Mother's Day Migraine Mayhem

We had Mother’s Day all planned out - my husband would wake up early to play softball, letting us all sleep in. Around noon, he would pick up my middle daughter and take her to the Mets game. I would take my other two girls to a pottery painting place or a movie. Then we would all meet up again for dinner to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Well, as Neil Young said, “The devil fools with the best-laid plans.” In my case, the devil was a migraine attack. Really? A migraine attack on my ONE DAY?!

The twinges of a migraine attack

I woke up around 10 am. At least everyone let me sleep in! Instead of showering and putting on a nice outfit, I stumbled downstairs in my pajamas, with a migraine attack starting to come on. My daughters gave me adorable handmade, heartfelt cards and showered me with sweet gifts - necklaces, candy, and a gift card.

Avoiding Excedrin to avoid MOH

When my husband and daughter left for the baseball game, I immediately felt the need to nap. Gone were the plans of painting pottery or taking in a movie in a socially distanced theater. While my daughters watched reruns of Jessie on Amazon Prime, I napped on the sofa. I woke up several times within the hour, deciding whether I should pop two Excedrin Migraine. I’m at the point where I need to talk to my doctor about preventive medication. I’m afraid if I take too many Excedrin Migraine I’ll end up with medication overuse headaches (MOH). So, I held out.

Using the energy I had

I slept until my kids asked me for lunch. I quickly threw together some lunch for them, emptied the dishwasher, and packed lunches for school for the next day, because I didn't know if I'd have the energy to do this later (I could barely do it then!). We FaceTimed my parents so we could wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day.

Should I take the Excedrin?

After they ate, I relaxed on the sofa and watched more Jessie episodes with them, continuously asking myself, “Should I just take the Excedrin?” When it was time to decide where to go for dinner, I was still miserable - now going on 8+ hours. I finally gave in and took Excedrin. Slowly but surely, I started to feel better. Why did I waste the whole day deciding if I wanted to feel better or if I should risk MOH? What an unfair predicament for people with migraine!

The night was salvaged

I’m happy to report, the night was salvaged. I mean, the day was nice, but I was in pain. The night was lovely, and I was not in pain! On the way to dinner, my daughter told us “Dad jokes,” which she had googled on her phone. At dinner, we had a great time with only minimal sibling bickering. Then, we stopped at a new place to try rolled ice cream, which was super fun. On the way back home, we sang along to “Levitating” and “Sweater Weather.” As I type, the postdrome is kicking in, and I feel tired and a little shaky.

I hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day, free of migraine pain! What did you do for Mother’s Day?