Suffer with migraine? You are probably a genius!

Migraine Mum checking in.......

Sometimes I can feel very low living with migraine, especially when I'm getting  more than one a week. When I feel I can't be the wife, the mum, the friend, the daughter, the sister that I want to be or need to be, I can feel pretty hopeless.  To reach the point where you can't see the point is a very unpleasant, uncomfortable and dark place to be. But in those moments, I have to find hope, even if it seems impossible.......

I find hope in the constant love of my family and the continual understanding and acceptance of my family and friends. I find hope from God and bizarrely enough I find hope in the fact that many famous people have achieved great things despite having migraine....what an eclectic and creative lot we are.......

Migraine Mum's Ten Famous Migraineurs!

1. Elvis Presley
2. Napoleon
3. Vincent Van Gogh
4. Claude Monet
5. Julius Caesar
6. Lewis Carroll
7. Charles Darwin
8. Albert Einstein
9. Ronaldo (he missed playing in the world cup because of a "fit")
10. Whoopi Goldberg

So this list of people tells me that no one should define themselves by their illness. We are all potentially a genius!

Migraine Mum's drug problem

Migraine mum: Doctor, I'm really concerned about the copious amounts of drugs I am taking to get rid of my migraines

Doctor: well, according to research (heard on the Chris Evans Breakfast news, Radio 2, Wednesday 20th match 2012), taking aspirin every day can help prevent heart disease and cancer (but may cause internal bleeding and digestive problems)

Migraine Mum: I'm confused. According to my migraine consultant at the National Migraine Centre (a fabulous place for help, see their website www.migraineclinic.org.uk), if you take more than 15 days worth of any analgesic, you are at risk of causing more migraines.

Doctor: oh

Migraine Mum: and taking more than 10 days worth of triptans in one month can also lead to drug overuse and more migraines.......

Doctor: oh

Migraine Mum: so what do I do when I feel that ominous pain in my head and I take a look at my diary and see that by taking another dose, I am moving into the "brain, liver, stomach danger zone"...and joy of joys, probably causing another migraine for me to take yet more drugs for?

Doctor: just try to relax.......

Migraine Mum: arrrgghh! how can I relax when my day is filled with the chorus of my children, individually and corporately calling for my attention "mum", "mum", "Mum", "mum", "mummy", "mum!!!!". My only sanctuary on most days is the toilet........and even there (we have no locks), I have been burst in on, for them to see me crouching in there swiftly and surreptitiously swallowing a domperidome and glass of aspirin (900mg) or guiltily (is that a word?) swallowing another domperidome down and snorting a triptan up my nose........I have to take my drugs to help me live!

Doctor: sounds like you need a support group.......

Migraine Mum: what a fab-u-lous idea. Is there anyone out there? Anyone who has any other ways they get rid of migraines? hypnotherapy? meditation (on the toilet?!). Migraine mum needs help.

Learning to blog has given me a migraine!!

Migraine Mum is clocking in.......

This is my first ever blog. I went on a 'how to set up your own blog session' on Saturday......it was very useful and has allowed me to speed up my motivation and desire to put my thoughts out there.

The thing is......I went in feeling great and came out with a migraine!!! Here were my triggers (I think)The lighting in the room, sitting in a chair and staring at a screen for longer than i needed to, and may be not drinking as much as i normally do at home.........I thought I had done everything possible to prevent one coming including wearing special sunglasses, drinking and eating and sitting well, stretching when i could........so what's going on? I seem to be so sensitive to the world!!

Anyway, when I got home, my children had missd me (aaahh) and wanted me to do everything with them for the next 3 hours.....drawing, jigsaws, reading books, wiping bottoms, blowing noses, cook their tea, play football..........the list goes on. Luckily for me, by taking copious amounts of drugs I seem to be able to carry on........until yesterday when I blew at number 3 (my youngest daughter) in church on Mothering Sunday!!!!! Can I hand in my resignation.....even for just a day? I'm not superwoman afterall...........