Dealing With Headaches

In reading all of these articles about what you should do when you have a migraine and how to avoid one and get treatment, you might be wondering what not to do. Fear not! Here’s a list compiled by my life’s misadventures. Hopefully, you can learn from my mistakes. They sure would make me feel better about them.

Drink Pink Champagne

On the one hand, it might seem like booze is a great idea (pink champagne is one of my favorite alcoholic beverages — which is why I haven’t touched booze in a couple of years now!)
Booze relaxes you, can sometimes numb pain and can knock you out so that you can sleep through a migraine.

Unfortunately, when you wake up, you will have the migraine.

Also, if you have a migraine, presumably you have taken some form of medication to try and ease the pain to that of a dull roar, at least. Alcohol and painkillers don’t play well together in the schoolyard of your body. There is even a potentially fatal reaction if alcohol is combined with opioid slow release painkillers.

Don’t Even Glance At One Of Those Magic Eye Puzzles

These 3-D visual puzzles, that takes “Where’s Waldo?” to the billionth dimension, were a big hit in my university days. People had posters of them all over the place. Some people even bought books of these torture devices and looked through them to relax, because apparantly a lava lamp was too tame.

My boyfriend at the time was one of these.

When you have a migraine, your eyes need to be as rested as possible. Granted, after a while you do get bored and just want to look at something to have something to do. But don’t look at anything you actually have to foucus on, not unless you are really into vomiting on a major basis.

Have Sex

Although there have been some people with severe headaches that find the release of an orgasm to help with their head pains, people with migraines can’t handle any sexual tension whatsoever. The act of sex is also just a little too gymnastic for those with a migraine. There’s also too many expectations to fufill.

That being said, some people do get strongly aroused when having a migraine, or just before a migraine. Quite frankly, you’re better off putting an ice pack on your head and on your genitals rather than engaging in sex. Seeing someone else have more fun that you are will also aggravate your migraine to no end.

Listen to Peter Gabriel

Now, for some people, they relax when they listen to Peter Gabriel, especially his instrumental work or some of the milder early Genesis stuff. I worship not only the ground the man walks on, but the ground he’s about to walk on. But, unfortunately, listening to Peter Gabriel tends to get me sexually aroused, which is not a good thing when you have a migraine (see previous point). If you need to listen to music, make it something like Chill With Bach.

Go Out To The Movies

Sitting in a mostly dark room is appealing to one who has a migraine. However, even if your date or companion drives you there, pays for the tickets and drives you home, don’t go. Not even if you’ve been planning it. Not even if the date or partner gives you a guilt trip. Not even if Peter Gabriel wrote the soundtrack….well…perhaps you could make an exception for that BUT if you get the migraines that make you extremely sensitive to light and sound, you are NOT in for a treat going to the movies, not even if you put your head between your knees and moan into the popcorn for two hours. It’s not worth it. Trust me.

And you’ll probably avoid a lot of future migraines by getting rid of a date or partner who urges you to drink, have sex or go to the movies when you have a migraine.