Close up of woman's purse featuring nuts and raisins in plastic bag, Excedrin bottle, and rose Migraine glasses

Do You Have a Migraine-To-Go Bag?

As a mom, I frequently say that all I do is “pack and unpack bags all day long.” My middle child has Type 1 diabetes and plays softball and basketball throughout the year, and my other two children are in competitive cheer.

Yesterday morning, my middle daughter had a softball tournament. They were scheduled to play 3 games in a row, from 12 pm to 6 pm (on a hot, sunny day of course). My other 2 children had a cheer lesson from 12:30-1:30. Since my husband is one of the softball coaches, he would take my middle child and I would bring the other 2 kids to the game after cheer.

Packing bags for the long day

I spent almost an hour getting the kids’ stuff ready. First, there was the diabetes bag with extra insulin, pump supplies, snacks, and fast-acting sugar if her sugar number went too low. Then there was the giant jug of water and ice, cooling towels, sunscreen, sunglasses, softball stuff, and more. For my other two, I spent time finding their shoes and gear (let’s not even talk about how far behind I am on laundry, it’s mostly clean but needs to be folded and put away), and filling up their bottles with ice and water. Plus more water and snacks for during the game. Of course, not to mention helping everyone get ready, fix their hair, etc.

The beginning twinges of a migraine

All the while, I started to feel the tiniest little start of a migraine attack. It was one of those little nagging pains that could maybe go away with a snack and some water and maybe some Excedrin or could turn into a nightmare.

A bag dedicated for emergency attacks

I ignored it and kept getting the kids and their stuff ready. Then a lightbulb went off. Why don’t I have a migraine kit that’s always ready to go? I would have maybe a small bag (and an excuse to buy myself a cute little bag maybe?) with a bottle of Excedrin, a full bottle of water, a non-perishable snack in case my headache was due to not eating. Compared to all the other preparation I do, this would be super easy and quick to always grab and throw into one of my larger bags. I thought about taking two Excedrin right away but decided to wait it out for a bit (I always worry about rebound headaches), so I quickly threw the bottle into my bag, knowing that I had plenty of water and snacks already packed.

A kit for on the go

I’m going to try to make it a priority to always keep a migraine kit with me when I’m away from home. What essential items would you keep in your migraine kit? Share in the comments!

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