Migraine Hell

Unfortunately I have not gotten a run in this week except for the easy 3 miler on Monday morning. I planned on 3-5 miles yesterday but was feeling out of sorts all day. Eventually that snowballed into a headache, then a migraine, then a migraine from hell. Within minutes I went from being able to watch TV to thinking that my head was going to explode. There was nothing I could do to alleviate the pain, which kept getting worse and worse. I don't often think about death and dying, but during some of these really painful episodes I often worry if the pain is a migraine or an aneurysm. During the worst of the worst, I always tell Gerri that I love her, just in case those are the last words I can say.

I know it is hard for her to see me in pain, and not to be able to do anything to help. Like most of the bad ones, eventually the nausea kicks in which of course leads to vomiting. This is actually a good thing, because once you have vomited, at least you know that relief is usually not far behind. Shortly after vomiting, the body tends to collapse, and assuming that you can actually find a comfortable position to lay your head, you pass out. For me, this phase can last from 1-3 hours, after which you can generally function, although at a reduced pace.

Now I'm having to deal with what I like to call the severe migraine hangover. The day after can be as bad as having a nasty hangover. Your body feels beat up, and you wake up with a dull headache. It's usually a 50-50 chance on whether another migraine follows the next day, since they tend to come in phases. I made sure to get up as soon as I woke up at 6:00am, because oversleeping or laying in bed can be a trigger. I grabbed some water to start to rehydrate, and will be sure to watch my food intake today.

Complicating matters is a scheduled run tonight, the Candlelight 5K at 9:00pm. I'm not sure what kind of shape I'll be in to run, but plan on giving it everything I have.

The worst part about migraines and the thing that frustrates me the most is I rarely ever get them when I'm working. 99.9% of the time I have ever had a migraine has been on a day off. I guess I should be thankful, because it would be impossible to work with a migraine, but at the same time I hate losing my off days when they happen.