This is a reader-submitted story.
1. My diagnosis is: Chronic Migraine
2. My migraine attack frequency is: currently 4 episodes monthly; previous to botox and depo: 11-16 a month
3. I was diagnosed in: 2006
4. My comorbid conditions include: NONE
5. I get botox injections every 12 weeks for prevention and 100mg imitrex, 800mg naproxen or 25mg cambia medications/supplements to treat an acute attack
6. My first migraine attack was: before i could swallow a pill
7. My most disabling migraine symptoms are: nausea, vomiting, fatigue
8. My strangest migraine symptoms are: everything smells so strong it makes me sick. EVERYTHING
9. My biggest migraine triggers are: weather changes, hormonal changes, alcohol
10. I know a migraine attack is coming on when: i start to feel the migraine
11. The most frustrating part about having a migraine attack is:
12. During a migraine attack, I worry most about: the effect it has long term on my body.
13. When I think about migraine between attacks, I think: i worry I wont be able to attend events due to another attack
14. When I tell someone I have migraine, the response is usually: drink more water, have you tried “insert random thing”
15. When someone tells me they have migraine, I think: I feel empathy. I wouldn’t wish them on my worst enemy.
16. When I see commercials about migraine treatments, I think:hopefully it can help someone
17. My best coping tools are: botox has changed my life. sometimes imitrex wont work and IM stuck confined to my bed in the dark and quiet
18. I find comfort in:knowing others go through it too
19. I get angry when people say:why are you wearing sunglasses at your desk? THE LIGHT IS BURNING MY BRAIN AND POUNDING ON MY SOUL
20. I like it when people say: they understand migraines are debilitating
21. Something kind someone can do for me during a migraine attack is: be quiet. turn off the lights. not wear perfume/cologne
22. The best thing(s) a doctor has ever said to me about migraine is: lets try botox
23. The hardest thing to accept about having migraine is:never knowing if they will stop
24. Migraine has taught me: to cherish non migraine days
25. The quotation, motto, mantra, or scripture that gets me through an attack is: This will end.
26. If I could go back to the early days of my diagnosis, I would tell myself: stop drinking alochol dummy
27. The people who support me most are: my husband and my father
28. The thing I most wish people understood about migraine is: they are not just headaches and Excedrin is not going to help
29. Migraine and Headache Awareness Month is important to me because: it educates people about the reality of migraines and headaches
30. One more thing I’d like to say about life with migraine is: Migraines literally steal days of my life. Before botox i lost half the month laying in bed wishing someone would bust my head open. Missing paid days of work miserable unable to do daily things like brush my teeth or shower. They literally take days away.
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.