Do migraines affect your music-making?

Subject: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: black walnut
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 11:23 AM

Do migraines affect YOUR music-making? I find it so difficult to make commitments to gigs these days...I had to stop teaching music, except for a couple of very understanding and flexible private students. I try to make it out to hear as much live music as possible (listening to music is so healing), but even driving to an evening song circle is tricky because I don't know if I'll be able to manage the drive home. According to the neurologist, I have a "severe disability" but in our culture I'm not sure they're always seen as such, or perhaps it is just me who is feeling guilty and tired of not getting as much accomplished as I used to, and as much as I'd like to be doing right now.

Thoughts? Similarities? Differences?

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Rasener
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 11:56 AM

Well I have heard of headaches caused by sex

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:03 PM

When I had/have (they don't happen very often any more) migraines, I want quiet music and dim light because silence and darkness make the pain more noticeable.

Driving with a migraine is horrible and to be avoided. If there is an accident and it is known that your ability to make judgements and/or react normally was comprimised you could be in serious trouble.

I find the best thing for my migraines is one of those buckwheat filled microwaveable neck pillows. I keep one in the freezer and place it over and around the areas most affected. Not a cure but amazingly soothing.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:09 PM

I was going to say "Music-making,No---Lovemaking,Yes !"----But seriously, I used to suffer badly with migraine,but have had not ONE since I stopped smoking several years ago, so if you smoke--stop now !!

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: black walnut
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:16 PM

I've never smoked. Honest! But I live in "The Big Smoke" (Toronto)....does that count for bingo?

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:18 PM

Should have said my levels of function or (dysfunction) depended upon the stage of migraine. At the beginning, I believed I was thinking clearer able to solve problems better and quicker, etc. This included playing some musical instruments (piano and guitar). Don't recall trying to play recorder or harmonica when I was feeling ill.

I agree with bubbly... I had more migraines when I was a smoker. To be fair I was in my early 30s to mid 40s too so undergoing some weird hormonal changes.

I like the visual migraines. No pain, just lovely rainbow auras.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Rasener
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:36 PM

I was just thinking about the sex and migraine issue.

Remeber the joke about the guy who died having sex. Everybody said that he died trying to keep up with the bells on the fire engine. I reckon it was more to do with migraine.

The worst migraines I ever had and they made me voilently il, was after eating chocolate. It was so bad and I was about 10 when my mum took me to teh eye hospital and they diagnosed that I was allergic to Chocolate, Dust and Fluff and exhaustion.

I stopped eating migraine and the amount of migraines I have had since then are not that many.

I avoid dusty areas. I let the missus do the dusting.

I overcame the exhaustion issue by not doing anything :-)

Certain alcoholic drinks such as cheapo red wines give me migraine.

Mature cheese and gorganzola are a no go with me again, as they bring on migraines.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:38 PM

I find specular refraction and the fumes from burning metal are most likely to start mine off.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:41 PM

"Do migraines affect your music-making??"

ummm...well, when folks say my music-making CAUSES their migraines, I do try to tone it down.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Rasener
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:48 PM

>>I stopped eating migraine and the amount of migraines I have had since then are not that many.
<<

Oh my god I got that wrong

I stopped eating chocolate and the amount of migraines I have had since then are not that many.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Rasener
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 12:52 PM

Tim that interesting. I can't look at a computere screen if the sunlight is on it. I get a steaming headache after 5 minutes.

I find those bright lights they put above product in shops gives me massive problems. If the light is shining down onto my eyes, I can't see a thing.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 05:21 PM

Chocolate does it for me as well but I gave it up years ago and that has helped.
But I'm also allergic to chicken - it's even worse than chocolate.
We had a meal out the other night, before the music session and I had roast pork. But they must have used chicken stock in the gravy and the next day I suffered.
There are so many dishes that have a smidgen of chicken added and even if I have a Chinese meal and avoid the chicken dishes, there is often cross contamination.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 05:40 PM

I dont have any probs with Choc.
Well not migraine anyway.
Specular refraction is the glare from car paintwork in bright sun that sort of thing.
Some shop lighting is appalling isnt it?

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: rich-joy
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 03:14 AM

Try investigating Gary Craig's EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) - lotsa stuff on the Net nowdays about this simple technique and its successes.

Good Luck!

Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Mr Red
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 04:06 AM

yes

but one has to say that music making affect migraines.

I once had an awful ache all weekend until it was my turn to sing. The pain went for 3 minutes then returned. Adrenaline is strong stuff and you don't realise how much is flowing in a public performance.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: black walnut
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 10:27 AM

Yes - I agree - adrenaline is amazing. The worst part can be getting there and after the show. Adrenaline is a potent painkiller for sure.

There is also something, I've noticed, that happens to the milder migraines when I hum....the pain lessens, then goes right back to normal when I stop humming. Interesting.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Feb 09 - 01:42 PM

I get occasional migraine, and the triggers are orange food colouring, the artificial sweetener Aspartame, exhaustion, or if I go too long without food, causing a dip in blood sugar levels.

Vigilance means that I can usually avaoid these triggers, but when I do get one it puts me out of action for up to 2 days, with visial and tactlie disturbances and a banging head. Music making is certainly impossible during this as I just cannot concentrate and my coordination can go rather bizarre as well.

I have a cooling cap device called Migra-Cap. It stays in the fridge all the time and I stick in on my head when I have an attack - my OH thinks it is highly amusing, but the cooling effect is very soothing.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: black walnut
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 11:21 AM

That Migracap looks pretty....interesting!

I sometimes use a gel cap from the freezer wrapped in a teatowel, and I have a fabric double eye patch thingy - both very reasonably priced, but sometimes even the tiniest pressure of these is too much. I don't think there's one good solution for every person or every migraine.

I used to write a lot of poetry with a medium migraine, stuck in bed with my laptop in the dark. But raarely do tunes come along, and fewer of late.

Performing and teaching is difficult - as I said, it's not always so much the show or the teaching itself, depending on the severity - but it is the setting up and taking down and schlepping of instruments and talking to people. Those things are darned near impossible.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Rasener
Date: 15 Feb 09 - 11:40 AM

>>if I go too long without food, causing a dip in blood sugar levels<<

Yes thats a problem and like you, get migraine, if I go too long without the right sort of food. I tend to make sure that if I go out, I always have a banana, so that if I am not going to get a chance to eat on time, I eat the banana.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: black walnut
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 09:19 AM

Geez....I have had 14 days of migraines so far this month. No wonder I'm afraid to commit to performing or even rehearsing. This is nuts.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Jim Lad
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 03:53 PM

Yes!
I don't often get full blown migraines but have played an extremely rowdy St Patrick's night with one.
Flashing or bright lights bring on the Aura which results in Aphasia, feelings ill and visual disturbances. Not unlike a TIA.
This is almost a chronic problem for me and I do take precautions on a daily basis.
I can play through mild auras but end up forgetting the words to the simplest of songs. Only once have I actually stopped playing until the episode passed.
I find myself constantly apologizing for wearing sunglasses indoors and at the swimming pool but bright sunlight on white walls is just lethal to me.
So "Yes" I am affected but it rarely hurts my performance.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 03:57 PM

See a doctor. You will be able to perform even during a migraine with 5 or 10mg of oxycodone. Or you could abandon your career.

Subject: RE: Do migraines affect your music-making?
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 26 Feb 09 - 06:43 PM

I get partial migraines: either the headache and some nausea without the visual disturbances, or the visual disturbances with little or nothing of the other symptoms. The headaches could be suppressed with analgesics but would come back, sometimes over two or three days. For the last year or so I've been using sumatriptan. Usually HALF a tablet gets rid of the headache within half an hour, and usually it doesn't come back.

It may not work for every migraine sufferer, but you certainly should try it.