One of the things that I sadly suffer from is migraines. I've talked about it some on this blog but today I'm gonna take you down story lane as to how bad they can really be. 

The first thing to know about migraines is that they are kind of a curious study. Doctors have been trying to get more information on how to treat them and there are facilities that have started to specialize in treatments and programs to help people who are afflicted by them. Of course, as most medicine is, it is outrageous in price and they usually only help those who have super serious cases. Mine isn't to that point but it's still up there on the scale. 

Migraines are painstaking, life-draining, and just awful to battle. Every time i Have on I use a scale of 1-10 on the pain level scale and also take into consideration nauseous levels as well able to see without wanting to puke. Over the years I have learned what form of attack to take with these migraines and most of the time I get lucky and I am able to fight it off before it gets any worse. This particular case was not one of those things. 

On October 10th I visited ST.Louis and went into the arch there. I had never been but my friend J had given me the recommendation to go up in the Arch to experience not only the view but the pod that takes you up into the arch. It's a particularly weird feeling and the design is still from the 1960's and hasn't been changed (in terms of the mechanics so it's all original) and gives you the vibe of a Ferris wheel mixed with a death trap.

If you are claustrophobic, don't try this particular attraction. It is SUPER small and you will probably freak out. 

In any case, I go up the arch, It's amazing, and even though it's short I was glad I got to see it and experience a little blast from the past in this modern age. 

I get done with the arch and go back to the parking lot to get Lylah. The area around the arch is a huge park so I walk her near the arch and sit down in the grass for a while letting her soak it all in. She has never been a city dog so the sounds, noise, and people are a lot for her to take in. So we sat and I let her decide how she felt about the area. Luckily it didn't take too long for her to settle and once she did we walked back to the van. 

Once back at the van I realized that the migraine was starting. It was a dull throb at first. Almost unnoticeable but I knew what to do. I took some Ibproufine, drank a ton of water, and ate a quick snack to dull the pain. With that, The migraine edged back and I got in the drives seat and set off toward Iowa. Twenty minutes later the migraine was back and in full force. With much disdain and knowing that I was not in a good position due to my eyes straining with the lights on the dash, I made the appropriate adjustments so I can drive to the next gas station. 

I  pull into a loves, park and decide it has to be from not having real food and just snacks. So I set up my single burner and make some chicken noodle soup. With that in place, I lay on the floor and wait for it to be odne. Once finished cooking I stuff my face and drink more water. In ten minutes the pain has dulled. I look at my GPS and I still have a little over an hour of a drive. Getting up I get back in teh drives seat and make my way to teh rest area. 

Let me say this for those that dont know. Its not often that I get a migraine that persists over a few hours. this one persisted. 

The next hour or so of that dive was hell. I am not 100% sure how i got to the rest area without puking my brains out. Somehow I pulled in, let lylah out for a quick potty and got in bed. I had hoped hte next day would be better and more full of acticity and fun. After all I was in Iowa and I had neve been here before. I was hopeful. 

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Morning came and as soon as I opened my eyes I knew. I was in trouble still. the migraine had not gone away and it was pain staking. The only good thing About this was that I had let go of all o fmy work times in case this happened. In pain I managed to get up, let lylah out to go to the bathroom, gave her food and then went right back to bed. I was so neausous and felt like my head was gonna explode. It was an awful three hours and I hoped it would pass soon. At this point I wa salmost twenty hours in on this migraine and I just wnated it to stop. 

After a three hour nap I gave in and decided I needed food and a coffee. Hoping that would help I packed the van and left to the closest coffee shop. Let me tell you, driving was not a good idea but I managed (I was going 40 in a 60 to give reference). I got in the scooters coffee drive through (but not before throwing up whatever was left in my stomach) and then got some food and coffee, parked in the lot and then ate my food and drank half my coffee quickly. Crawling back into bed I waited. An hour goes by and the migraine quietly subsides to nothing. Twenty hours of fighting this thing and it finally went away. 

Migraines are the worst and its painful and all you can do is ride it out the best you can and hope it goes by quickly. Most of the time they do but there are moments where they stick around. This one was one of those moments. Luckily today is a normal day and we are looking to do some activites in Iowa while were here before moving on to South Dakota. 

Stay tuned for the next update and pictures to come.