Vacationing with Migraine- the down and dirty details

Getting away for a weekend or even a week or two is enough to make most people daydream wistfully of snow covered mountains, bubbling springs, painted deserts or even a tropical beach. Friends, family, eating in exciting restaurants, beautiful hotel rooms and playing to exhaustion all come to mind. When you are a migraineur however, the thought of a vacation conjures up visions of things much more sinister.

Migraineurs are no different than anyone else. We love life, our families, and we want to enjoy our time away from our normal lives. For many of us, vacations bring with them attacks that can ruin the experience for everyone involved, giving us not only a sense of dread, but guilt and stress because we cannot predict or prevent our next attack.

…. Or can we?

Some quick tips to planning and vacationing with Migraine Disease can be found HERE. For the down and dirty (sneaky!) details, read on:

Some migraineurs know that certain triggers are a problem for them: changes in barometric pressure, certain weather phenomenon, or even the release when we find ourselves removed from normal stressors. These we can plan to avoid.

If barometric pressure changes or weather are an issue, plan your trip for a time and a place where this can be avoided or minimized. You may need to plan vacations closer to your home so that you can drive or take the train instead of flying on a plane. Make this a part of your adventure instead of simply a way of getting from point A to B. Some find that flying is fine if they pre-medicate before the trip and give themselves a day to recuperate after arrival, sometimes using their medication to relieve or prevent symptoms. Sometimes carefully choosing the right season may be a key.

If food is an issue, ask to have the hotel restaurant’s menu faxed or emailed to you before you arrive so that you can plan your meals, and consider pre-ordering them. If your hotel has a Concierge, he/she may be available to help facilitate this process with any of the local eating establishments. Most good restaurants will fix anything you need, any way that you need it even if it’s not listed on the menu, but the courtesy of advanced warning may be in order. This includes cruises and tours. Be specific, but patient. Please do remember to show your appreciation for those who are working so hard to help you have a good experience.

If odors are a trigger, be sure that you stay in a non-smoking room, and call a day ahead to be sure this is noted as medically necessary. Ask that your bed’s duvet or comforter and all bedding be freshly laundered and double rinsed with no fabric softeners or anything scented. Ask that no odors such as air fresheners or Febreze be used in the room prior to your check-in, and you can request that your window be opened hours before your expected arrival. (If allergies are an issue, you can request a pollen count as well.) You may ask for un-scented soaps and shampoos in many hotels as well as double rinsed towels and unscented cleaning products used to clean before your arrival.

If noise is a trigger, be sure to call a day or two ahead and ask for a room at the end of the hall, but away from the ice maker or soda machines, elevators and possible construction. Explaining that you are looking for the quietest place to stay because of your medical condition will help them prioritize and place you in a room that will make you comfortable. Arrive early if possible so if something has been missed the staff has a chance to move you or make any changes necessary.

If you are sensitive to lighting or certain colors, you may want to ask what type of lighting will be in your rental car and perhaps request a particular make or model that will not trigger an attack. You can read about my personal rental car experience and the valuable lesson I learned in this blog entry.

If stress is an issue, no matter if it is stress itself or the release of stress that triggers or makes your migraines worse, planning is key. Scheduling is mandatory, and keeping that schedule as close to our normal routine is usually best. If every move is carefully laid out weeks in advance your stress level will be much lower. If you fear the relief of daily stressers will be your problem, plan so activity is consistent. Have activities in writing so your mind is always busy with something new. The activities need not be stressful themselves, but knowing that there is something else coming up will help to make your vacation fun without creating a sudden void that causes the chemical changes to occur. Remember that we cannot control everything though, and there may be a migraine interruption. Expect it and plan for it. Getting upset only makes it worse. Having a backup plan is both helpful and stress relieving for you and your family.

This information gleaned from research may help you find where you fit and help you in planning your vacation time. A study does seem to back up our need for a vacation. An article in Cephalalgia. 2007 Apr;27 looked for a connection between migraine and the work week and found significantly fewer headaches on Sunday than any other day. The researchers suggested that time off from work protects against migraine attacks.

Another more recent (March 2008) article by the same research team found that migraines do tend also to occur in a 24 hr cyclic manner, with migraine peaks usually occurring in the middle of the day. Yet another article in September of 2007 by the same group, noted there was a seasonal fluctuation as well, with insomnia apparently playing a role particularly in Migraine with Aura. This was a Norwegian study, so be aware that there are differences in culture, length of day, weather etc which might need to be taken into account. Those with metabolic issues (which can highly influence your normal rhythms) may find that they do not fit into this profile.

Migraines still happen despite the most carefully planned vacations. Planning for that to happen, and even expecting it is an important part of enjoying your trip.

Have your migraine bag packed and with you wherever you travel. If you carry medications in your bag, be sure they are in their original prescription bottles or they may be confiscated. If you usually use daily or weekly dosage boxes or towers, bring them empty and fill them once you arrive. If you carry syringes for injections, be aware that some states do not allow them without a prescription, and plan accordingly. Have a month’s supply of your medicines with you “just in case”, but remember that excessive heat or cold may damage them .

Making sure that your prescriptions are in a national pharmacy will help in case of loss, theft, or the need for a refill occurs, but it is not foolproof. Ask your physician to write a prescription for emergency treatment should the need arise, and keep this in your migraine bag or on your person at all times. Sometimes physicians may be familiar with specific doctors in the area you will be visiting and may even call a referral ahead. Practice with your family and your migraine bag so that everyone knows what is there and how to use it.

I learned a long time ago that planning a trip is something my husband loves to do, so I let him. I tell him what I would like to do and he usually finds a way to make it happen so I don’t stress over the details. We start planning as much as a year in advance so we don’t stress the details all at once. I try to remember that, no matter what happens I’m going to have fun and my vacation will be an adventure to remember.

One final thought:

Most migraineurs are very giving people. We worry so much about others that we forget ourselves. We want to ‘do’ for others and don’t want to ‘bother’ them ourselves, many times because of guilt over inconveniencing them. We forget that sometimes they feel the need to help us and most of the time just don’t know how.

Migraineurs lack control and sometimes seek it too fervently. Remember, when we don’t give our loved ones the opportunity to help us, we are robbing them of being useful. We have stripped them and made them helpless right along with us.