This is a reader-submitted story.
1. My diagnosis is: Occular Migraines + Trigeminal Neuralgia
2. My migraine attack frequency is: 2-3 per month
3. I was diagnosed in: 1991
4. My comorbid conditions include: Joint Hypermobilty Syndrome, severe Anxiety, Probable Fibromyalgia.
5. I take __2__ medications/supplements each day for prevention and __4__ medications/supplements to treat an acute attack
6. My first migraine attack was: 1988
7. My most disabling migraine symptoms are: visual disturbance; pain
8. My strangest migraine symptoms are: my left eye (usually) won’t open
9. My biggest migraine triggers are: stress, tiredness
10. I know a migraine attack is coming on when: I develop a stammer
11. The most frustrating part about having a migraine attack is: speech aphasia
12. During a migraine attack, I worry most about: my kids; both their reaction and how to handle the day ahead.
13. When I think about migraine between attacks, I think: feelings of dread and annoyance.
14. When I tell someone I have migraine, the response is usually: sympathy, followed by ‘have you tried..? (The answer is yes, frequently)
15. When someone tells me they have migraine, I think: you poor bastard
16. When I see commercials about migraine treatments, I think: uhuh. Yep, that sounds likely.
17. My best coping tools are: my eyepatch, which helps the photophobia and lack of ability to visually focus
18. I find comfort in: My eyepatch + the ‘inverse colours’, dimmer slider and ‘greyscale’ functions on my iPad so I can sometimes read.
19. I get angry when people say: ‘if you just lost weight, your (whatever symptoms) would disappear /reduce.” Yup. I have never, ever, been told this by one of my many doctors. You know, the ones with actual medical training.
20. I like it when people say: ‘do you want me to take in/pick up your kids to/from school?’ Practical help is the best.
21. Something kind someone can do for me during a migraine attack is: keep my kids occupied/fed so I don’t have to deal with food smells or seeing movement
22. The best thing(s) a doctor has ever said to me about migraine is: ‘it’s unfair, and I know how debilitating they are. I will prescribe [x] and we’ll see if it helps.
23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine is: the more I stress, the worse it gets
24. Migraine has taught me: sometimes you need to ask for more help than you are comfortable with.
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through an attack is: This Too Shall Pass
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: If you think it helps, it does. Ignore him.
27. The people who support me most are: my Dad and my family/friends
28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine is: it doesn’t define me, even when I have an attack.
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: if it helps someone find their own shortcut to coping, that’s awesome.
30. One more thing I’d like to say about life with migraine is: find out your triggers, manage them as best you can, then get on as best you can. We got your back, and know how hard you are trying to cope.
Reader-submitted stories solely represent the personal point of view, experience, and opinion of the author, not of The Daily Headache or Kerrie Smyres. Follow this link to learn how to share YOUR 30 Things about living with a headache disorder.