Waiting out the storm

Some days, you just have to batten down the hatches and wait out the storm.

Yesterday was a confusing challenge.  I woke well-rested and ready to take on the day. By noon, I was well on my way to checking off dozens of tasks when my brain just quit working. I couldn’t form a coherent thought if my life had depended on it.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but a storm front heading my way had already set off a migraine attack. My sudden lack of focus signaled the beginning of a prodrome that lasted all day and through the night.

20 hours into the attack, I was rudely awakened by the searing agony of a cluster attack at 7:30 this morning. Disoriented, half-blind with tears streaming down the right side of my face, I stumbled to the freezer, clawing inside for an ice pack and wrapped it tightly around my head. In my half-asleep haze it registered that I had only moments to stop the attack before the fires of Hades ignited within my head. Oxygen was my only hope. With trembling fingers I twisted the lock until it no longer moved and spun the knob to maximum. Pure oxygen filled the bag as I inhaled deeply. Slowly I filled my lungs with the precious gas that would extinguish the fire. Breath-by-breath, minute-by-minute, the fire died out.

Exhausted from the ordeal, I curled up to rest, only to feel the pounding throb of that migraine-in-progress signal the beginning of headache phase. Despite my fatigue, I forced myself to reach for the little green pill that would put a quick end to this fresh hell. Wrapped in a fresh ice pack, I settled back down to finish my nap.

I was barely coherent when my daughter announced she could not find an alternate sitter for my still-too-sick-for-preschool granddaughter. Assuring her that we would be just fine, I blocked off the living room with gates, pulled out the toys, and prepared myself for a day with my favorite 2 year-old. She’s really not hard to care for even when my head is pounding. Besides, I already raised two kids while facing down hundreds of days like this. I could do it for one more day.

At the moment, the only pain I feel is the baseline muscle aches brought on by fibromyalgia. Fatigue and brain fog still persist, though.

…back to our regularly-scheduled, though-provoking content tomorrow.

This article is part of the July 2016 Ultimate Blog Challenge