I woke up this morning and honestly feel good for the first time in I don't know how long. This is a relief. I can't say that I understand migraines, and I don't know how they manage to make everything hurt. It's a hurt you can't get away from. What's interesting to me as I learn more is that it isn't just the headache ... its a disease that can do all sorts of things. My stomach hurts, I get confused, I smell things that aren't there, I'm exhausted, I can't concentrate. Those are all symptoms of migraine - the disease - and the headache is just another part of it. The disease itself is awful, and then beyond what it does, it freaks me out and makes me feel helpless. Which is also really difficult to deal with.
So over the past few days I've been looking for ways to allow me to control what I can over this. I know I can't be as scared as I have been, I can't continue feeling out of control. That only adds to what the migraines can do. So, here's what I've done and maybe its making me feel a little stronger, a little more in control.
1. Research ... lots of blogs, asking lots of questions on a message board. How does this effect other people? What do they do? It's been relieving to find other people with chronic illness and see how they cope. It's been a relief to find books and posts about migraine and its symptoms that confirm I'm not crazy.
2. Realizing I think I clench my jaw as I sleep.
I think I've gotten so stressed over having to deal with the last few weeks of migraine stuff that I am either grinding or clenching my jaw as I sleep. I reached this conclusion when I noticed that my upper teeth have been aching every morning when I wake up. To the point I'd been thinking I had a sinus headache or something else. The pain would subside during the day, and would go away again by night. Then the same thing would continue again the next morning. This pain was all in addition to, or on top of migraine headaches. So, I got a mouth guard from a sporting good store and slept with that last night. No upper tooth pain this morning.
3. Ear plugs when I sleep.
I don't know but maybe I am a light sleeper. I started sleeping with ear plugs off and on a while ago because I'd hear noises and get irritated and then not be able to go back to sleep while I was irritated. Last night I just left the ear plugs in all night. I think that helped me sleep much sounder.
Today I feel like doing something fun. There's no headache gnawing away at me. I feel rested. And I feel hopeful. It's really nice to have that back.
So over the past few days I've been looking for ways to allow me to control what I can over this. I know I can't be as scared as I have been, I can't continue feeling out of control. That only adds to what the migraines can do. So, here's what I've done and maybe its making me feel a little stronger, a little more in control.
1. Research ... lots of blogs, asking lots of questions on a message board. How does this effect other people? What do they do? It's been relieving to find other people with chronic illness and see how they cope. It's been a relief to find books and posts about migraine and its symptoms that confirm I'm not crazy.
2. Realizing I think I clench my jaw as I sleep.
I think I've gotten so stressed over having to deal with the last few weeks of migraine stuff that I am either grinding or clenching my jaw as I sleep. I reached this conclusion when I noticed that my upper teeth have been aching every morning when I wake up. To the point I'd been thinking I had a sinus headache or something else. The pain would subside during the day, and would go away again by night. Then the same thing would continue again the next morning. This pain was all in addition to, or on top of migraine headaches. So, I got a mouth guard from a sporting good store and slept with that last night. No upper tooth pain this morning.
3. Ear plugs when I sleep.
I don't know but maybe I am a light sleeper. I started sleeping with ear plugs off and on a while ago because I'd hear noises and get irritated and then not be able to go back to sleep while I was irritated. Last night I just left the ear plugs in all night. I think that helped me sleep much sounder.
Today I feel like doing something fun. There's no headache gnawing away at me. I feel rested. And I feel hopeful. It's really nice to have that back.
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