So I got a migraine last night.

I was doing a little work on the computer, and all of a sudden realized that, as I was typing, I couldn't see the letters that I had just typed. I had a small blind spot just off to the left of where I was focusing. Immediately I got that feeling of dread, like "I know what's coming."

When I was younger, migraines felt like a death sentence. I had some medicine, but nothing that really worked very well. The only thing I could do was lie in bed, literally moaning in agony, for about 6 hours. The pain was deep and throbbing, but at the same time, it felt like my brain was hot... like my brain was actually heating up. So, you can see why I get a little panicky when I first notice a blind spot.

Last night, as soon as I noticed the blind spot, I took my medicine. 50mg of Imitrex and 2 other pills that are some mix of caffeine and some pain killer. Then, nothing to do but lie down in a dark room and wait for it.

The blind spot grows, starting out as a small spot on just one side of where I'm looking, and expands towards the side of my vision, moving sideways as it grows, until it's a weird big flashing crescent.

Try this: put your left hand straight out as far as you can reach, straight out in front of your face. Keep your eyes looking straight, and move your hand about 1.5 feet to the left and waggle your fingers. Even though you're not looking at them, you can still easily see them out of your periphal vision. That's about where the blindspot starts. Now move your hand more to the left, still keeping your eyes straight ahead. You should be able to still see your waggling fingers until your hand is just about straight out from your sholder. During the migraine precursor, for me, most of that vision is gone.

So if I can't see, what's there? It's weird how your brain fills in the blind spot with information. If you've never done it, try this blind spot test. The affected visual area kind of flashes and pulses. It's definitely not a big black area, that's for sure.

And as quickly as it started, the blindness goes away. Without medicine, the pain then would start. With medicine, that agonizing pain is reduced to a moderate discomforate. Last night I got in bed, buried my eyes under the covers while Diana worked on the laptop next to me. My head still gets a bit of a burning feeling, and I get a moderate headache, but totally manageable. That lasts for about 2 hours or so (by this point, though, I was asleep for the night).

Today, I called in sick and have just been lazing around all day. My head hurts if I bend over or if I sneeze, and I generally feel a little foggy, but nothing that can stop me from playing some Guitar Hero or doing the dishes. By tomorrow, I should be right as rain.

So, there you go. Everything you didn't want to know about getting a migraine.