When I was a little girl, I started having migraines. Some people have no idea what a migraine even is, or are lucky enough to have never had a severe one. Some of us, though, have suffered away entire days, sometimes needing an ER visit because the pain was so bad. Sometimes, we just wish we could die.
I'm one of those who've been to the ER numerous times. When I was little, I'd get sick and stay home from school. I'd lay in bed, alone and in agony all day. My parents both worked, and sometimes I'd just cry for someone to come be with me; hug me and give a little comfort as the hours drug on and on. It was awful.
My side of the family all has migraines. The lucky one's just get more typical headaches, painful, but still able to function. A few of us, like me, have complex migraines. I go blind for a while, half my body stops working, and one time I even had a stroke. They are a big deal.
My kids dad's family gets them too, but they are infrequent. In fact, until recently, I didn't even know it was a problem at all - that's how infrequent they tend to be. The boys all used to get them like that too, maybe be 8 in an entire year. This year is the year it changed.
Asher and Collin have missed 45 days of school between them. Both start the migraine in their sleep, and come crawling blindly to my room in the early morning when it's still dark outside, finding their way as their little fingers trail the wall to my room. They always try not to cry - it hurts so much more when they cry - and they wake me to get them rescue medication.
So why is it so bad? Why my boys?
Smog. We've kept a headache journal and while some foods are triggers, and almost certainly stress can be a trigger, it's the smog that has triggered the very most migraines.
This winter has seen some of the most frequent air quality days classified as either "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" or "Unhealthy." This week has been in the "Unhealthy" range at least part of every day. Asher has spent the last three days waking in agony, and by some miracle, Josh is not. They started some preventative meds around Christmas time, and it's helped, but Asher is still suffering. I've been leading my blind little boy to our bed in those early morning hours, so at the very least, he doesn't have to be alone in his pain.
So why is it so bad? Why is the valley I live in such a dirty place to breathe?
Well, for starters, it's a valley, so the pollution gets trapped in the winter unless we get a good storm to wash it away. This year seems like we're really light on those, so we're in the second week of terrible air. It's not likely to storm until a week from today, so these days are not over.
And where does pollution come from? Well, cars - duh. Industry and construction are other sources. Every year there's talk of litigation to force people to make better choices, and every year people balk and don't want the government telling them what to do. I'm with them - this is the land of the free. I don't really want to be told what to do either, but I also don't want my boys in misery. Even Beckett, my oldest, tried to walk to school today and had to turn around and come home because of a sudden migraine. He hardly ever gets them.
So, can we all just choose better choices?
I try to do my part. I drive my dorky little Prius. Not everyone needs to get themselves a hybrid, and I'll be the first to admit that not only is it not the prettiest car to own, but it's completely impractical for those with large families or legitimate needs and preferences for something else. But, all those people could change some habits.
My new job is a few blocks from my husband's work. We go to work together in the morning, and I drop him off. Often, though, he's not done until after I'm done, so I have to go back and pick him up. Still - this saves one trip with a less efficient car. My Miata still gets 30 mpg, but it's half what the Prius gets, and the Prius doesn't even have a gas engine running when it idles. Is it a pain? Yes, sir, it's a massive pain. But it's a tiny bit less that others have to breath. We plan our errands so we can hit them all at the same time. That helps too. We never let our non-Prius cars just sit and warm up - we don't even drive them much this time of year. There's been a few times I've needed a car when the Prius wasn't available - and it was cold! But It doesn't matter. I'm not going to be part of the problem.
If there was a way I could go to each and every house in the valley and beg the residents to please stop being so careless with their cars, I would. But since I can't, hopefully this is enough to make a difference.
