Offshoots Photography

What does a bridge have to do with a migraine episode you might ask. Well, I had this kind of weird one this week where I woke up with the head pain of a migraine attack, as I often do when I get one, but the pain went away on its own when normally I have to take a certain medication to get rid of it.

I went about my day and most of the next with no pain and no more thoughts about it. Then at the end of the second day the pain returned.

Head pain on one side of the bridge. No pain going across the bridge. Head pain on the other side of the bridge. Wish I could have stayed on that bridge!

But the thing about Migraine disorder is there are so many more subtle symptoms that can occur. With this episode in particular I dealt with extreme tension in my neck, especially on the left side, which is where the head pain ended up being on the other side of the bridge.

I tried for two days, using massage and heat, to relax that neck tension. When the head pain came back I realized quickly why the neck tension was so persistent: I had a two-day migraine that was only bookended with head pain, which is the symptom most people think of but, like I said, there are so many others that can occur.

In addition to neck tension, some other symptoms I may experience during a migraine episode include nausea, light and sound sensitivity, chills, irritability, depressed mood, fatigue, anxiety, agitation, and brain fog.

Migraine is not for the faint of heart and is sometimes a bridge to no place fun. Luckily, I do have medication that will take the pain away about 80% of the time. For that, I am very grateful!