The Mindful Migraine

A migraine is a complex neurological condition… it is NOT just a bad headache. That said, people who don’t experience migraines themselves are often looking for ‘shortcuts’ to help them imagine what it might feel like. I understand where the “bad headache” idea came from… but it’s just not accurate.

A bad tension headache, or the sort of headache you get from sunstroke, or after you’ve had your wisdom teeth removed, (I’ve had all sorts), can feel epically painful – BUT – it is a centralized sort of pain. Your HEAD aches like crazy. It’s painful no doubt, but it’s still not enough to explain what a migraine feels like.

If you are looking for a way to quickly explain the full-body-catastrophe of migraine, consider saying “it’s like a bad hangover”.

A gazillion years ago, I used to drink beer at the pub with my mates, or lift a celebratory champagne to say “cheers!” (or if we’re going to be 100% hand-on-heart-honest, then we also need to add a few bourbon and cokes to the list for the occasional bender). MOST of the time, I was an easy-going drinker… I rarely overdid it.

That’s not to say I NEVER got a little carried away.

I have terrible memories of the first big party I attended after I was the legal drinking age (18 in Australia). UGH. I got home late that night, stumbled into my bedroom, and flopped into bed fully dressed. Mum came to check on me, and I (laughably given how bad I must have stunk), tried to convince her that the host’s mother had served Yorkshire Pudding (which she did) and I now had food poisoning (which I didn’t). She tucked me in (and probably rolled her eyes in the dark) and let me be. The next morning, I woke to the smell of greasy bacon and eggs wafting out of the kitchen, and… well… let’s just say my ‘food poisoning’ got the better of me!

For the rest of that day, I remember clutching my head in agony. It was pounding and throbbing as if there was a jackhammer and a lawn mower battling it out for maximum impact. But I was also clutching my stomach. It wasn’t so much pain, rather, it was a dreadful queasiness. Smells… lights… sounds… on a scale of 1 to 10, everything seemed to be cruelly set to volume 11. I remember rolling over in bed, and it was as if my skull moved at a normal pace, but my brain sloshed over to the side a second behind. I had a sickening image of a raw egg yolk… loose, slimy, perhaps green… Even these sorts of thoughts were enough to trigger my gag reflex.

When it was time to eat the ‘food-poisoning-busting-breakfast’ my mother had kindly prepared, sitting upright was a drama. Walking to the table was a drama. Smelling the food was a drama. Putting food in my mouth was a drama… and so on and so on…

Back in bed, the food was now sloshing around in my guts like a slimy green egg yolk. Meanwhile the universe also seemed out to get me… whose devil-dog was barking and why did it sound like it was positioned right at the end of my bed?!?

Anyway – if you have ever had a hangover, you get the picture.

It’s been ten years since I drank alcohol (it became one of my biggest migraine triggers), but I still remember the feeling, and it is VERY close to the full-body-catastrophe that is migraine.

The only difference?

A hangover is a form of retribution for your wayward ways… you reap what you sow… you get what you deserve… party hard – pay the price. Pace yourself next time ladies and gentlemen… drink lots of water and you should be fine.

With a migraine on the other hand… there is no pre-party before the pity-party. Sometimes, you just wake up in the middle of the night, and WHAMO! you’re sick as a green-yolk-dog for no apparent reason.

(Perhaps there is one other big difference; no one ever says, “have you tried Yoga?” to help you cure a hangover!)

Take care of your heads this weekend my dears, Linda xx