Free My Brain From Migraine Pain

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Migraines, Travel, Social Life

April 13th, 2009

We had a nice four day trip over the weekend to visit friends in Boston. A wonderful family who lived in our town for two and a half years.  They were our around the corner neighbors, and our fourteen year-old sons are best friends.  They are warm and easy to be with.  It’s a six hour drive each way.  We were actually in Boston from about 7 pm Thursday until 1 pm Sunday.

It’s ridiculous how hard it is to plan for and face a simple weekend trip like that.  I needed medication refills and discovered various mistakes that had been made in the prescription that involved multiple phone calls and trips to the pharmacy.  I recently increased my Topamax dosage and I am experiencing once again the mental cloudiness I have had at each new dosage level – making it hard for me to stay focused on a task or remember what I need to do next in a sequence of tasks.  This is beginning to lift, but it’s not gone yet.

Of course I had to pack all my meds, for preventing Migraine, in case of migraine attack, all my supplements, my thyroid meds.  My husband and son had meds to pack.  My eighteen year-old daughter was staying behind to work and dog-sit, but we had to be sure she had food and instructions. My husband and I are both at rather crucial points in business and there were things that had to be finished before we could hit the road.  Our accountant called just before we were leaving with additional details needed for our taxes.

I get pretty stressed with highway driving, especially on high travel weekends like this one, especially in the high-speed, high-pressure, road-rage rampant, “I’m more important than you are and I own the road” Northeast (where I live). That kind of stress goes right into my neck muscles and can lead to headaches and Migraines.  We passed a couple of horrendous accidents on the way there.

I left without the spare pillows I usually bring – due to several injuries I sleep propped up so that I don’t ache so much I can’t sleep. I found myself a bit embarassed by my inability to find words and complete sentences in the morning and evening when my meds were strongest. And Saturday afternoon I passed on a trip to the Aquarium with the families, and lay down with a Zomig, a book, and eventually a nap, to get rid of a Migraine.

AND – you’ve listened to my litany of complaints, here’s my conclusion: I had a great time.  It was so nice to get away.  It was so lovely to spend time with friends.  It was worth the stress of driving.  So what if I had a Migraine – chances were way better than even I would have had one at home anyway, without the visit.  So what if I stumbled over words a little – entertaining though I may be, my conversation is not the only point of the visit (shocker, I know!).  We came back renewed and refreshed. Tired after our travel, yes, but it was so very worth it.

We don’t get out much. It’s hard to make plans when Migraine and other illness often comes along and changes them. Money has been tight. My house is not as clean and neat as I’d like it to be, so I don’t ask people over much. But it’s so important to be with people. Every little bit helps. True friends don’t love us for how perfect our housekeeping is or our speech is or any of that.

– Megan

Open door image courtesy of emdot/marya.

Tags: friendship, migraine, relationships
Posted in Managing, Travel | Comments (2)