your story. I did share my story on the blog a couple years back: https://www.craftaliciousme.com/?s=migraine
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I knew you had them, too and it really sucks. I am always interested to hear what helps other people so thank you. I used a different triptan before and it was the same thing – almost 2 hours for it to kick in. I tried beta blockers before and they did not help me at all – I just got the side effects without benefit what was no fun. I usually only have them ones a month and only recently started to have them more often again but if it does not get better soon I will check back in with my doctor to see what is out there.
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