Migraines

Yesterday I got a migraine headache. I get them infrequently, these days, one or two a year. Some years I've gotten more, some years less. For me they are triggered by hormones, caffeine, alcohol and just stress. The last time I got a migraine was the Friday before Masters week, the day before we were leaving on vacation and had to leave our house spotless and ready for renters. It was also the day that Erin had two ballet performances.

If I get a migraine, it is usually first thing in the morning and I know that it's coming. I should check into the migraine medications that are out, but I don't get the headaches so often that I make this a priority. For me, they only last a few hours. I get sick, need to be in a dark room. If I can sleep for a few hours, by noon I am usually OK, but tired.

I think I started getting migraines when I was 13 years old, but we didn't realize that's what they were. When I was an adult, I read this essay by Joan Didion in The White Album that I realized what I suffered with was migraines.

For a few hours, I am helpless. I get sick. Can't make the lunches, can't walk Erin to the bus. I do managed to call the piano teacher and tell her we won't make it. Rene stays home a bit and learns the details of who gets what snack and lunch and which water bottle. He gets to look up the school lunch menu on the computer. I get a day of forced rest.