Migraines are no walk in the park. I have experienced migraines since I was 9 years old, that’s right, 9 and I wouldn’t wish them on my worse enemy. It has made life incredibly difficult at times, so much so that I don’t think the people around me fully grasp the severity of them. Over the years, I’ve found that people who have never experienced a migraine in their lives, don’t really understand just how bad episodes can get. So in an effort to help spread awareness here are some things that migraine sufferers want you to know.
Migraines aren’t “just bad headaches”
When it comes to headaches, most people can just pop a few Advils and it’s usually gone within the hour. A migraine doesn’t work that way. It can last hours, sometimes medication will help sometimes it does nothing, and physical activity usually makes it worse. They don’t just affect the head either, migraine sufferers could suffer from neck pain, back pain, vision issues etc. Then add in nausea and possible vomiting, and yeah…not a typical headache.
A migraine can last hours, even days
Yes, you read that correctly, they can last days.
Figuring out one’s triggers can be extremely difficult and discouraging
Every migraine sufferer is different, so our triggers are different and figuring them out can be such a challenge. You can eat healthy, exercise, sleep regularly and still be a migraine sufferer.
Some triggers are unavoidable
Triggers like the weather are really unavoidable, or sometimes if you take the train to work and the person next to you is wearing very strong smelling perfume that triggers a migraine, it was really out of your control. Figuring out one’s triggers is also a daunting process. Migraine triggers can change over time, they are different person to person, and sometimes something that triggers a migraine one time, may not trigger it the next. It’s a weird and stressful journey.
It can be very lonely
Since most of the population doesn’t suffer from migraines, it can be quite lonely. A lot of people don’t really understand the impact on our social lives. They can strike at any moment and sometimes that means in the middle of a birthday party, date night, etc. Don’t take it personally if someone says they have a migraine and need to leave. It’s not as simple as taking some Advil and moving on, it can be incredibly painful to fight through a migraine. Any kind of movement, even slight movement, can cause a lot of pain for sufferers. So we tend not to make a lot of plans, lose friends who don’t really understand that it’s not about them but about our migraines and cancel last minute because of painful episodes.
Medication can be hit or miss
The problem with migraine medication is that the medication prescribed was usually created to treat other diseases and disorders, so it can really be a hit or miss with treatment. Plus not all medications are made equal or sometimes the medications just stop working altogether, so it’s pretty frustrating.
Sometimes we wear our sunglasses at night
Migraines can strike at any time of the day and can be triggered by a lot of different things but one of the worst things about migraines is that they can make you feel like a vampire out in the sun. Light sensitivity is a real thing and it doesn’t matter what time of the day, it can bring on the worse light sensitivity, from not being able to have natural sunlight brighten up your room, to the glow of your cell phone, it can make a migraine feel 100x worse.
Migraines can start at a very young age
Some people start experiencing migraines at a very young age. I was 9 when I started having one-sided pulsating headaches just over my right eye, and that has continued into my 30s. But I remember teachers, family members, and employers not really believing me when I spoke about my “headaches.” To many people, I was just too young to be experiencing this, but the reality is that migraines can affect anyone no matter his or her age.
Sometimes you can get a warning that a migraine is coming, other times it hits without warning
There are times that migraines sufferers can sense a migraine coming on, whether it’s a dull throb, or if you suffer from migraines with aura you may experience a flashing light sensation, or maybe you may feel dizzy, sick, etc. These early warnings can really help a sufferer by giving them a heads up to take their medication, start making their way to a dark room, or start making migraine plans. BUT sometimes there’s no warning and during those times, migraine sufferers basically just want to escape the pain.
We aren’t faking them or over-exaggerating
There have been so many times in my life that I’ve heard “your headaches can’t possibly be that bad”, “she’s totally faking it because a friend of a friend gets migraines and can still do A B and C”, etc. Like I mentioned before, migraine sufferers experience migraines differently. We are not faking it, we are not over-exaggerating it, sometimes we fight through painful hours because we need to, but it generally makes our migraines worse. Our triggers are not made equally, what triggers one person may not trigger another, heck, sometimes something that triggered a migraine one time may not trigger a migraine the next for the same person. It’s a frustrating disease to live with and we could really just use some understanding and compassion because we are trying our hardest to manage something that really interferes with our everyday lives.
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Are you a migraine sufferer? How do you treat your migraines? Or do you have any friends or family members who experience migraines?
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