Sunny Vacations and Migraine Life

After writing this blog the first time I realize there is no recipe for avoiding migraines during sunny vacations. You may wonder why I bother at all. Migraine life has taught me that I don't have give things ups, I just have to approach with caution and a certain level of acceptance that there will most likely be pain. What I do boils down to a three part plan 1) Arm myself with my migraine artillery, 2) Plan to have a quiet place to retreat, and 3) Look outward as best I can to savor good memories.

Of course with sunny vacations and migraine life, the problem is... you guessed it, there's a lot of sun!! Blinding, stabbing sun, which can be a killer to migrainuers. My favorite travel partner is my husband because he is so accommodating and he never pushes. But I have traveled with other companions too and the mixed results are worth the time spent with people I love. Here are a couple of examples:

A trip to Laguna Beach with my daughter for her 15th birthday was both sweet and painful. Three days of non-stop migraines. The medication wasn't working, nothing was - who knows why, right? It just sucked. I remember sitting in the shade of a large rock on a beautiful beach watching my daughter explore tidepools. There was no shade other than my hat and this rock. I was anxious and hurting, but I focused on the turquoise blue of the water. That evening, my daughter and I watched a movie on the couch. The cottage we rented was cool and cozy and a safe place to recover. When I look back at that vacation what I recall most was how sweet my daughter was and that I got through a painful experience with grace.

Manzanita cottages in Laguna Beach.

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More recently I went to Huntington Beach with one of my best childhood friends. That trip also had mixed results. Although I didn't have stabbing pain in my head, I felt migraine-y, which for me means brain fog and fatigue. It was near impossible for me to fake a good time. We maturely split up one afternoon. She shopped and got a pedicure while I took a nap. We also spent time lying on the beach together watching surfers. Because it was just us two, I felt I could safely be myself in my weirdness. In the end, I was both grumpy and grateful. I've learned in migraine life that the two can go hand in hand.

So for what's it worth I can offer a few tips for making the most out of a sunny vacation with migraine disease. One thing that's for sure is a dark quiet room for the days' end. I often bring two navy colored twin-sized sheets and a pack of thumbtacks so I can create my own black out curtains when I need to. A few other suggestions:

1. Be realistic with your limits and don't travel with those who have a much different travel agenda.

2. Don't book all day tours. Leave plenty of time in each day to rest.

3. Set your mind knowing if you find yourself in a painful situation, it won't last forever.

4. Bring big hats and sunglasses!

5. Keep plenty of your medications with you. I ran out of Imitrex on one trip and paid $38 for one out of network pill.

I hope you find ways to travel if you enjoy it. Please send me comments and let me know how to navigate trips in your migraine life and where you love to go.