Migraines!

By Kara Friesen

Migraines are horrible! If you’ve ever had one, you already know this. If you haven’t ever had one…consider yourself lucky.

When the pain hits – it’s excruciating. I have often ended up being sick to my stomach, and then being driven to the ER. Going to the hospital for me, is a pretty normal occurrence. My husband used to freak out a little when I said I needed to go to the hospital, but now it’s almost like a date. Woohoo!! Someone will come take care of the kids, and we can spend a quiet night in the Emergency Room! Yay? Haha.

According to verywell.com, there are three types of headaches associated with multiple sclerosis, one of them being migraines! Migraines are common in people with RRMS (Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis), and can last between 4 and 72 hours.

There are lesions on my brain, and currently there are a couple of large ones that are currently active, so that could definitely be contributing to the amount of migraines I’ve been dealing with recently. I do take some preventative medication, but sometimes they just don’t work as well as they do for some people. So where does that leave me? With pain relievers. The pain goes away (thank goodness!) but it can still leave you feeling incredibly drained – a migraine hangover, I like to call it. It’s exhausting.

Being a mom, sometimes you need to pull out all the stops and use every tip and trick you know to try to relieve the pains and pressures of migraine headaches. One thing that works well for me, is ice packs/rice bags. The colder the better, and also the hotter the better. It’s strange, but alternating hot and cold on my neck or on my forehead (temples), can sometimes help to relieve the pressure. I have a Magic Bag, and it works well, hot or cold! Stick it in the freezer, or warm it up in the microwave. You can find them on Amazon (click here for the link!) for a decent price. I highly recommend them. I’ve had mine for a few years and haven’t had to replace it yet, so they’re highly durable!

It will soon be summer up here in Canada! As someone who suffers from heat intolerance, ice packs also help for the summer time, when migraines tend to be worse for me. Staying cool is key. I’ve found that cooling scarves/bandanas help a lot. They’re lightweight and stay cool for a long time. All you do is soak them in water for a few minutes and the tie them around your neck. You can find them on Amazon, here.

Overall, you need to find what works best for you. What do you do when you’re in the throes of a migraine?

All the best! Thanks for reading.