If you're anything like me the long, bright, hot, humid days of summer present all kinds of challenges when all you want to do is have some fun. The very nature of these activities (BBQ, beach/pool day, picnic, outdoor patio, concert/festival, vacation, etc.) make managing my pain extremely difficult - well impossible.
The problem is really two fold. First, all that hot sun and humid air changes the pressure in my head, which jump starts a migraine. Couple that with being out in the bright sunlight, which causes enough strain in my eyes to really galvanize that migraine. Second, doing these things disrupts the routines I have in place making it difficult to maintain the delicate balance that help optimize my comfort. For example, keeping hydrated, eating the right kind of foods, taking all my vitamins/medications at the right time and moderating my activity level all become nearly impossible.
Like everyone else, I still want to have some fun over the summer. I want to socialize with my friends and family, but these days all plans for fun are coupled with varied levels of anxiety. I worry about having a really bad migraine before I go that prevents me from participating at all. I worry about getting a migraine during and what my escape plan will be. I worry about ruining a good time my husband or others might be having. I worry that I'll be judged by my brain fog or muted affect - after all I don't look sick (sarcasm).
Being well prepared for any summer activity helps me to mitigate the inevitable anxiety.
-resting beforehand
-taking a bottle of water with me
-wearing a hat and dark sunglasses
-planning for recovery time afterward
After moving closer to family and friends last summer, I found that these things I used to do were no longer going to be enough. These days our plans often involve many more people than when we lived far from home. This summer I'm going to add some new strategies. There are some activities that just no longer sound like any fun such as going to outdoor concerts or shows. Fortunately my husband doesn't enjoy these kinds of activities so we just won't do them. Other activities still sound like fun but I know I can only handle them for shorter periods of time, such as BBQs or picnics. There is no reason we can't go and have fun but I will need to be able to get out of the sun and we need communicate that I can't participate in something like this for extended periods of time. (plus I'll need to eat in advance and have food available after because BBQs are not designed for vegetarians like myself).
Hopefully by the end of this summer I'll be able to better manage summer fun. What are your strategies?
Posts
If I were to choose a movie monster who reminds me of my migraines I would choose Gremlins. Remember this movie?
When I think of a theme song, I think of something upbeat and positive, something inspiring and hopeful, yet rooted in truth. Perhaps because of all the Ally McBeal I watched back in the day. 
Comfort is hard to come by these days, especially when having a migraine. But it is in these times of pain when seeking comfort is never more important. Even though true comfort may not be achieved, doing whatever I can to mitigate it certainly does make a difference.
Identifying, managing and avoiding triggers are supposed to be a big part of managing and avoiding migraines. Sounds easy enough, right?
If I were to invite someone to join me for a magical blend of tea that made them capable of understanding what it's like to live with chronic migraines...well, who would it be? At first I was trying to decide which family member I most wish could understand, but then I got to thinking bigger. I wondered who had the most power to impact the lives of all of us living with chronic debilitating migraines. 
