It was the perfect night. Your Valentine’s date scored reservations at your favorite restaurant, chose a tasteful flower arrangement and even booked a horse-drawn carriage ride to enjoy after the meal. Unfortunately, halfway through dinner, you started to feel sick. Your vision became blurry, stomach churning and you know you need to go home. The signs are here…a migraine is coming.
With everything they go through, migraine sufferers deserve a nice night out to forget their troubles and enjoy themselves with someone they love. If your special someone suffers from migraines, Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to plan an elegant evening out. Unfortunately, people who suffer from migraines often avoid special occasions like Valentine’s Day out of fear that a migraine trigger will ruin the outing. Below are some tips you can use to plan an evening with your special someone’s condition in mind.
1. Know the Triggers
Every migraine sufferer has his or her own specific triggers. Know your significant other’s triggers and do your best to avoid them on your night out. If you can’t eliminate all of your loved one’s potential triggers from the evening, know which ones are worse and make a special effort to minimize them.
2. Choose the right venue
Migraine sufferers are often thrilled to leave the house, since they are often confined to it during attacks. However, more migraine triggers may occur outside your loved one’s home, so use your judgment when deciding whether to stay at home or go out on the town for your special night. If you decide to leave the home, research all of the locations you will visit to make sure that your loved one will encounter as few of his or her triggers as possible. If you decide to stay home, make sure that none of your planned activities will bring on a migraine.
3. Make flexible plans if possible
Even if your plans don’t include any migraine triggers, you can’t guarantee that your loved one won’t already have a migraine when the evening begins. Try to make plans that can be changed or postponed if necessary. For example, if your evening includes a trip to the movies, choose a movie with multiple viewing times.
4. Choose your gifts carefully
Some traditional Valentine’s Day gifts may trigger migraines for some sufferers. For example, if strong smells are a trigger for your significant other, perfumes and strong smelling flowers may not be the best choice. Likewise, some migraine sufferers can’t drink alcohol or eat certain foods, so plan accordingly.
5. Bring the migraine survival kit
If you will be leaving the home for your special night, make sure to bring all of the things your loved one will need to deal with a migraine if one occurs. Typical “survival” items include ice packs, heating pads, sleep masks, massagers and medication. If you are planning to stay home, have the migraine survival kit on hand just in case.
6. Be compassionate
Even with the best planning, a migraine may still occur. If your loved one experiences a migraine during your night out, be understanding. The purpose of Valentine’s Day is to show your significant other that you care. If you must abandon your plans for the evening and return home, know that your loved one is more upset than you are. Provide emotional support, and let him or her know that you can always reschedule your plans for a different day.
Planning the perfect Valentine’s Day for a migraine sufferer may be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Do your homework in advance, and communicate with your partner throughout every phase of the planning process. Regardless of what happens, do your best to be flexible, and make sure that your partner knows how much you care.
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