It is hard being a single parent. So what happens when you have a migraine and need help watching your child? Luckily for me, I live with family members who are usually able to help with my son when I’m sick. I have disabling migraines and it is very difficult to watch my son when it hurts to open my eyes.
I woke up this morning with a horrible migraine. My head was hurting. My eyes were stinging. My neck was hurting and burning. I was absolutely miserable. I got up and made my son’s breakfast. I tried to take medicine for my migraine and keep some food down myself.
The light in the room hurt me so badly that I covered my eyes to eat. I was in so much pain. My neck was throbbing and my eyes felt as if they could pop out of my head. The pressure behind my eyes was excruciating.
I wish I could eliminate the migraines but I haven’t identified all of the triggers. I know that chocolate, cheese and other foods can be triggers. For me, a lot of fragrances are triggers as well. The problem is, such as this time, I couldn’t identify anything that could have been a trigger for the migraine.
I’ve taken several prescriptions over the past twelve years that I have suffered from migraines. I am not sure that any really work better than the others. Some migraines are worse than others. Many times the medication does help.
I’ve found that when I wake up with the migraine, it is much harder to eliminate than if I feel it coming on. The medicine has more time to work before the migraine is disabling if I feel it coming on. I often feel sick after I take the medication but feel better within the hour.
Older children may understand that when their parent has a migraine, they should play quietly in order to help their parent feel better. Young children, however, do not understand. My son’s loud toys and his yelling and screaming do not help with my migraines.
I think the only thing we can do when we don’t have the help of a babysitter is to dim the lights and offer quiet toys that may occupy our children while we sit in the corner and attempt to recover from the migraine while keeping an eye on their activities.
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