Like Mother, Like Daughter: Migraine Edition

You see this beauuuuutiful, almost 7th grade daughter o’ mine???

Welp.

There are many things she gets from me that I adore. 

Her brown eyes, her love of music (here she is, below, dressed for her voice recital she had yesterday)…



Her love of reading (Amen, Halleluiah!), as evidenced by this massive haul we brought home earlier this week, on behalf of all three kiddos…



There are truly a million things that she gets from me, but one thing I’m so sad that she’s inherited is…my migraines. :(

My beloved Chica has begun her journey with migraines over the past six months, or so, and my heart hurts to know this might be something she faces throughout her life.

I hoped the first one, back in January, was a fluke. But by the second one, we started keeping a journal to try and identify the triggers. And I’m sorry to report that my girl had her third—and worst—migraine this past Thursday.

She texted me from school at midday, reporting severe pain, was in the the nurse’s office shortly thereafter, and was throwing up from the severity of the onslaught when the hubby ran to grab her from school (he was the fastest to get there), and bring her home.

I took one look at her when they pulled into the garage and I knew she had a migraine. When I asked if that’s what happened, she burst into harder tears (crying only makes migraines worse, sadly), and nodded despondently. 

The warning aura (like dancing, flickering sun spots in your vision) had hit her when she was outside for field day. It intensified throughout lunch, and then, when it disappeared, the pain hit her like a freight train. Textbook pattern, really.

As soon as she was able to get out of the car at home (it took awhile for the nausea to ease up enough for her to move around), I brought her inside, gave her pain meds, helped her bathe, get in soft clothes and up into her dark room…where she was asleep within minutes.

I snuggled up beside her, she slept without moving for about an hour (until my reminder alarm went off, as I had to go pick up Chicklet from school), and I’m so happy to report that Chica was much better upon waking.

All in all, considering how fast and furious it hit, she weathered it pretty well, and only suffered some minor head throbbing when she moved about for the rest of the day. But she was in much better spirits, and not too worse for the wear.

Since we’ve been keeping her migraine journal, it’s pretty clear to see that her triggers appear to be nearly identical to my own: massive weather/seasonal changes (especially big barometric pressure shifts, like the storm that rolled in hours after her migraine) and changes in light seem to be a common theme for hers

, thus far.

Again—so identical to my own patterns that the day after her migraine, I had a whammy of my own. Like Mother, Like Daughter, indeed.

In a weird way, I’m glad to have forged this path ahead of her.

From her first aura spots of that first migraine, I’ve known exactly what’s happening and what might be done to help her. I’ve learned so many tips and tricks that might help her, as well. And I suppose there’s some comfort to knowing she won’t be alone in this battle—however it may shake out for her.

Migraines are NOT headaches, people. Have sympathy for anyone you know who weathers them.

More mañana, peeps.

Over and out.