June is Migraine & Headache Awareness Month!

Woohoo! It's our MONTH! YAY. Let's talk about headaches. Although it's not my favorite topic in the world, it's one that affects me every day, so it is very important to me. This month, I intend to participate in the Migraine & Headache Awareness Month Photo Challenge, which is intended to give you a peek inside what it's like, in my case, to live with Chronic Daily Migraine. Each day, I will post a photo inspired by an assigned theme. Having seen the scheduled prompts, I know that it will be an interesting collection of pictures, and I have made a commitment to myself to best serve the Migraine community by being as truthful as possible. No sugar coating it. (But it won't all be grizzly, as you'll see today.)

Let's begin, shall we? 

Photo Challenge, Day 1: comfort, peace, coping

Here are some explanations of what's in the picture, since this is really about raising awareness, and not promoting vague, themed photos...

comfort: 

Those are my NAP blankets, sleep mask, and my "Soft Friend," as Warner (my nephew) calls them. Also, my Kindle will read to me, which makes me very happy. So will the Audible app, for books purchased on Audible.com -- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay does absolute wonders for getting my mind away from my brain, if that makes sense. Sometimes, especially during the marathon attacks, which last 10 or more hours, it's hard to get my thoughts on something other than what's going on in my body (and how I feel about it).

peace: 

meditation, whether on my own, or guided by Andrew Johnson's apps (represented by the t-shirt, bottom-right). My Mom taught me how to do a body scan when I was very young, so that is my go-to, when things start to get rough. I'm lucky to be able to hear her voice in my head when I do it, too-- one more point for comfort!

coping: 

Sprite for the nausea. Baby ones (in the little glass bottles). Chewable Vitamin C when I'm dehydrated, but don't want to drink another drop-- chewing one somehow makes forcing water down easier. Pringles for the salt cravings I get about an hour after having vomited. (Or whenever-- I love me some Pringles.) My favorite dōTERRA oils-- I always have my bedside diffuser running, in order to help keep me as calm, stress-free, and positive-minded as possible. (Wild Orange and Bergamot are my favorite, scent-wise) and I put a drop of Frankincense on the roof of my mouth at the onset of an attack. Occasionally, it helps the migraine start to break itself up, but it always helps me begin to settle down, if I start to get hysterical from the pain.

Tomorrow, "Photo Challenge, Day 2: alone, lonely." Yay... ;p

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