When Your Body Says No

By mid-morning on Friday, I knew the blistering headache was here to stay. I kept pretending—a sip of water, a bite to eat, a can of Coke. Nothing worked. Then, by mid-afternoon, I wanted to get home as quickly as I could and by mid-evening I was in bed, bilious and head pounding. A migraine.

I haven’t had an attack as bad as this one for a long time. Since discovering Maxalt, I have been able to stave off the worst attacks. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a script with me and no tablets at home. During the worst of the pain, I tried to ‘ride the wave’. It wasn’t working. No matter how much I tried to relax, do yogic breathing or take my mind of it, the pain was unbearable. I had forgotten about this level of pain and how it had affected most of my adult life until about 10 years ago. Once or twice a week I would drive back from work, unable to turn my head. Once home, I crawled into bed and waited for my husband to arrive so he could make dinner and look after our daughter. This was how we lived our lives.

I had hoped not to pass on the migraine gene. Unfortunately, my daughter suffers from them as much as I used to. I texted her as the pain surged to a new level and she arrived with medication in hand, a sleeping pill and a cold compress for my head. I lay there as she tidied my kitchen and waited for the medication to take effect. I was incredibly thankful but couldn’t help but wonder about my declining years. Will it be her fate to look after me in twenty years’ time? It’s not what would ever want.

As far as migraine sufferers go, I am relatively lucky. Mine usually don’t last for longer than a day and I function well by the next morning. Not this time. For the past two days I have felt like there’s sludge moving through my body. I have a slight headache, stiff neck, back and hips, no energy and brain fog. Every plan I had for this weekend had to be shelved. This was going to be the weekend when I worked on projects, went out and did a thorough clean. All I managed to do is walk the dog, read a little and write a few words.

Tomorrow is Monday and I’ll be back at work. To be on top of my game, I need to relax, let go of the weekend’s frustrations and go to bed early. To stop feeling overwhelmed, I have compartmentalised my to do list. Some things will have to wait until mid-week, others until next weekend and the rest can go on the long finger or drop off the list altogether. Health isn’t just a priority—it’s the foundation for everything else. And this weekend, my body made sure I remembered that.