This is a reader-submitted story.
1. My diagnosis is:
Chronic daily migraine
2. My migraine attack frequency is:
Pretty much daily
3. I was diagnosed in:
2009
4. My comorbid conditions include:
Chronic fatige,depression, adrenal fatige
5. I take _2/8___ medications/supplements each day for prevention and __3__ medications/supplements to treat an acute attack
Triptans don’t work anymore, and even when they did they took 2 hours and my migraine would get worse before it got better.
6. My first migraine attack was:
2009 age 43 (about the time I started menopause)
7. My most disabling migraine symptoms are:
Fatigue, pain, brain fog
8. My strangest migraine symptoms are:
Pain in my ears
9. My biggest migraine triggers are:
Thunderstorms, bright lights, lack of sleep, certain noises (like my fiance’s dog barking)
10. I know a migraine attack is coming on when:
My migraines are more of a continuous thing (usually about a pain level of 6), but I know a particularly bad attack is coming on when my ears feel clogged and my hands shake.
11. The most frustrating part about having a migraine attack is:
Feeling unproductive. The most frustrating things about having chronic daily migraine is not being to exercise like I used to and feeling like I can’t make definitive plans.
12. During a migraine attack, I worry most about:
The things I am not getting done, and that people think I am just being lazy.
13. When I think about migraine between attacks, I think:
Wow, this feels good.
14. When I tell someone I have migraine, the response is usually:
“I’m sorry”, although I can tell when they’re thinking “again”. Even some of my best friends don’t get the severity of my condition after 6 years.
15. When someone tells me they have migraine, I think:
I wonder if they really know what migraine is.
16. When I see commercials about migraine treatments, I think:
“Been there, done that.” And I have.
17. My best coping tools are:
Acupuncture, massage therapy and reading research and other people’s experiences. It gives me hope.
18. I find comfort in:
The fact that my condition is not worse than it is. I can still work, although barely (I have no paid time off left due to taking off for migraines).
19. I get angry when people say: “ Have you tried taking a walk? That helps me when I have a headache” Like I just have a headache.
20. I like it when people say: “I can’t imagine living with what you have to” and I know they mean it. Not because I want sympathy, but because they understand.
21. Something kind someone can do for me during a migraine attack is:
Cook for me.
22. The best thing(s) a doctor has ever said to me about migraine is:
“We’ll figure this out”
23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine is:
The limitations it has place on me. I cannot live up to my potential, and I accomplish so little anymore.
24. Migraine has taught me:
What a blessing it is to be healthy and feel good.
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through an attack is:
I will leave no rock unturned until I find a solution. I will not give up. “God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.”
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself:
Read everything you can. Don’t depend solely on western medicine.
27. The people who support me most are:
My fiancé (he gets terrible sinus headaches), my kids, my boss, and my closest friends.
28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine is:
It’s not just a headache and for many of us not occasional. It can truly be debilitating.
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because:
Chronic migraine can be just as debilitating as more commonly recognized chronic diseases but most people just aren’t aware.
30. One more thing I’d like to say about life with migraine is:
It is a constant struggle, and western medicine really needs to start thinking outside the box. (Read The Migraine Cure by Sergey Dzuman.) I saw a naturopath a few weeks ago and she believes I have leaky gut syndrome. Guess where the brain hormones are created? In the small intestine. Don’t know yet if curing the leaky gut will also help my migraines, but why isn’t western medicine even looking at that? And health insurance companies need to be more open to paying for migraine treatments. You shouldn’t have to fight for the treatments you need.
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.