Migraine Awareness Month 26 : "I learned the hard way..."

Migraine Awareness Month 26 : "I learned the hard way..." We learn a great many things the hard way, through experiences that are often difficult and unpleasant. Of all the things you're learned the hard way, what sticks in your mind the most?

(This is a substitute post)

One of the things I've learned the hard way about having migraines is that in order to manage this disease in the best way possible, I've got to honor what my body tells me and not try to ignore these signals in order to get more done, not inconvenience myself or others, or even try to hide that I have migraines.

I now carry small "mini meals" around in my purse when I know that we may go for long stretches of time without eating. In the past, I wouldn't mention that I needed to stop and eat something or risk getting a migraine because I didn't want to make others have to comply with my schedule for meals. The result was often that by the time we stopped for a big meal, I was too sick to eat. I don't do that to myself any more. My husband now knows that when I say "I need to eat," I mean NOW and not in an hour or 2.

I also learned that I get easily overstimulated by sights, sounds, and smells. Everything seems to register in my brain at an increased intensity, especially at certain times of the month. What to most people is an exciting, fun filled day in New York City is, for me, a dizzying frenzy of competing stimuli that leaves me anxious and exhausted. I can enjoy it for only limited amounts of time and need rests, like ducking into less crowded stores or restaurants for a break to recharge. Now that I understand this, I can plan better for it, as can my family, with fewer misunderstandings.

"National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger's Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com."