The Madness to My Method (Part II of today)

Good day!  In this case, "better" day!

As last night's migraine headache winds down this morning, I'm smiling to myself.  Aside from the inevitable dose (or two or three) of ibuprofen, my method of treating my migraines is not completely ordinary.  In fact, it might be classified, "highly unusual."

Whereas many people take to their beds, close the curtains, and dim the lights during such a brain siege, I sit upright at my computer with the lights on and type my heart out.  It's ridiculous for me to lie down.  (And if I'm not lying down, what am I going to do in the dark?)  When I lie down, the pain sloshes around to whatever side of my head touches the pillow, proceeds to throb so that I cannot forget about it for a minute, then concentrates in a sinister way so that I become temporarily numb to it.  When I get up again, vaguely hoping I'm "cured," the migraine sloshes awake with a vengeance, rolls around to another portion of my head, and pounds away.

Not liking to be fooled in this manner, I keep vigil with the monstrous thing.  Instead of trying to tame the beast, I soothe the emotions, instead.  The beast can't reach me there.  And sometimes I truly succeed in finding "shelter" in bursts of consoling inner relief.

Enter . . . music.

Even loud and celebratory music works -- not "rap" or hard "rock" but a good, healthy pulse that you can dig into at the roots.  This engages me in the depths and allows me to pull something robust out from that deeper reservoir where physical pain cannot reach.  In this way, I distract and baffle the migraine, cruising above it on intoxicating sound waves.  The pain persists; but, no longer engulfed by it, I "tolerate" it.  There's a difference . . . . . 

Or, perhaps, in another song, it's not the "pulse" of the music that grips me but the sheer emotional power of the singer; for example, Andrea Bocelli.  So I said to Andrea this morning ("talking" in my head to the YouTube clip), "Go ahead -- BLAST this pain away!" 

I thoroughly enjoyed his Tuscany performance of "Con Te Partiro" at a volume louder than moderate.

I highly recommend this accompanying method of pain amelioration.  The migraine has now vacated and one eye is tearing profusely in relief (reliable sign of "The End"), washing away the vestiges of battle. 

More music, please.  :)