The End of a Difficult Week
The End of a Hard Week
Migraines! I have to pay them the utmost attention and respect. I must always be watchful of their approach and be humble in their presence for their wrath is fierce and they show no mercy. They are the cruelest of task masters demanding that I do when I cannot and that for days they give me neither peace nor rest, nor cease from pain and suffering. Thanks to modern medicine I have more opportunities to try to keep the cruel task masters away, but even with those medicines I must always be wary and watchful of their coming for they can attack at any moment and through so many sensory paths. Light, sudden loud sounds, various smells, pressure changes, certain foods, sudden changes, changes in normal routines, daylight savings time, altitudes, arguments, and darn near anything that consciously and unconsciously creates stress in general are the triggers by which my migraines, the cruel task masters make their entrance. Sometimes they enter bold and blaring while at others they are stealthy slow, quietly building, yet utterly devastating. There are some migraines where you are just down and suffer dearly to barely make it to the rest room, and there is no way you are going anywhere, no matter what. But the cruelest of all are those that allow you just enough strength and resolve to get up and move, not because you want to, but because the occasion requires it and you must because there is no one to replace you, and you suffer every nauseous, heartbeat, cranial nerve pounding moment for it.
My Story – The End of a Difficult Week
Wednesday March 27, 2013– The end of a difficult week! I know for most of the normal world a week starts somewhere between Saturday and Monday, but being a self-employed entertainer with migraines time loses reference points and my week starts seven days before the next gig. Mental preparation of music and visualization, consideration of age and interest of audience, equipment checks and maintenance, rehearsal time, clothing, and then the last two, inspiration and right mental attitude are necessary to give an audience a great show. I awoke this morning with a minimal of discomfort, but part of that was because the gig was today. The show was successful and the people had a wonderful time, so it was a great gig. However, it did not start out that way.
Wednesday March 20, 2013– I woke up at 4am to a rapidly building pulsing over my right ear. Took a nasal spray then went back to bed and tried to dig holes in the sheets with my feet until the throbbing went away. Got up at 7am and was fine till about 9am when I started to feel a background throbbing with tension forming from the knotted muscles on both sides of my neck at the shoulder juncture. At this point it did not warrant another nasal spray so I took three Excedrin which kept it annoyingly in the background with an occasional nauseous, dizzy feeling. I slept for a bit, but woke up with it hanging in the background which made it hard to focus all day. Right before bed time I felt a raging locomotive quickly rumbling up both sides of my neck as it stiffened. As it shifted to the right and started over my ear I rushed for a nasal spray, limp to bed, and once again tried to dig a hole in the sheets with my feet till the throbbing subsided. The next morning (21st) the background throbbing started as soon as my feet hit the floor and followed me around all day. I managed to focus enough to form a mental picture of what I wanted to do then picked and checked equipment, cables, and Saxes.
Friday March 22 – awoke feeling pretty good with no clouds appearing on my migraine horizon. About 10am I started getting hit with nauseous ice picks that lasted throughout the day. At this point I am well behind on betting ready for the gig on Wednesday. It is only one hour, but it is at a senior care facility and they really like me. As the senior population dwindles I have less opportunity to perform their music so a good amount of refreshing is required. I went into the studio, bent over to power up, and an ice pick hit so hard that it left me nauseous to where I had to lie down for a couple of hours. Got up and managed to pick the songs, make up a performance/rehearsal list, and wire the programming setup before going to bed. The next morning (23rd) started with more background throbbing. Went into the studio and tried to practice, but wound up straining my voice from not being able to focus and concentrate. Had to take another nasal spray at5pm and got some relief about7pm then back to the studio to make mix adjustments to In the Mood. Felt neck tension building about10pm and went to bed.
Sunday March 24 - awaken by ice picks about 3am, but managed to get back to sleep. Ice picks followed by neck tension at 9:45am with a mild pressure building. At 10:15am I took 3 Excedrin and laid down for about an hour and a half. That evening I felt pretty good and got some good rehearsal time before bed.
Monday March 25 – The day started with a few mild ice picks and nausea during the morning, but everything went haywire when my eyes were dilated during a 2:30pm eye exam and I had to give a student’s lesson at 5pm, 20 miles away. Super bright flashes to take pictures of your retinal nerves through wide open eye pupils are pure torture. Thank God clouds came in on the coast because the drive to my student’s house was extremely bright. Amazingly I made it through the evening with no problems, but during my 8am doctor’s appointment the next morning (26th) I had to take another nasal spray, my seventh for the month. After I got home and rested a bit. I finalized practicing and some last minute programming before a getting decent night’s sleep.
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