This is a reader-submitted story.
1. My diagnosis is: Chronic Migraine
2. My migraine attack frequency is: nearly every day
3. I was diagnosed in: 2012
4. My comorbid conditions include: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which has also led to dysautonomia, GERD, IBS, panic disorder, and body-wide joint issues
5. I take propranolol, verapamil, B2, CoQ10, Prozac, & Magnesium each day for prevention, and Frova, Zofran, Antivert, & Xanax to treat an acute attack
6. My first migraine attack was: as a young child, we now think I had abdominal migraines nearly from birth.
7. My most disabling migraine symptoms are: vertigo & brain fog
8. My strangest migraine symptoms are: olfactory hallucinations
9. My biggest migraine triggers are: lights — bright, fluorescent, or blinking
10. I know a migraine attack is coming on when: my vision gets wonky
11. The most frustrating part about having a migraine attack is: never knowing when they’re going to happen
12. During a migraine attack, I worry most about: not freaking out my kids
13. When I think about migraine between attacks, I think: um… is there a between attacks?
14. When I tell someone I have migraine, the response is usually: 50% some idiotic suggestion for drinking vinegar or some other ‘cure,’ 25% sympathy/empathy, 25% suck-it-up
15. When someone tells me they have migraine, I think: Oh you poor thing!
16. When I see commercials about migraine treatments, I think: Right. Treatments work that well without nasty side effects. NOT.
17. My best coping tools are: distraction, Netflix, cuddles, ice packs
18. I find comfort in: soft dark fuzzy
19. I get angry when people say: If only you would…
20. I like it when people say: What’s that like for you?
21. Something kind someone can do for me during a migraine attack is: point out that I should grab an ice pack & take some meds
22. The best thing(s) a doctor has ever said to me about migraine is: I will not give up on you.
23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine is: there is no cure
24. Migraine has taught me: not to make plans that I can’t unmake in a hurry
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through an attack is: I don’t really have one.
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: Go see a decent doctor in your 20’s you idiot!
27. The people who support me most are: my husband and my kids
28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine is: it can steal your life, and there is no cure
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: I don’t think enough people understand how nasty this disease is and how many people it impacts
30. One more thing I’d like to say about life with migraine is: Migraine doesn’t just affect those of us with the disorder, it also has profound impacts on our family members, friends, and other caregivers
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.