30 Things About My Migraine Experience

1. My diagnosis is: Migraine with visual aura

2. My migraine attack or headache frequency is: Every other day, lasting for a couple of days with postdrome lasting up to 2 or 3 weeks.

3. The first migraine attack or headache I remember was: I got a visual aura while working and thought I was going blind.

4. My pain levels range from: Mild to severe (6-10 out of 10)

5. I was diagnosed in: 2010

6. My comorbid conditions include: Depression

7. I take 1 pill each day for prevention (it works somewhat) and 1-4 pills to treat an acute attack

8. In addition to pain, other symptoms I experience include: Nausea, sensitivity to touch, noise, smell and light, fatigue, confusion, lightheadedness, irritability, moodiness, tooth- and earache.

9. Treatments I have tried include: Triptans, preventatives, stress relievers, muscle relaxants, NSAID’s, cannabis, dark room rest, cool air, sleep.

10. During a migraine attack or headache, I: Try to hide it, relax and drink lots of water. Sleep usually works best, but it’s not possible while I’m at work.

11. My migraine attacks or headaches are triggered or get worse when: it’s warm outside and when I move or do exercise, stress and eat sugar or MSG.

12. The most frustrating part about having migraine or a headache disorder is: the effect it has on my husband and not being able to do or eat most things.

13. Having migraine or a headache disorder causes me to worry about: my general and mental health.

14. When I tell someone I have migraine or a headache disorder, they usually assume or say: “okay” and look confused or feel sorry for me, or they tell me about their or someone else’s migraine story and we share helpful tips.

15. When I see ads or articles about migraine or headache disorders, I think: Maybe they can help me understand more about my condition.

16. My best coping tools are: sleeping or staying busy, depending on how fatigued I feel.

17. I find comfort in: knowing that there are so many people that experience what I do, and that my pain could’ve been way worse.

18. I get angry when people say: That I shouldn’t take a sick day for “just a headache”.

19. I like it when people say: That they understand or can imagine the pain, even if they don’t, because they’re at least trying to.

20. Something kind a person can do for me during a migraine attack or headache is: To not talk to or touch me and to make as little noise as possible.

21. The best thing a doctor has ever said to me about having migraine or a headache disorder is: That he’ll help me find a treatment that works.

22. Having migraine or a headache disorder has affected my work life by: disabling me some days and slowing me down other days.

23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine or a headache disorder is: that I can’t eat ice cream or enjoy the heat of the summer anymore without expecting a migraine.

24. Having migraine or a headache disorder has taught me: How to push through despite how I feel.

25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through hard days is: “Throw glitter in today’s face.” Just having something that makes me smile helps me cope a little better.

26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: To stop eating sugar altogether.

27. The people who support me most are: My husband and my parents.

28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine or headache disorders is: That it’s more than just a headache or a “muscle thing” (yes, a pharmacist once said to me, sounding somewhat unsure, that it’s just a muscle thing)

29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: It educates people about something most of us have a misconception about.

30. One more thing I’d like to say about migraine or my headache disorder is: That I hope they will find the cause(s) and a cure some day, and that people will take it as seriously as any other disabling diseases.