are coming from.” She said,“ You’ ve been having headaches your entire life.” I said,“ I had migraines as a kid?” And she said,“ Sure, you had migraines all the time.” I guess I never paid attention because as an athlete, you automatically figure that any type of pain or ailment results from dehydration or overexertion.
HW: Did you have a family history of migraine? JONES: [ My mom ] has suffered [ from migraine ] for a good part of her adult life.
HW: What are your triggers? JONES: Dehydration, bright lights and camera flashes. A lot of the arenas are switching to the brighter LED lights and those trigger it for me. Eating chocolate— if I’ m on a brownie binge— I’ m more prone to having them. If I [ eat ] really salty foods like salty popcorn, it usually compromises me and leaves me in a bad spot.
HW: It sounds like your triggers are all things in an arena. JONES: The irony is that everything around me triggers migraine.
HW: How do you handle pre-game in the locker room with all the cameras and the noise? JONES: Pre-game I find myself in mid-lighting in the weight room or off in our lounge. I also avoid taking electrolytes or sodium packets close to the game. But really it’ s about staying out of the light because light is my worst trigger.
HW: How do you manage your migraines? JONES: If I start to feel symptoms, I try to hydrate quickly, sit down and get out of the light. I try to avoid taking pills as much as possible, but I’ ll start taking Advil or some prescription-strength headache medicine. If it doesn’ t work, I’ ll try an [ aspirin ] injection [ to get the medicine in my system faster ].
It’ s tough because rarely am I able to stop it. Once it’ s triggered, it usually runs its course for 12-24 hours. I’ ll get sick, start to have visual aura, and then from there I’ ll become nauseated and vomit. And then I can finally relax and maybe sleep an hour or two and start to feel better.
HW: Did the impact of missing Game 1 of the NBA Finals change the way you’ ll treat migraines in the future?
“ Until guys are willing to stand and step out and say,‘ Hey, I’ m as strong as they come, but … this is something to be taken seriously’… then the status quo will be that you as one of the greatest athletes on earth should play through [ the pain ].”
JONES: No, it just reaffirmed for me that there’ s no quick fix. At the end of the day it’ s a condition that I have to live with. Medication works for some people, but it doesn’ t work for everyone. My focus is to try to find a system that works for me— if it’ s a particular medication or drink, a massage, sunglasses, sleeping— I’ m always tinkering, trying to find the right mix that will allow me to combat my individual symptoms.
HW: Your migraine during Game 1 was not your first headache, but the media took notice of that one. What was your reaction to the coverage? JONES: I think it raised awareness and showed the severity of a migraine. If a migraine is severe enough to stop me from playing in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which is the most important game of the year that every athlete would literally die [ to play in ], then it shows that [ migraine ] must be debilitating, and it must be a crippling pain. So I think it brought
38 HEAD WISE | Volume 2, Issue 4 • 2012