Thursday

"Migraines Are What Happens When You're Making Other Plans"

No doubt you've seen this clever axiom, credited to John Lennon...
For the past several years, my experience has been that...
"Migraines are what happens when you're making other plans!"

For instance, I planned a week-long trip recently to a town three hours away
to which two good friends had each moved. I was looking forward to catching up, to having a visual context for our phone calls.

Monday and Tuesday went off without a hitch.
Wednesday afternoon Friend #1, her baby and I enjoyed a long walk in a beautiful park, followed by a light lunch in a natural food store/deli. 
But by 6:00 that evening, just shortly before I was to connect up with Friend #2, the familiar shadow had begun to creep across my sun.
By 8 p.m. I was headed off to bed, eye mask in hand, pain meds on board and forbidden by Friend #1 from leaving the house in this state. (As if...!)
Frustrated, I called Friend #2 and explained that I would have to delay our plans until I was able to function again. Hopefully it would be early the next morning.
But, alas. It was not to be.

I headed for home late the next morning, disappointed that I would not be able to meet up with Friend #2.
I was not yet feeling a hundred percent but the episode had subsided enough to make the three-hour drive.
I utilized all the strategies with which migraine sufferers have become familiar:
Meds. Sunglasses. Deep breathing. Water. Pressure points. Magnesium. Stretch breaks. Neck massage. And yes... Smiling.

I don't know why things happen as they do. I continue to pray for healing,  be alert for triggers and seek answers. In the meantime, choosing to be at peace, even when my plans are interrupted and my best efforts fail is an important part of experiencing wellness.

Why not?!
This is me in bed with [yet another] migraine,
feeling sorry for myself and detached from other lifeforms.
Endorphins, released when we laugh, are said to increase feelings of pleasure and reduce pain.
I figured a good laugh might help, so I took a picture
to see how silly I must look.


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