Interesting new migraine trigger

I"ve been unemployed for over a year now, and don't have any real prospects on the horizon. No medical insurance either, so I pay out of pocket for everything and pray nothing serious happens to me.
I need to look into buying my own insurance, which I can't afford on unemployment, so I've started trying to supplement that with the only semi-regular work I can get: substitute teaching. Doesn't come with benefits, unfortunately, but I can earn between $100 and $120 a day.

Here's the problem: every single day I've subbed (I started this week, and subbed 3 of the 5 school days this week), I've coome home witha migraine. Yesterday's was a real raging, 9 out of 10. Monday, a 6. Today, not too bad, maybe a 2 but I took fioricet on my lunch break and am hoping I caught it. The 2 days I didn't sub, no migraines. Its pretty clear that subbing is a trigger, or contains triggers. Here's what I think: Its a combination oof the florescent lights, the noise of 30 to 40 kids in each of 5 60 minute classes, and having too be constantly raising my voice to get their attention. Even the well-behaved classes are still not "quiet." And the bells are pretty loud too. My eyes are under a bit of strain too as I don't wear my glasses, I wear my contacts, but I am a bit more used to that. I'm not as used to reading so much with them though.

I'm in a real dillema because I can't not work when they offer it to me. I am feeling aprehensive about popping triptans and/or fioricet every day too. I'm on Treximet, and I still feel I'm prone to rebound from Treximet more than I was from Imitrex - I think its the naproxen.

Does anyoone have any advice? Should I try switching back to Imitrex and see if that cuts back on the migraines? I don't really feel I can tell the students "please keep it down, I get headaches"! LOL

I don't have any good advice other than to wonder if you would do better just wearing your glasses instead of your contacts, which you seemed to suggest can cause problems.

I can understand the problem, though. In the summer of 1998, the first summer after my migraine became constant, I taught English at a junior high/high school in Taiwan. My classes were 60 students in size! I had such a rough time that I had to come back early. Part of my problem was that I was on corgard, a beta blocker, and it helped my migraines, but lowered my blood pressure. My classes were sometimes on the 4th or 5th floors, and there was no elevator, so I had to take the stairs. Often, I would black out when getting near the top. But if I cut back on the corgard, my head got so bad that I couldn't handle it.

I was lucky enough to be able to come back home and be with my parents, but I know you don't have that option. I really feel for you!

have you looked at how much youre getting to drink as well, the flourescent light wont be doing you any favours tho. sleeping quantity/quality has probably been affected while doing it as well.

Thanks, Vicki. I'll consider that. I've been wearing contacts for over 20 years though, so they aren't as big a factor in triggers, I don't think. In combination with everything else, they might be a bigger factor than usual though.

Dawn, I am trying hard to go to bed earlier. I had one night I didn't go to bed early, and only got 6 hours of sleep, and the migraine the next day was bad, so I think that's definitely a factor. I think you're right and I really have to focus on getting enough sleep.

My mom suggested I wear tinted glasses inside to help with the florescents. I think I'm going to try to find a pair that don't look like sunglasses and see how that goes.

Thanks for answering, both of you. I was beginning to think no one would.

How about "your home" private tutoring?

I've found private tutoring is very much needed, at least here in Canada.
You can advertise on Craigs, or even tack your ph # in your dept/groc store, schools if they allow that, or whenever.

Risa

It is the fluorescent lights. When I was working as a broadcast engineer at a TV station we had to change all of the flourescent light bulbs to "Daylight" bulbs. One of the secretaries got migraines from any other color of light. You might talk to the principle and explain your problem if you sub mostly in the same room. I never noticed much difference as far as getting migraines myself, but some fluorescent bulbs are easier on the eyes.

Also make sure there are no bulbs that are flickering. That can cause migraines and siezures. Have them change any of those right away.

Hal

As to the lights, I know there are sun glasses (Serengeti, Maui Jim, and Coppertone) that have spectral control that may help with the flourescent lights. The Serengeti sunglasses also have photochromic properties that lighten in darker areas, that could be used indoors.

I am not sure if the Serengeti sunglasses can be bought in prescription glasses, but if you wear contacts, why bother. You might try a pair in the store that look like tinted glasses and see if they help offset the flourescent lights.

Just a thought.

Martin

Thinking of you..Bless you for your gift with the ability to teach.

Hoping, that you will be able to continue your substitute teaching with the help that our friends have offered you..lighting is such a big trigger..are you eating and drinking enough, sleep..wishing you well and bless you

Back when I was able to work I was a pre-school teacher and a nanny..I miss it so much. When my sons were younger after I stopped working I would volunteer in their classrooms.

I loved helping out in kindergarten, but my head couldn't take it..the kids were so loud..and busy. Just made my head spin.

Betcha money it is the lights, Bubbs. Definitely try the sun glasses inside.

One good thing about subbing is being able to say "no" on really bad days, but then you lose your good standing on the call list. Or is your school district as desperate for subs as ours is?

I agree with several of the above. It is the florescent lights. I won't turn mine on at work. In fact, we are thinking of having them taken out of our whole building. Most of us use desk lamps because the lights are so bad for our eyes (even if you don't have migraine). I used to actually get dizzy in places like Home Depot where it is lit up like a Christmas tree with the darn florescent lights.

Me too, Estree. I commented to hubby that I didn't like Menards but love Lowes. I get a headache the second I walk in Menards. Why? They keep all the lighting fixtures that are for sale turned ON. Lowes keeps theirs OFF. Makes all the difference to me.

I think you all are right. I talked to the principal's secretary (she's the one who calls for subs) today and explained to her a bit about my "headaches" - didn't use the word migraine, just said I was getting really bad headaches that I thought were probably from the florescents. I mentioned the possibility of wearing tinted glasses but said first I'd like to try turning off half the lights to see if that helped and she said that was a good idea and if it didn't help, to go ahead and wear glasses.
Turning off the lights today did help alot. I still got a headache but luckily not a bad migraine. I managed with fioricet but didn't need a triptan, which I was glad about because I have been taking way too many lately. Right now I only have Treximet, and I get rebounds from Treximet, which I'm sure is only perpetuating the problem. So if I can stay out of a migraine cycle, I may be able to manage with advil tomorrow
So hopefully the problem is more the lights, not the noise and the kids And I can manage the lights, I think.

Charlotte, you're right, on days when the migraine is bad, I can refuse work - as long as I don't do it too much. The district has more subs than there is work, unfortunately, because of the state of the economy and the 12% unemployment rate in CA Refuse too much work and they'll start calling other people who don't turn down assignments. I think the kids like me though - at least, they say they do, so hopefully that translates to them telling their teachers they like me and the teachers will ask for me when they call in sick. High school is a hard gig to sub for So who knows what the kids actually think. I haven't had anyone give me a really hard time yet though.

So I've solved the problem of the florescent lights and my head has been better, but today I subbed for a PE teacher, in the middle of a so. CA heat wave (Viki will know what I mean ) and stood out at the track all day timing the kids while they ran laps. I wore sunglasses to help protect my eyes, but I still came home with a killer migraine. I know the kids were more miserable than I was, as far as the heat goes, because they were running and I wasn't, but I was still pretty miserable. I drank 4 bottles of water, too.

2 advil and 1 fioricet at 9am. 1 Treximet at 12pm. Still miserable when I got home at 4 and took a vicoden. It's 5pm now and still 90 degrees and the migraine is maybe an 8 of 10. It hurts to move my head. I can't afford to turn down work, but had I known I'd be out in 90+ degree heat all day, I don't know that I'd have been able to accept, because m's like this can stick around for days.

Thanks for letting me vent. Tomorrow I sub for an art class. Hope the head isn't too bad!

Try also a "pretty" base ball cap or what I use is just the peak type cap with just a strap, not a full cap.

It does protect the eyes a lot.

Thanks, Marion. I have a "bucket" hat, I think that would work. No baseball caps, I have so much hair that they don't fit my head, LOL.
But I have a nice bucket hat (think, like a fishing hat) that gives good shade. Maybe I'll start carrying that in my car. Good idea!

My head is down to likea 6.5. Not great. I really hope a good night's sleep will help. I'm drinking a ton of water, too. I took more fioricet about 30 minutes ago. I'm very annoyed because my normal rescue med, stadol, would proobably knock this migraine down to a 2 or 3, if not out entirely, but I can't refill it until Friday. Ugh. Here's hoping the m doesn't hang around all week until then! Sometimes they do, and we're in the middle of a heat wave.