migraine and the backrub i have this afternoon ;-)

"my head is on fire!" says migraine chick in one of her blog entries. i could relate to her painful experiences as with other migraine sufferers in the world. the kind of headache i have is the kind that is hard to shake off. literally speaking, i live, everyday, with head pain. i was prescribed to take amerge as soon as i have the aura. the supposedly magic bullet though is a hit and miss. it is suppose to dull the pain after one pill, but mostly, two 0.5 mg pills a day for ever 4 hours would do the trick.

i suffer from headaches for as long as i could remember. i was already headachy when i was young but my aura migraine started when i was pregnant with my second child in 2003. i didn't know what it was until i consulted my family doctor about the bright flashing lights i see. after the lights wear off comes the throbbing headache. i remain to suffer from aura migraine and i just didn't have a straightforward answer as to what really triggers my blood vessels in the visual part of my brain to go spasmic; hence the bloodfloow changes in that area which cause visual abnormalities (flashes of light, zigzzagging pattern, blind spots). there is throbbing on either one or two sides of my head and sometimes pain in my eye sockets. it comes along with nausea and sensitivity to light. it could also come with numbness, or tingling sensations and speech difficulties. the cause could be anything so i was told by my doctor. it could be hormonal, the food i eat, barometric pressure, stress, lifestyle etc.

one episode i had was triggered by a light that bounced to my eyes from a shiny metal turnstile in the subway. i was in shape that morning; i must say in perfect health. but what was mind-boggling was how that harmless light brought me to such a debilitating migraine. after a few seconds lights started to flash in the corner of my eyes and moved around the surface. when this occur, i got to take my pill at once to avoid the migraine headache. the aura was very disorienting which makes it dangerous for me to move around because my vision is impaired so i tend to lose my balance. i sometimes have a long episode and normally climaxes in unendurable pain.

i get aura migraine attacks sporadically but there were moments, especially if my period is near, when it comes 1 to 2 and sometimes 3 times a week. but no matter how rotten and crappy i feel it's a must to be on my feet to do what i need to do for the day especially tending the needs of my children. i'm a single mother and i single-handedly do the chores aside work and my volunteer job. i give credit to my steadfast determination to battle this debilitating illness. i would sometimes miss work though during a really bad migraine attack or if i failed to take my medication at once. all i need to do is to get a good rest in a quiet, preferably dark room until the aura is gone and the throbbing becomes manageable. in my case, after taking amerge, i feel hungry and parched so a good meal is a source of comfort.

photo from the great american backrub website

migraine dawned on me since sunday night and continued on this week until lunch time when i decided to visit the Great American Backrub. i wanted to feel good over the weekend so i thought of finding myself a fix. the clinic was full and a 15-minute back rub was all they could spare. i took the bait and i was glad i did! i requested for the therapist to dig deep into my skin to loosen the knotted muscles. the strokes she applied at the back of my head offered relief and by the time my 15-minute rub ended, my headache subsided. here i am now blogging away this entry, something which i wouldn't have the luxury to do had the pain in my head remains. i hope for a migraine-free weekend! and for those of you who don't have migraines, consider yourself as fortunate, be thankful and love life!