A Strange Day

Yesterday was kind of a strange day. Usually, when I have a migraine, it either comes on suddenly or is already there when I wake up. Sometimes the pain is mild enough that I can go about my day. Those are the migraines I have almost every day, and if I stay busy, I can usually push the pain to the back of my mind.

Other days, the pain is so intense that every smell, bright light, or noise makes it worse. Those are the migraines that hurt so much that even resting my head on a pillow is painful, and all I can do is hope I fall asleep quickly. I’ve had headaches intense enough to wake me in the middle of the night. Thankfully, the medications I take mostly prevent those severe migraines unless there is precipitation in the forecast, and even then, the medicine usually moderates them. Then there are migraines when the pain falls somewhere between those two extremes.

Yesterday’s migraine was different.

I saw an aura around lunchtime, and the migraine initially seemed like one of the milder ones—but it felt different in a way I can’t fully explain. At first, the worst part wasn’t the pain but the secondary symptoms. Noise was the least troublesome, but my sense of smell became incredibly intense. I had to stop by the grocery store on my way home, and the smells of the store and the people in it made it difficult not to vomit. The bakery, the seafood department, people wearing too much perfume, and those not wearing enough deodorant—what I call the “Vermont funk”—were all overwhelming. Light became almost as troublesome, so I spent most of last night in the dark.

As I said, my migraines usually come on suddenly and either remain at their original pain level or become much worse fairly quickly. This one began slowly and continued intensifying over several hours until the entire right side of my head was screaming in pain. Literally, the tinnitus became so loud that it felt as though my head were screaming. My right eye felt as if an ice pick had been driven through it and was coming out at the base of my skull. The pain covered the whole right side of my head, but it was most intense in those two places.

Another symptom was what is often called migraine brain fog or cognitive dysfunction. I struggled to concentrate, follow a conversation, or formulate a response. Even the simplest thoughts required more effort than they should have.

I was relieved when I finally managed to fall asleep, and I woke up feeling much better. I still have a shadow headache this morning, but I can handle that. I have too much work to do as I prepare for classes and meetings, so perhaps staying busy will help keep it in the background. I’m just praying that this shadow migraine remains a shadow and doesn’t decide to return in full force.