Understanding My Childhood

As a child, I would often fall asleep in "strange" places. If we went visiting it wasn't unusual, so I've been told, for my parents to have to hunt for where I was sleeping. Once it was under the table where the adults were playing cards, another time I was behind the couch, and so on.

Identifying the beginning

As an adult, I learned that migraine often causes a child to sleep - a kind of "self-defense" mechanism to help the child avoid the severe pain of migraine. I learned this after my granddaughter started having them at about 6 years old.

While the migraines backed off for a number of years (I do remember having headaches while growing up), during my third pregnancy they came back to prominence. Oh, to have those days back again, because I could take 1 or 2 Tylenol, nap for an hour, and I'd be okay.

Where I am today

Now I'm nearly 60 years old and have been disabled for 5 or 6 years, although I should have retired/filed for disability at least a year sooner. I've been known to joke that the migraine gene in my family is so strong even my adopted daughter & her daughter have them!

I find humor is a valuable tool for me in dealing with severe daily migraine. It has been years since I've had a totally migraine free day, but I decided decades ago that I could let the migraines rule my life (that wouldn't be living, merely existing), or I could live my life the best I can and take the limitations as they come. I no longer drive, and I can't travel by air, but I do enjoy traveling by train and have traveled coast-to-coast to visit family.

My outlook

I think the most important thing we can do for ourselves is to give ourselves grace for the bad days. And for me, I hope that I take the worst so no one else in the family must. This is something I can live with.