Other than oversleeping (was dreaming I was at a Dave Matthews Band show) and not realizing I’d have to scrape snow off my car, the morning started out well. I was only a couple minutes late to yoga and was really looking forward to the class. The migraine didn’t appear until class began. As it grew steadily over five minutes, I knew I wouldn’t last. Nearly in tears, I packed up to leave. I asked my teacher for the hug I sorely needed, which helped a bit.
I was early enough in the migraine for caffeine to help, so I got a latte next door to the yoga studio and headed to my car. When the music started in the car, I had to turn it off — that almost never happens. I sat in silence, wondering if I could make it to Whole Foods. No, probably not. I went anyway.
I was in a daze, but the pain had lessened. Although it took five minutes to find my misplaced cart (I’m not exaggerating), I made it through the store OK. Cook’s Illustrated and Real Simple magazines were my only impulse purchases. (My impulse control is severely impaired when I’m shopping with a migraine. Does that happen to you?)
Now I’m on the couch. The active part of my day is over, but it isn’t all bad. Reading isn’t make my migraine worse, so I’m grateful for the magazines. I’ll get to listen to my current audiobook, On the Road. I have leftover cherry cobbler. I have a backlog of Ugly Betty episodes. It could be better, but I’m not unhappy.
I’ve had migraines for over 40 years now. I’m on a host of medications to prevent them. Nothing really works that well, though I have been to the best doctors in the country, i.e., Johns Hopkins, Harvard’s, Mayo Clinic, UC San Francisco…. I get extreme facial flushing, extreme body heat, sweats, irritability when a migraine is coming on. I also get mood swings. During the mood swing, when the irritability starts, I get into an impulsive phase. I can start binge eating, non-stop talking, even kleptomania. The last scares me the most. I mean, this has been going on for 40 + years.
Hi Kerrie –
I’m so sorry you had to leave yoga class. It drives me nuts that at any moment I may feel it starting, and have to just walk out on WHATEVER I’m doing.
Re: impulse shopping & migraines: ABSOLUTELY! I have very little money, but during a migraine I’ll spend every bit of it, sometimes ignoring bills that need paying. It’s crazy.
Often, I’ve found that the focus and mild high that i get from shopping will seem to dull the pain a bit, – sometimes a LOT. Probably an endorphin thing. The whole behavior FEELS sort of chemically-driven, and I mean DRIVEN! Throw some pain meds into the mix and FUGGETABOUTIT! – shopping inhibitions go out the window.
I have ADD, somewhat controlled by medication, but when I have a migraine, all impulse control goes out the window. Luckily, I usually feel too lousy to head to a store, although I need to be careful of loading Amazon.com.
I also suspect that one of the warnings of an oncoming migraine is a marked increase in inattention – looking back after the migraine hits, it usually seems that way. I need to start tracking that and see if it’s a true correlation.
I often force myself to go to the store needing a few things, wander around trying to remember what I need, and then grab items at random in my frustration to get out of the store.
Those items invariably are useless or comfort items, so I feel your pain!
Boy is this familiar to me! Yes, my impulse control is off when I have a migraine, I lose carts, and thoughts, and sequence of thoughts, and what I need to do next to get me to my medication and my home and bed! I’m glad you got the latte and the magazine, anyway!
– Megan
Kerrie, as much as I hate going to the grocery store when having a migraine, I do it when necessary. I definitely resist lingering in any store while in the throes of a migraine–this surely does cut down on impulse buying! (Unfortunately, I occasionally end up not getting anything, which isn’t good either. I once drove to the Atlanta IKEA, filled up my cart with a bunch of kitchen and bathroom things I needed, and then abandoned my cart only to flee to the car so I could get the hell out of there. There went 1/4 tank of gas and 1.5 hours in IKEA! Alas.)