This is a reader-submitted story. Reader-submitted stories solely represent the personal point of view, experience, and opinion of the author, not of The Daily Headache or Kerrie Smyres.
1. My diagnosis is: Chronic Migraine
2. My migraine attack frequency is: 1-2 a week
3. I was diagnosed in: 1998
4. My comorbid conditions include: Sleep Disorder
5. I take 0 medications/supplements each day for prevention and 1 medications/supplements to treat an acute attack
6. My first migraine attack was: 1998
7. My most disabling migraine symptoms are: Horrendous right/left temple pain, eye socket throbbing, nausea.
8. My strangest migraine symptoms are: Yawning
9. My biggest migraine triggers are: Hormones, chocolate, who the heck knows…
10. I know a migraine attack is coming on when: I start to yawn a lot, and my temples start to throb.
11. The most frustrating part about having a migraine attack is: Loss of time w/ family and friends.
12. During a migraine attack, I worry most about: When it will end, and how long I will be seperated from husband and daughter.
13. When I think about migraine between attacks, I think: Why me.
14. When I tell someone I have migraine, the response is usually: Oh god, I’m sorry, that sucks.
15. When someone tells me they have migraine, I think: What are you taking, is it better than what I’m taking.
16. When I see commercials about migraine treatments, I think: Would that work for me?
17. My best coping tools are: Maxalt, sleep, dark cool room.
18. I find comfort in: All of the above in #17.
19. I get angry when people say: Can’t you just take Tylenol? Are you sure it’s not just a headache?
20. I like it when people say: I’m sorry, that must be awful.
21. Something kind someone can do for me during a migraine attack is: Help me get to all of #17.
22. The best thing(s) a doctor has ever said to me about migraine is: There’s a drug that can help diminish the migraine.
23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine is: Unpredictability, having them for ever, and knowing it’s only getting worse and more frequent w/age.
24. Migraine has taught me: To enjoy every second w/out migraine.
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through an attack is: It has to end, just go to sleep and let it pass.
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: Learn to cope, there will be medicine that will help you one day.
27. The people who support me most are: My fantastic husband.
28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine is: I cannot help when a migraine comes. I’m not lying to get out of your function, I’m genuinely super sick.
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: I’m absolutely terrified that my little girl will suffer as I do.
30. One more thing I’d like to say about life with migraine is: When you suffer from migraine, the truth is that it’s hard to live a whole rounded life. Sometimes that in it of it self, is tremendously depressing, and can cause server self loathing, Try to push through, because every day above ground is a good day.