Take Care of You
Form a Team
Caring for a loved one is an intense job regardless of their condition. Doing it alone adds pressure and stress. Accept help and assistance often.
If none has been offered, ask for it. As long as you are clear and forthcoming about your needs, others will be more likely to come to your aid. Asking for help does not mean you are failing. The only failure is allowing yourself to suffer.
Family and friends are the natural options for an effective team. Consider a migraine treatment team to rotate through assisting you.
Beware Burnout
Burnout is a major concern for when dealing with the medical condition of others. Burnout is caused by overexerting yourself, draining your physical, emotional and financial resources. Even if you do your best to protect yourself, burnout can still walk into your life.
Burnout will bring symptoms of depression and anxiety. Track yourself and your symptoms to notice burn out warning signs including changes to your eating and sleeping patterns.
Considerations for Home and Kids
Caring for your home and children can be difficult when your wife is nursing another migraine. This is another example of selflessness coming into effect. Sure, caring for her and caring for yourself will get you both through the day, but if you give less attention to the home and kids, tomorrow could bring another flare.
Consider this: It is the next morning. Your wife’s migraine is gone, and you head to work before she is out of bed. She walks into the hallway and trips over toys to greet the kids who are wearing each other’s clothes and clearly in need of a bath. Her mouth drops to the floor when she sees the pile of dishes on the dinner table and pots and pans covering the stove.
Did you really help the situation or take the easy way out until her symptoms resolved? Doing what’s best is hard work, but it is work worth doing. Leaving a mess behind is a great way to set her up for failure. Exerting another 15 minutes of time and energy can make a huge difference towards migraine prevention.
Conclusion
Being married to someone with migraines makes life more difficult. Remember, though, no matter how hard it is, it is harder to actually have the migraines.
By giving her the best treatment, working to maintain the home and kids and taking care of yourself, you stand the best chance of avoiding burnout. No burnout means less stress and fewer headaches. This sounds like the recipe for a happy marriage.
