I have spent the majority of my life living with migraine headaches. Generally they would come in clusters, but I never went more than a week or two without having to deal with them. With migraines you can’t just put it on the back burner, take two Tylenol and it simply have it go away.
Migraines more than hurt. They pierce you brain with relentless pain that causes light sensitivity, nausea and vomiting, and irritability. Basically, your ability to function as a normal human being becomes impossible.
The world today is not built with the migraine suffer in mind. If you suffer from frequent migraines than your job is at risk because there is no way in hell you can work with a migraine. And your certainly not reliable if you have to call in sick with migraines frequently.
Your friends sometimes walk away because they can’t understand what they can’t see and dont feel and aren’t comfortable being around someone who is in constant pain.
Your credibility is questioned… because you can’t see migraines people question whether or not your over reacting or perhaps your just a hypochondriac.
My favorite is how some feel that because you claim to have these terrible migraine headaches so often… and no one can actually see a migraine, then you might very well just be a drug seeker. Its not just your ignorant friends and the hospitals you resort to as a last result who think this… even some doctors believe that migraines are just an excuse to get drugs. I love it when they refer us for psych referral instead of treating the migraine.
I believe one of our strongest weapons is to present a united front. To take strength from each other. When one is having a bad run of migraines than we lift them up and support them with love, encouragement and prayer!
We believe you because we have walked in your shoes and we also know that there is light at the end of this long, painful tunnel. You are not alone! So, dig down deep, fing your backbone, spunk, bad attitude…. whatever well you draw your strength from and load up. You may have a fight ahead of you but you aren’t alone.
Carpe diem!
Migraines Matter 