This is a reader-submitted post.
1. My diagnosis is: Chronic intractable migraines
2. My migraine attack frequency is: almost daily
3. I was diagnosed in: 1997 with episodic migraines, 2010 with chronic migraines
4. My comorbid conditions include: depression, anxiety
5. I take __10__ medications/supplements each day for prevention and _3___ medications/supplements to treat an acute attack
6. My first migraine attack was: my last year of college, walking home from the metro; pain like I had never felt before, I was incapable of walking and had to call for help to get me home.
7. My most disabling migraine symptoms are: nausea, inability to talk without making the migraine much worse
8. My strangest migraine symptoms are: difficulties locating words
9. My biggest migraine triggers are: a lot of talking, a lot of activity
10. I know a migraine attack is coming on when: the pain increases, I can’t think clearly
11. The most frustrating part about having a migraine attack is: Being incapable of being productive/getting anything done, being alone so much
12. During a migraine attack, I worry most about: everything that needs to get done that isn’t getting done (outside of managing the pain itself)
13. When I think about migraine between attacks, I think: worry for what activities I’ll have to miss or cancel during the next attack
14. When I tell someone I have migraine, the response is usually: concern
15. When someone tells me they have migraine, I think: yes, there are SO many of us
16. When I see commercials about migraine treatments, I think: thank God for those for whom they work, I hope one day they’ll create a medicine that works for me
17. My best coping tools are: ice packs for treating pain, quiet room, medication
18. I find comfort in: my immediately family’s empathy
19. I get angry when people say: “but if you would only try ****, you’ll be okay, just like my friend/family member/neighbor” (it’s the result of behavior/inaction/food habits/etc and therefore something preventable; it’s not a disease)
20. I like it when people say: I’m sorry, that must be very difficult to live with
21. Something kind someone can do for me during a migraine attack is: take my kids out for activity (since activity leads to migraines for me, I feel like a bad parent for being unable to help my kids be more active)
22. The best thing(s) a doctor has ever said to me about migraine is: lets see what we can to to try and better MANAGE the migraines that you have; I understand that coping with depression along with migraines is difficult, and I will not *blame* you for struggling to document your migraines when you’re experiencing depression
23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine is: restricted activity, reduced productivity, loss of a challenging/fulfilling career
24. Migraine has taught me: how to accept limits and have patience with limits
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through an attack is: it’s okay, you’re okay
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: to have seen a migraine specialist immediately (not a neurologist); seek more comprehensive treatment early on, and consistently, to prevent the transformation to chronic migraines
27. The people who support me most are: my husband
28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine is: it’s a disease that has to be managed (for some quite easily, for others almost impossible); there is, therefore, no cure and all people have very different reactions/success/failure with different types of treatment (one one size fits all)
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: it leads to increased knowledge in the larger community (less judgement)
30. One more thing I’d like to say about life with migraine is: it’s incredibly difficult to try and find purpose/PRIDE in a life that is so constricted, especially if it comes after you have forged (and lost) a successful, hard-won career/education
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.