It's nice to know the Migraine triggers you have so you can try to avoid or at least control them when you can, but lights can be a totally different story. I have noticed that whenever I go into a room, I immediately look around to see where the lights are and where the shadows are in the room. Guess where I usually choose to go? I'm sure you guessed right, the shadows.
Do you play this same game with lights in a room too? Do you also get scared to death whenever you're told you need to go someplace outside of your normal light zone? What I mean by that, is if you're asked to go visit someplace different, where you don't know what the lighting situation will be at all and will have little control over the lights.
This goes on in my mind more and more all of the time. I am going on a business trip soon and have no idea what I am going to do about the light situation yet. I am very comfortable at work with the lighting in my office and with my lights at home, but can only imagine what the lighting is going to be like in the meeting room I am going to be in for a couple of days on this trip.
I always have to be careful about the conference rooms I go into even in my own work building, but I pretty much know where I need to sit in our rooms now to help minimize any damage. To set the stage for this trip, I will be meeting my boss in this city along with a whole bunch of people his level and above with a few people at my level sprinkled into the mix.
I always find myself in this quandary around lighting and still don't have any suitable answers yet. I've said it before about CFLs, but lights in general are the devil! I've gotten horrific Migraines before from being out at client sites because of their lights and I can not use my Migraine light helpers in this atmosphere. I can not wear sunglasses or my trusty hat during these meetings so the only thing I see I can fall back on is looking for the best shadows to sit in.
I'm also going to have to get my boss on board ahead of time or just grab the seat I want even though I know he is going to want to sit next to me during these meetings. I will get him on board before hand because I have to even though I don't like pointing out my Migraine difficulties any more than I have to with him or at work in general.
I'm pretty sure that if I can't find the right seat to sit in, that I am not going to fair well on the trip Migrainewise. I will have plenty of abortives with me and will be able to take care of myself properly once I finally make it back to my room, but I'd rather not have to go that route especially since the abortive can affect my mind until it really starts kicking in.
This disease is so frustrating. Everyday things can be a big deal. Who, besides a Migraineur, would even begin to understand this ridiculousness around silly lights and none of this even deals with the drug store of medications which must go on that plane ride too, but that's another story for another time.
There are so many more things we must consider before doing anything 'normal'. Who would think about sitting in shadows because of our vulnerability to everyday light and making other adjustments like that.
When will there be a cure for this nonsense?
2 comments:
I completely understand this one!! Sometimes it is also the ventilation systems in stores and restaurants. The changing of the pressure when the systems starts or stops can throw me into a migraine! There was one office supply store that I could not go into the corner of because of a flickering CFL and the vent. Of course, the products I need are parked in that very corner. Imagine trying to explain that to the employee!! Please know you are not alone. I am right there with you.
Of course the products you need are in trigger corner! Where else would they be? It is nice when others understand the difficulties we go through and that we're not alone, but unfortunate that others have to go through this too.
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