Spinach Hangover: My Life Among the Migraines

It's Thursday night, and I'm finally starting to get over the migraine that started last Thursday night. This is especially frustrating because over the weekend we flew down to San Diego for a surprise 65th birthday party for my husband's father. My stepmom planned a great weekend. Or so I was told...I was laid up in the hotel room for most of the weekend. My in-laws are used to this. For every visit for the last 10 years, I've spent a large part of the visit curled up in the guest room while everyone else hangs out. I was really hoping this time would be different since it was such a special occasion. New life goal: be able to visit the in-laws without being a party pooper.

It's 6 AM. I've been up since at least 3 AM. I'm sitting in the lobby of a Holiday Inn. A pinched nerve woke me up, made me toss and turn, and finally made me give up on sleep. But with my husband having a busy day ahead, I chose not to wake him with the glare from my laptop and the tapping of laptop keys. The pain in my hip made me breathe in shallow gasps as I hobbled down the hall from my room to the elevator. The trip down from the 3rd floor to the 1st took eons. Then another painful hobble down the hall to the lobby, gripping the wall and hyperventilating. I honestly thought about just stopping and lying down on the floor, at least 3 times. The only thing that stopped me was not having the energy to deal with hotel staff if anyone saw me. By the time I crumpled onto a couch in the lobby, I had to gulp hard to keep from puking. What does a pinched nerve have to do with migraines? It's a ripple effect. The last time a migraine laid me up on the couch for a week, ...