Kirryn Lia's ultimate migraine survival guide

I've been getting migraines for years, for various reasons. Sometimes it's hormones, sometimes it's stress, sometimes it's a day that ends in Y. I'm a dab hand at this shit now, so let me present to you my migraine survival guide. May your vomiting be brief and your pain be light.

There are two parts to this: Your Survival Guide, for those of us who suffer, and the Migraneur Babysitter's Handbook, which will come soon, for those who have to watch and would like to avoid mental scarring. (Part two shall be lovingly dedicated to AJ, E, and my mother, who have suffered most unfairly because my blood vessels are Satan. Thanks, my lovelies. ♥)

Your Survival Guide

First of all, if you have a headache right now? FFS, put the phone/tablet down or get off the computer, go take some painkillers (if that's how you work), have a glass of water, and come back when you're pain-free. Jesus Christ on a two-stroke moped, child.

Know Thyself, Heal Thyself

Migraines differ for each person, so knowing what works for you and doesn't can be a major help. F'rex, some people find icepacks to the back of the neck helpful with head pain, for other people, this makes it worse. Some people are photosensitive and need blackout masks, other people need cooling gel masks, other people can't stand a damn thing on their faces during hurty time. It's hard, but try and remember (if you can) what felt best and what didn't once the pain is gone or lessened, or (and I recommend you be VERY careful with this) experiment GENTLY when you have a regular garden-variety headache -- if a cool cloth on your eyes is soothing during a regular headache, it will likely help during a migraine. Please do not experiment to the point where you tip a regular headache into migraine territory, dear god. You have been cautioned.

Water is Your Only Real Friend Right Now

I am not even joking. Water is the only thing that can actually separate you from vicious, violent, throat-bleeding pain and just normal migraine pain. It won't cure your migraine by any stretch of the imagination, but it WILL make things a lot easier.

At the very first twinge of pain, hydrate. Your body is likely already dehydrated, so hydrate.
If you end up throwing up, take a decent sip of water between every bout, yes, EVEN IF YOU FEEL NAUSEOUS. Especially if you feel nauseous! You're going to throw up anyway, and water in your belly can be the difference between injuring yourself and just throwing up normally -- take it from the girl who refused to sip water and ended up vomiting blood. Drink your fecking water then puke your heart out; it will make everything easier. I cannot stress this enough.

Mind Your Sugar and Caffeine

Migraines can sometimes be abated before they get to the tipping point by a little extra bang of sugar. Try downing a couple of squares of chocolate when the pain starts (or something equivalent if chocolate's not to your taste). If you're a regular coffee drinker with a sensitive head, skipping your daily caffeine can also trigger it, so sit down and sip your revoltingly expensive latte while you give yourself zits.

There's No Escape, Point Blank Period

If you're someone who has to suffer through menstruation AND migraines...I'm still yet to find something that helps with that. I know how much that sucks, but truth has to be told. The closest I've ever come to nixing menstrual migraines is by nixing my menstruation altogether (with doctor's approval, nobody panic), and even then, if I skip a BC pill accidentally, or illness means it doesn't absorb properly? The minute the hormones change, the headache begins. I've tried everything, from anti-adrogens to evening primrose oil. Nothing works. The best you can do is just be prepared...sorry for the miserable news. :(

Mind the Mercury

The temperature of the room you're in can effect the intensity of your migraine -- especially if your body is stressing out about it. Too hot AND too cold can make migraines worse by a large margin. If at all possible, keep the room temperature at around about 22ºC/72ºF in general (YMMV depending on a lot of things, natch). Having a fan gently blowing on you can also be soothing, but keep in mind that sometimes during vomiting fits, you'll go hot and cold. I personally am willing to shiver through the cold to feel soothed during the heat, but if you're sensitive to that, maybe skip it. Remember, know thyself!

This also applies to your showers after you've escape the pain -- too cold AND too hot can tip you back into headache territory. Keep everything lukewarm and comfortable!

Make a Migraine-Ready Kit

If you're an unlucky sod and migraines are a regular happenstance, it's worthwhile to have a kit at your fingertips with all the stuff you need. It's amazing how much pain you can lessen (or puke-fits you can outright dodge) if you DON'T have to run around like a chicken with a really sore head when all the BS starts.

Grab a spare bag -- I personally use a very small child's backpack I got in a $2 shop, but it really depends on what you need personally -- and stock it with what you need. This is going to differ from person to person, but here's what's in mine:

blackout eyemask
OTC painkillers (I have paracetamol and ibuprofen both, for double the punch) and a tube of ibuprofen gel (more on that later)
nausea meds
facecloths
small bottle of water
two small towels
a couple of squares of chocolate
headband, bobby pins, and hair ties
wide-toothed comb
comfortable clothes -- loose oversized tee and lounge pants

Handing this to someone who's tasked with looking after you can lower their own blood pressure, too! They'll love you, even as they're holding your hair back from your face :D

Get Under Your Skin

Can't keep anything down, and that includes painkillers? This is where the tube of ibuprofen I keep on hand comes in -- rubbing Nurofen on my temples, the back of my neck, and across my forehead during a migraine, especially one where I've already thrown up my pills, can take the edge off things a little, and seems to help with any muscle cramping that goes on during the worst of it. It won't work as well as actually absorbing a PK, but every little bit does help! Just remember to wash it off afterwards, as Nurofen brand, at least, does peel.

Postdrome Is A Sneaky Bitch

Postdrome, as the name suggests, comes after the syndrome -- the migraine itself (the prodrome before the pain itself would be an aura, for example). Postdrome needs to be taken seriously, too, else it slides back into a headache. You're going to feel like a truck has hit you, so take care of yourself. Keep up your water intake (or sink a sports drink if you've been through a vomiting jag), monitor any residual pain and manage it with panadol/ibuprofen/whatever you need, avoid blue light and computer screens, loud music, and headbanging. Nap as much as you need, even if you think it's excessive -- your body knows best. A lot of people (...yours truly) sometimes get hit with a wave of "HELL YEAH I'M SO OKAY NOW!!" energy during the postdrome, and that can fool you into think you're all good and ready to go. A lot of the time, you're not, and that energy dissipates so quickly it'll make you giddy, literally. Practise self-care in the aftermath and listen to your body, or you'll be migraining again very soon.