Believing in Ghosts

The problem with pain, aside from the fact that it hurts, is that you never get used to it.  And then there's that other problem, that the purpose of pain is to let you know there's something wrong, so you can take your hand out of the flame.  But what's the purpose of migraine pain?  To let us know that our neurons are going haywire?  Oh, how useful!  Since they're going to do their haywire thing whether we know it or not.  And then the other problem, of course, is that it hurts. I know, I already said that.  But did I mention that it Hurts? 

I love my Migraine-free time.  Sometimes I worry that I don't love it enough, that I don't remember to love it every minute.  Then the pain takes me by surprise when it comes back.  It feels like such a betrayal.  How could this be happening, again, when I've been so good, well, mostly, well I've tried to be...

I had 4 weeks with two mild migraines.  Went off to the migraine specialist saying "I've just had the best month in about 7 months - kind of like when you take the car to the mechanic it stops making the noise!"  Kine-ahora!   (That's Yiddish for... kind of like knock wood... ward off the evil eye.)   So on the way home from the migraine specialist what do I get?  You guessed it!  I ended up with a two day temple-gouger this time.  Pain like I haven't felt in, well, a month? 

When I was little I used to have scary dreams with ghosts.  If I said (in the dream), that I didn't believe in ghosts, the ghosts would throw me up in the air or bounce me up and down or do something to prove they were real. I feel a little like that with the Migraine I just had - like I'm going along saying how well I'm doing and the beast has to jump out and bounce me up and down to prove it's real. All right, already, I believe!

Who knows?  I don't like the nasty surprise of the pain, but maybe it's better than remembering it all the time.  Better to live completely in my wellness, rather than still in the Migraine.  I felt well today.  For which I am exceedingly grateful.  I hope you did too.

- Megan

                        Neurons image courtesy of Rebecca Radcliff; ghost image courtesy of piccadillywilson.

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Comments

[Rain Gem]

I think you got something going here when you ask "what's the purpose of migraine pain". I don't even think we suppose to have it. If we have pain, our bodies tell us that something is gone wrong with our ability to handle our over-active brains.
Remember your "Our ancestress - a fable"? She might not actually had the pain. She had the migraine, all right, just not the headache.

[Megan Oltman]

So all we have to do is get back to how it was for our ancestress? There's an interesting line of research!

[Rain Gem]

Maybe, maybe not. Much time has passed since then. How many generations have being carrying our gene through the times when they couldn't "get back"? We might be the ones who are paying the penance for all those people now.
Still, worth trying. If we can figure what where the initial conditions, that is.

[Glenn Stewart Coles]

You have made the correct connection but seem to be denying any ability to affect your migraines beyond medication.
'the purpose of pain is to let you know there's something wrong' (Yes)
'But what's the purpose of migraine pain? To let us know that our neurons are going haywire?' (No, to tell you that something is wrong).
While it is easier to blame a 'genetic disease', the reality is that migraines are supported by many elements. Some of these can be changed. An example is the 'mind chatter' that helps build and support a headache. Learning how to reduce mind chatter has a direct impact on reducing migraines. Is it easy? No. Is it possible? YES!

[Megan Oltman]

Glenn -

You are mischaracterizing what I have written. If you actually read more than a few snippets of what I have written, you would find that I am most certainly not "denying any ability to affect your migraines beyond medication."

I reduced my migraine frequency from 2 - 3 per week down to 3 - 4 per month (a 67% reduction) through regular practice of meditation and relaxation, combined with regular sleep, regular exercise, a long list of supplements, trigger avoidance, and appropriate use of abortive medications to treat the migraines I did have. Look at my posts "Managing my Migraines: Recent Success;" "Calming Down the Migraine Brain;" and "Breaking the Headache Cycle." In fact, look at my categories "Managing" and "Tips and Techniques."

I am an ardent proponent of relaxation techniques to help us calm our systems and become less reactive. I believe there is a lot we can do to affect our own health. Yes Migraine is a complex disease and is influenced and triggered by many factors.

However, Migraine Is a genetically based neurological disorder. This is not my opinion. It is established medical fact. To deny that, and to call Migraine the result of "mind chatter," is irresponsible and simplistic. Migraine is not psychological. It is physiological, based in the physiology of the brain and nervous system. Stress plays a role; it weakens our resistance to triggers, just as it weakens our resistance to disease. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the stress hormones themselves were found to be migraine triggers.

I'm glad you have found helpful techniques. There are many helpful techniques out there. I will be sharing some more of them myself later this week. But I suspect you will not find supporters for your ideas by leaving preachy comments and inaccurate information.

- Megan