Chronic Migraine Awareness

Chronic Migraine Awareness would like to thank Elizabeth for sharing these helpful tips with us.

Parenting While Living With Migraine

Living with any headache disorder, especially any type of migraine, is already a battle inside your head. When you add taking care of kids before teenage years, living with any migraine type is a battle! But don’t fret, Mom and Dad! There are ways to parent your kids during an attack or going through a migraine cycle. Here are some tips to follow as your migraine contingency plan with these 5 actions.

1. Educate your kids about your rescue methods.

Start teaching them when you think they can understand how to differentiate between things. I started teaching at age 5 because this is when my oldest son, who is now 23, was able to recognize letters and knew his colors. This was also when he showed signs of wanting to help me when I was in pain.

You don’t have to start when I started. Some kids know how to read and know their colors at age 3, like my nephew. So, it all depends on your child and their level of understanding. Based on their level of understanding, you can color code your rescue medicines for them and or teach them the first letters of the medicines that are written on the bottle. If you use a device, all you need to do is describe it or put it in a place where they can retrieve it easily.

• Train your kids to follow a certain routine.

I taught my oldest son a routine to follow when I had a migraine attack that disabled me from doing anything around the house. I taught him to help me get my meds, turn off all lights, do not make too much noise, bring me an ice pack, bring me crackers, make him something to eat, take a bath before bed, and go to bed by 9pm. I taught him this routine when he was 5 and he was very good at it. The only thing that needed tweaking was him eating all the snacks in one day. After he got in trouble about that, he didn’t do it anymore.

You don’t have to follow this exact routine. Make it a routine to your needs but make sure they understand to go to bed at a certain time. This may be hard for some kids, but I believe kids can be taught anything. Anything is possible with determination and practice! 😀

• Keep the house stocked with snacks, easy meals, and drinks.

In my opinion, I think this is the most essential step with the plan. The kids cannot take care of themselves without having access to food. If they do not have food to eat, they will nag you and be bothersome while you are having a migraine. This has happened to me before. So, I now practice keeping the house stocked with snacks and easy microwaveable meals.

I usually keep my youngest son’s, who is 10, favorite snacks and frozen foods in the house. One time I had a very bad month and didn’t have anything in the house but popsicles. I had to call my oldest to bring him something to eat and go to the store for me. So, if you cannot make it to the store due to having an intractable migraine, ask someone else to do it or use delivery services.

• Teach your kids to cook or prepare simple meals.

This is a very beneficial thing to do for your kids. Not only does it jump start self-sufficiency, but it also helps you to be less stressed when having a migraine attack. I taught both my sons to cook or prepare simple meals for themselves so I would not be stressed about cooking for them when I have a migraine. It is very hard to use the oven, stove top, and microwave while having a bad migraine. All the noise is annoying and nauseating. 🤢

I taught my oldest son when he was younger how to use the stove top and microwave. He knew how to make ramen noodles, macaroni, frozen pizza, and hot pockets. He also knew how to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without making a total mess 😄. I taught my youngest to make eggs, ramen noodles, pizza for the oven, shrimp on the stove top, and use the microwave for all his favorite microwaveable meals. So, you can teach them anything your kid is comfortable with doing.

• Provide instruction on how to reach the emergency contacts.

God forbid there is a need for emergency care, and you cannot contact them due to having a severe attack. If this occurs, it is great to instruct your kids on how to reach your emergency contacts and 911. I taught my oldest son when he was 5 on how to contact his aunts if I had a bad migraine and needed to go to the emergency room. Thank God he didn’t need to ever call 911.

Nowadays, this is easy to teach because smartphones can store numbers with names. When I taught my oldest, cellphones weren’t smart. I had to create a list of numbers for him to reference. We had a landline phone at that time, and he memorized the numbers he needed to call if there was an emergency. Thank goodness for today’s technology! This step may be challenging without it.

I recommend starting these actions as soon as possible. You don’t have to start as early as I did. I implemented these actions early for my sanity and safety. Only you know your situation and your kids. Start whenever you can. These are just guideline actions to help you conquer the war while battling parenting during migraine attacks!

If you would like to share your story with us, please email it to kristen@cmaware.org