I LOVE these videos! I know you can relate!!
I have been getting ocular migraine headaches on and off since I was seven years old. My first one occurred during the Memorial Day parade in my hometown. I was supposed to march with my Brownie troop. Instead, when we passed my street, I found my mother and went straight home where I hid under my pillow for the next twenty-four hours. My migraines are brought on by many different triggers including bright sunlight, dehydration, stress, and/or caffeine. The first symptom is blurred vision, similar to what your television screen looks like when your digital cable goes wonky. After that, it's all downhill. I have extreme nausea from the blurred vision causing a Puke-a-palooza, if you will. Lying under the covers is the only thing I can tolerate. The headache usually lasts throughout the night and then the next day I have a "hangover headache", a dull, lingering throbbing but my vision is restored. They are truly debilitating and something only fellow migraine sufferers and their loved ones can relate to. Luckily, I don't get them too often, maybe 3 times a year.
Today we had lunch at my in-law's beach club. I had a delicious garden salad and a cup of "decaf". When the waitress came by to refill my cup, I asked if it was decaf to double check, as is my routine when eating out. "Oh, no it's not. I didn't know," she answered. Great. I felt okay, so I didn't make a big deal about the mistake. I finished my lunch without thinking twice about what happened. Until...
...I went out for my run about an hour later. I was planning on running a 6.75 mile trail along the Indian River. After the first mile, I noticed my vision start to blur. Oh crap. I decided to push on hoping it would pass. At 2.2 miles, I decided it would be better to turn around rather than get stuck on the remote trail. Once I arrived back at my in-law's I chugged two and a half bottles of water and gulped down an orange. This only made me feel nauseated. The blurry vision had subsided though. I got lucky and was able to stave off a potential disastrous dinner with the family.
Lesson: It is better to remind your waitress about your caffeine woes ad nauseum than to sit through a meal with your in-laws and children ad nauseum. Figurative barf beats literal barf. Always.
Me too. 2-3 times a year. I get the sparkling, traveling aura. It portends the onset ~20 minutes later.
ReplyDeleteBoo! Does any medication help? Imitrex works for me sometimes, but sometimes not. I heard nasal sprays are pretty effective.
DeleteI never took any prescription drugs for it. The only time I went to a doctor was for my first one, in high school, right after an SAT. I just take two aleve or two extra strength whateverislyingaround and go somewhere dark and quiet. It usually commences as that hangover headache you describe. If I don't head it off (ha) I'm in deep shit. It sounds like mine may be less severe than yours. I'm sorry. They are such a big waster of time.
Delete-Celia
What is it with runners and migraines? I'll admit that my periodic hemispherical headaches aren't at your levels, but every six weeks I get affected. I've found that pseudoephedrine and Excedrin, taken together, provide a decent cure. Actually, since I "retired", I haven't had one!
DeleteWell, that certainly speaks volumes, ER..
ReplyDeleteI believe my tinnitus, my recent new 'affliction' is related to running. The doc says no, but I'm thinking blow flow may be part of the problem. I also very rarely listen to music through headphones anymore, just in case that's the primary cause.