Sensitivity

So far, so good with the inderal - no migraines, and it’s been nearly a month since I started taking it. The side effects haven’t been too bad, either. But I still find myself very sensitive to environmental stimuli. Smells, bright lights, and loud or repetitive noises grate on my nerves, even though they don’t trigger migraines for me, at least at the moment.

I was, therefore, amused and sympathetic when I saw Kerrie Smyres’ latest post on The Daily Headache.

Something similar happened to me yesterday. I was waiting for a friend outside her office in a suburban office park, and the little shuttle bus that ferries people around the complex pulled in - and sat there idling its smelly diesel engine for 15 minutes. Between the sound and the smell, I was actually fantasizing about calling the police. (Aren’t there are laws about how long a vehicle can idle?) Instead I suffered until my friend came out, and I’m afraid the first thing I said was not, “How are you?” or “Nice to see you!” but “Does that damn thing always sit there idling for 15 minutes at a time?!” My poor friend. Like everyone in my life, she’s had to adjust to the recent resurgence in my migraines, and I’m sure she just did not see that outburst coming.

The starting construction work at 7:00 am thing that Kerrie describes has always bothered me, though, even before my migraine remission ended. It makes some sense in the winter, when daylight ends at 4:00 pm and the crews can barely get in a full day’s work. But the other 9 months of the year, why on earth can’t they work 8:00 to 5:00, like everyone else? I’ve heard people argue that it’s to avoid the heat of the day. But the hottest hours of the day are 2:00 to 4:00 pm, which they don’t avoid by starting at 7:00 am. (Oh, heaven forbid anybody gets the idea that construction crews should start at 5:00 am! Forget I brought it up!)