I say mythical beast as it seems to be one of those things that people say they have and you go "yeah, whatever" and don't actually understand what they're complaining about. A few sneezes when you're near a plant, right?
After discovering that this is not the case, I thought I should describe my own experience just in case anyone who thinks like I used to do reads this. But first, I want to tell you about migraines.
Migraines seem to be a common excuse for not doing things, and I always thought it was like a bad headache... a poor reason to go lay down for a bit. This seems to be the general consensus so I went along with it. I guess you never really know until you have one. Sort of like the flu... you think it's like a bad cold, but in reality it's a horrendous period of time in which you cannot move without wanting to vomit, but are unable to even do that.
So the migraine for me was probably the worst thing I've ever experienced. Sure, a headache is part of it, but the worst possible full head pain... add to this a constant feeling of dizziness, confusion and nausea... and it's pretty much the worst time of your life. And it just goes on for days! They can be triggered by all sorts of things like stress, heat, noise, lights... and I think mine was a combination of many factors.
Anyway, I'm not one to complain too much, I'm just making sure that you know migraines aren't just an excuse to not do anything. You simply can't do anything when you have one, it's horrible. Going for a lie down in a dark room with some paracetamol is actually the best thing you can do when one is taking place.
Hayfever is another new one to me, first making itself known on Friday, just 4 days ago as I write this. I was in a park on a hot day, where lots of dust was being kicked around. After a few hours of being there, my right eye begins to become irritated, like there is something stuck in it. A few hours of poking and prodding at it, and nothing comes out. I decide to pay a visit to the chaps at St. John Ambulance, who have a look in my eye with a torch and then tell me it's hayfever. "EH?!" was my instant reaction. I've not been sneezing or had any bad reactions to any plants before in my life! The bloke with the torch asks me if it feels like my eye needs to be scratched, which it did. He then says he takes a tablet every day for hayfever himself, and that I can go buy some from the nearby medicine stand.
This being a festival, the tablets were £5 for 7. I told them to keep them, and that I would just put up with it. Bad idea. As the day went on, my eye continued to water and feel really sore from being poked too much. Sort of like having a load of soap and/or onions in your eye at all times. My right sinus began to hurt too, and eventually a headache of almost migraine category spread from the front to the back of the right side of my brain. I even tried washing out my eye with water at one point, which didn't help either!
So there you have it. Two of the most common complaints that people make are actually horrible. Who would have thought it?
Next time: Something considerably more positive.
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