Migraine Brain

Most people who deal with the constant migraines, and the resulting medication of them know this term. For those who do not, Migraine Brain encompasses everything, from being generally confused, to the most extreme form, blacking out. Migraine Brain escalates from: general confusion; moving and thinking slower; the inability to articulate a specific word; exchanging one word for another, such as saying "lamp" when you mean to say "spoon"; misreading words on a page, reading "pain" instead of "brain"; not being able to spell a word or do math; forgetting your age, what year it is, whether or not you have taken medication and when, or even your own name; forgetting how to do tasks you have done for years; doing things by rote, such as going to get a coffee mug only to stare at the plate cabinet wondering why you opened that door, when the coffee mug cabinet was open the entire time; putting things away where you think they belong, only to find them hours later in the wrong place, for example, putting the car keys in the refrigerator instead of on the table by the door; tending a wound on the wrong finger; forgetting what you are trying to say in the middle of a sentence; mixing up the brake and gas pedals or even getting lost while driving, because of this many migraine sufferers are afraid to drive or even learn to do so; and finally, doing things with absolutely no memory of it later.

One of my lapses occurred the other day. I was looking for the top of a miniature greenhouse we had removed a few days ago. I knew I put it in a safe place because my fiancé tried to throw it away and I saved it. The last place I remembered seeing the lid was on the dryer. I searched the entire laundry room and couldn't find it. I then proceeded to try to communicate to my mom that I thought it was in the closet outside the house. What transpired at that point was quite different. I remember standing in the laundry room saying "it's in the room, with the door, over there" repeatedly while acting like an aircraft marshal (while writing this I had another dose of migraine brain, I couldn't remember what "the guys that direct the airplane" were called, thank goodness for Google.) using both arms to direct her attention to a spot on the wall that corresponded to the appropriate location of the closet outside. As I gave up in getting her to understand what I was trying to say, I walked towards the newly planted green house in another room. As I got closer to the plants I looked down and saw the cover I was looking for the whole time.

The important factors to take from this true story, is that no one is alone when dealing with migraine brain, and it happens at anytime, even when you are writing something important. Eventually the people you interact with on a daily basis will get so used to the occurrences of this, that they will, and do, begin translating your meanings to the rest of the world. There is also the massive possibility, or probability, that your friends and loved ones won't even remember what you said a day later, it is that common.

There are times when you can laugh at your migraine brain, migraine fog, or just plain "out-of-it-ness" ( yes, I know it isn't a word). It will not be right away, maybe not even that same month, but you will laugh again. Knowing new ways to enjoy your own little quirks, and laugh at yourself, makes each day the beginnings of a brighter future for all of us.

"Every time you find some humor in a difficult situation, you win." -Chronic Pain Warrior Quotes