Saturday, July 25, 2009

Migraine Mania!

No, really.

I haven't posted in a while because I've been doing well, because I've been so busy going from gig to gig that if I get a migraine it usually waits until a day off and I'm so exhausted anyway that it almost doesn't matter. I'm in bed already; adding drugs and an ice pack isn't much more effort.

But now begins the Deadly Period. I have no gigs, and haven't worked for a week and a half. Stress about finances + depression = migraine cocktail. And why might depression play a role? Well, easy: when I'm already feeling down and listless, I am less likely to be aware of migraine triggers or migraine warning signs. This is why I watched half of a terrible Matthew McConaughey movie and then Harry Potter 4 again instead of seeing my favorite 3-year old for his birthday party. But somehow, my head's condition was not fitting for an outdoor party with lots of little kids. And I was feeling crappy enough here at home that Old Shirtless McSmirky was even somewhat entertaining. Somewhat. I'm not completely daft.

Now onto the mania: I called my mother for her migraine guidance, because I truly was torn about missing the birthday party. The fact that I was having trouble forming sentences should've been a warning sign. When she answered the phone I could tell that she was in some stage of a headache; I can always hear the weakness/spaciness in her voice. So we were indeed a pair trying to talk on the phone! Anyway, she told me that her neurologist said that pre-headache mania is actually a form of an aura. WHO KNEW?! I never get the auras anymore, the regular kind, so it is interesting to note that my last 3 migraines were preceded by a period of intense mania. Like, yesterday I laundered ALL of my bedclothes, comforters, duvets, etc. AND scrubbed the floors, cleaned under things, etc. Mom reported that she used a toothpick to pick at the stubborn spots in the bathroom shower tile grout. Clearly, not normal behavior for either of us!

So now a new warning sign: mania. May take the form of intense cleaning or productivity. Oh, yay!