What’s it like for YOU to live with migraine, tension-type headache, cluster headache, NDPH, CDH, or another headache disorder? Share your thoughts in the 30 Things meme! It’s 30 questions about your headache disorder that lets you tell your story. You can even remain anonymous, if you’d like. You’ll get a link to a page with your story, which you can share as you like. June is Migraine and Headache Disorders Awareness Month—the 30 Things meme is a great way to share what it’s like to live with a headache disorder.
To post your 30 things on The Daily Headache…
- Read through the questions
- In the submission form at the end of this page:
- Enter your name (or a nickname, if you prefer).
- Fill in the title field—it can be as simple as “30 Things About Mike’s Life With Chronic Daily Headache.”
- Copy and paste the questions and your responses into that form.
- Be sure you’ve filled in all the fields (your submission won’t go through if you don’t).
- Submit your responses.
- Within 24 hours, I will moderate your submission and it will be published as an individual post with a URL you can share. Check the 30 Things Meme category for your post then click on your post title to get the URL.
30 Things Questions
1. My diagnosis is:
2. My migraine attack or headache frequency is:
3. The first migraine attack or headache I remember was:
4. My pain levels range from:
5. I was diagnosed in:
6. My comorbid conditions include:
7. I take ____ pills each day for prevention and ____ pills to treat an acute attack
8. In addition to pain, other symptoms I experience include:
9. Treatments I have tried include:
10. During a migraine attack or headache, I:
11. My migraine attacks or headaches are triggered or get worse when:
12. The most frustrating part about having migraine or a headache disorder is:
13. Having migraine or a headache disorder causes me to worry about:
14. When I tell someone I have migraine or a headache disorder, they usually assume or say:
15. When I see ads or articles about migraine or headache disorders, I think:
16. My best coping tools are:
17. I find comfort in:
18. I get angry when people say:
19. I like it when people say:
20. Something kind a person can do for me during a migraine attack or headache is:
21. The best thing a doctor has ever said to me about having migraine or a headache disorder is:
22. Having migraine or a headache disorder has affected my work/school life by:
23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine or a headache disorder is:
24. Having migraine or a headache disorder has taught me:
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through hard days is:
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself:
27. The people who support me most are:
28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine or headache disorders is:
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because:
30. One more thing I’d like to say about migraine or my headache disorder is:
30 Things Submission Instructions & Form
To submit your post, complete the form below. You must fill in every field for your submission to go through (your name and email will not be published and I won’t send you spam). Within 24 hours, I will moderate your submission (to prove it’s not spam) and it will be published as an individual post with a URL you can share. Check the 30 Things Meme category for your post then click on your post title to get the URL.
[user-submitted-posts]
If you have trouble with the submission form, please email me at kerrie[at]thedailyheadache[dot]com.
Special thanks to Invisible Illness Awareness Week for the idea for a 30 things meme. Readers were so receptive to the 30 Things About My Chronic Illness meme that I knew we needed something similar for Migraine and Headache Awareness Week.
Thank you so much Tina. Indeed. We muddle on eh… Sending you hanging in there hugs from the UK x
Thank you for sharing! I feel like I could be looking in the mirror. The only person who truly understands what a migraineur is another migraineur. This debilitating disease is so isolating and potentiality depressing that finding people who understand are a truly a lifeline. Bless you and continue having hope, my best to you and your family.
Many thanks for your kind comment, much appreciated. Thank you for all you do, it’s very good to know we are not alone!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share 30 Things”; and I take solace in the fact that I am not alone and I can learn so much from my fellow migraine warriors, such strong and resilient women and men.
1. I have had chronic daily headache (CDH) for __26__ years.
2. The first headache I remember is: at school, lying on my dad’s desk (he was a teacher there) while he massaged my neck
3. After the headache started, it took about a year to get a diagnosis.
4. My pain level fluctuates but is always there
5. My typical pain level ranges from: 4 to 9 /10 out of 10
6. In addition to pain, my symptoms include: extreme tiredness, hyperactivity, irritability, stiff neck and shoulders
7. Treatments I have tried include: jaw operation, osteopathy, acupuncture, massage, rolfing, healing, and many more!
8. I take 6 supplements each day for prevention and 1 medication when the pain becomes unbearable
9. When the pain gets bad, I: keep going too often but eventually take to bed
10. The most frustrating part about having CDH is: not being able to do things I want to do
11. Because of CDH, I worry about: whether I will ever be able to improve my symptoms
12. When I tell someone I have CDH, the response is usually: pretty empathetic on the whole
13. When I see how little research and information exists on CDH, I feel: a little frustrated but also quite resigned as I believe the whole Western medical system is massively flawed
14. Having CDH has affected my work/school life by: ending my dance career, not enabling me to ever work full time
15. Having CDH has affected by family life by: putting extra strain on those around me
16. The one word that best describes my experience with CDH is: relentless
17. My best coping tools are: meditation, acupuncture and massage
18. I find comfort in: Gabor Mate’s views on illness, and reaching out to my wonderful friends
19. I get angry when people say: cheer up!
20. I like it when people say: I hear you
21. Something kind someone has done for me in relation to CDH is: listened
22. The best thing a doctor has ever said to me about CDH is: it’s not your fault
23. The hardest thing to accept about having CDH is: the intense pain
24. Having CDH has taught me: buckets of empathy
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that helps me cope with CDH is: ‘When you’re in hell, keep going’
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: stop pushing so hard and say no more
27. The people who support me most are: my partner and close friends
28. The thing I most wish people understood about CDH is: how the pain feels when it’s really intense
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: it affects 1 in 7 people in the UK and is often misunderstood or not taken seriously enough
30. One more thing I’d like to say about living with CDH is: to live as fully in the moment as possible (while trying not to compare yourself to people who are ‘well’)