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Poetry and snark blogger who also has a creative side (who knew?)

Friday, June 22, 2012

Migraine Awareness Month #22: "The Game Changer."

Migraine Awareness Month #22:  "The Game Changer." Tell us about a time your plans changed due either an unexpected Migraine or an unexpected Migraine-free experience.

I've always prided myself on not changing plans due to a migraine. I always follow through on commitments even when I'd much rather be in bed in a dark room. There have been countless times that I've spent the frantic last few moments before an event brushing my teeth and applying make-up to make myself appear like I haven't just puked my guts up and feel like there's an ice pick in my eye socket and the devil is twisting my eyeball out. Usually I get by. Once, however, the migraine won.

It was in graduate school. I was in training for clinical psychology and was doing psychotherapy with a client. It wasn't unusual for me to have a migraine during a therapy session. This one was particularly horrendous, however. My head was throbbing, and I really felt like I was going to vomit. I tried to stay with the flow of the conversation, but all I could focus on was trying not to throw up. Then, in the middle of my client's session, the nausea overcame me. I jumped out of my chair, mumbled a quick "excuse me!" and ran out of the room to go to the ladies' room and puke. This was not good therapy protocol! When I returned, I had to explain that I wasn't feeling well and apologize. The client was so wrapped up in his own problems, he just picked up right where he left off without a mention of my exit! I'm just glad that this wasn't one of the sessions that a team observed behind a one-way mirror for teaching purposes!


"National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger's Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com."

4 comments:

  1. We all have had a few of those! Mine came in Memphis .. a business meeting scheduled for two days. I spent the entire two days laying on the cool marble floor of my hotel bathroom. Don't know how I made it back to the airport and my flight home to Minneapolis. Remember none of that. A co-worker who picked me up on arrival actually didn't recognize me! It ranks as my worst.

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  2. Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa...I don't know how you have done what you have done! Guess one has to do what one has to do!
    Fortunately for me ....I wasn't working outside the house when I had them cause I was GOOD FOR NOTHING! I shit you not!
    (((hugs)))Pat

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  3. How awful for you but at least it didn't have other ramifications and you got through the rest of the session

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  4. My migraines usually make me nauseous, but I've never had to run away and barf.

    The only thing I've ever really missed due to migraines were a concert (I was supposed to perform and couldn't even get up from my bed) and work.

    I don't like missing work, because I love my job.

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