remedies

As I left work on Friday evening, I was struck with a rather vicious headache that persisted through dinner, post-dinner television shows, some relaxing time in front of the fireplace, and after I crawled into bed.

Saturday morning, I woke up with a headache so strong, I could barely lift my head off of the pillow. I had been looking forward to our busy Saturday for the whole week, though. I was hoping to meet Phantom for coffee at some point during the day, Josh and I were meeting our friends for brunch and to help them decorate their Christmas tree, attend an arts and crafts fair, and a holiday party at night. I made it out of bed and slowly got ready, but in the car on the way to our favorite restaurant, I realized I'd made a mistake. I tried to eat through the headache, hoping that eggs and coffee would take it away. Our friend is a pediatrician, and she peppered me with questions trying to determine the source of the pain. Eventually, we settled on a migraine given my nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

Nothing seemed to help. I tried Advil (3), Sudafed, coffee, and rest. I eventually gave up on all my plans and gave into laying on the couch and willing the migraine away. Saturday night wasted, I told myself that Sunday would bring relief. But Sunday morning, I woke up with a renewed migraine that persisted throughout the day. It isn't enough to make me vomit, or to make me completely immobile, just enough to make it difficult to do anything. On Sunday afternoon, I even tried a basic exercise video to see if moving around and getting my blood flowing would help. Umm, that would be NO.

Now it is Monday morning, and it seems impossible that my head still hurts. I tried to work on the subway during my morning commute, but all I could accomplish was laying my head against the glass and hope for the day to end quickly.

I have migraines once or twice a year, but never for such an extended period. I am halfway through my third day with this headache and in brief moments during the day it seems a little better, but then comes back with a vengeance.

I know that some of you also deal with migraines. My solution has always been to sleep through them, but has this ever happened to you? What do you do when the migraine won't go away?