Miracle Cure

Last week I had a weird migraine experience. I occasionally get migraines - probably about once every 12-18 months - and Friday afternoon I started getting a pre-migraine aura.

Normally I would get home as quickly as I could and hunker down until it passed, but I was supposed to meet a couple old high school friends that I hadn't seen in a long time. So I decided to see if I could get it down to a manageable level.

First, I went to the break room and got a cup of coffee and some PainAid from the first aid kit. The coffee was for caffeine and the PainAid was basically on spec. PainAid has acetaminophen, aspirin, caffeine, and salicylamide in it - a true cocktail of analgesics.

I went back to my office and lowered the blinds.

About 45 minutes later, when the aura started to clear and the headache started in I took 400mg of ibuprofen with a lot of water and a half-bar of chocolate. The headache, while annoying, never reached the "sledgehammer in my skull" levels I associate with migraines. I felt a little wrung out but totally capable of sitting down in a bar with a couple old friends.

I got to the bar and ordered an IPA. By the time I finished my first beer the headache was gone. Was it just dumb luck? Or did my course of medication help? Who knows. I'll try it again next time.

To summarize:

1. Coffee + PainAid
2. Water + Ibuprofen + Chocolate
3. Beer