This is a reader-submitted story.
1. I have had NDPH for ____ years. 12 yrs
2. It started after: (Or just when it started if you didn’t have a precipitating event): It started 6-8 months after a concussion and my mother passing away.
3. After the headache started, it took ______ [weeks/months/years] to get a diagnosis. It took about 6 months after it started to get the first diagnosis of migraine.
4. My pain level is steady/fluctuates: Fluctuates
5. My typical pain level ranges from: a 4 to a 10
6. In addition to pain, my symptoms include: My symptoms include nausea, memory problems, loss of vision in one eye or the other, sensitivity to light, odor, sound, being touched and speech problems/ coordination problems depending on severity of headache.
7. Treatments I have tried include: numerous medications, pain management, chriropractors, massage therapy, ice, heat, darkness, acupuncture, natural medicine.
8. I take ____ medications/supplements each day for prevention and ____ medications/supplements when the pain becomes unbearable: I take 3-4 OTC pain meds and 6-8 supplements a day. There doesn’t seem to be any prevention. Just dealing with the pain.
9. When the pain gets bad, I: I get an ice pack, take something for nausea, otc pain meds, try to sleep.
10. The most frustrating part about having NDPH is: That headaches are still a mystery and no on seems to have any answers.
11. Because of NDPH, I worry about: Family reactions, interaction, living.
12. When I tell someone I have NDPH, the response is usually: “Oh, it;s just a headache. It can’t be that bad. I have headaches all the time and I can still work and do things.”
13. When I see how little research and information exists on NDPH, I feel: Depressed
14. Having NDPH has affected my work/school life by: Haven’t been able to work because of sensitivity to light, sound, smells, and coordination problems.
15. Having NDPH has affected by family life by: Can’t do family things, no family vacations, no family get togethers.
16. The one word that best describes my experience with NDPH is: Life-Changing!
17. My best coping tools are: My wife and daughter.
18. I find comfort in: Reading, watching tv.
19. I get angry when people say: you should be working, it’s just a headache.
20. I like it when people say: I have had bad headaches, I can’t imagine what you’re going through.
21. Something kind someone has done for me in relation to NDPH is: Not Sure
22. The best thing a doctor has ever said to me about NDPH is: We will find something that will help you.
23. The hardest thing to accept about having NDPH is: The headaches never stop. They ease off at times, but they never stop!
24. Having NDPH has taught me: Patience when interacting with others and dealing with my own feelings.
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that helps me cope with NDPH is: The Day Will Come When All Things Are Better! This to shall pass!
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: Do more research, ask more questions, be prepared for all the looks and statements they uninformed people will make!
27. The people who support me most are: My Wife and Daughter!
28. The thing I most wish people understood about NDPH is: That NDPH and Migraines of all kinds are not just headaches!!! They are far more and far worse!
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: It helps get the word out and bring attention to the illness/disability! Far more people suffer from Migraines/NDPH than people realize.
30. One more thing I’d like to say about living with NDPH is: It teaches us how tough and strong we really are!
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.