Migraine

I have suffered with migraines for many years now. They can be so debilitating. Years ago I had an MRI of my brain, luckily everything was ok. I was getting severe migraines about 3-4 times a week and they would often leave me bedridden. I tried elimination diets, nothing worked. Looking back now I think they may have been linked to my fibromyalgia because I was getting them so often.

Before when I started with the symptoms of fibromyalgia I used to get them less often, usually hormonal linked or if I was tired. I had tried medication from my doctor but it didn’t provide any relief. It wasn’t until I got given some medication prescribed by a neurologist that things improved. However since my fibromyalgia has intensified then so has the migraines but not as before because I recognise the signs and take some medication and go and lie down.

When I used to suffer really bad with them I often used to have to sit in my car and shut my eyes after taking medication and wait until I was ok to drive again. I always have sunglasses with me as well, to block out the light. Numerous times I had to phone my husband to collect the grocery shopping because I didn’t want the frozen food to defrost. I’ve gone and sat at the back of a cafe, or Costa or Starbucks if I’m in a shopping centre and a migraine starts and sit quietly until the meds kick in. I can sometimes even zone out from the noise around me. I managed to do this once on a plane when flying to Menorca.

I remember when my migraines were at their worst I used to wish I could decapitate my head, not that I really would. It’s just the pain would be so bad. I used to get numbness sometimes in the left side of my face and body. The first time that happened scared me a bit. I get different types of migraines. My husband only gets one type but only gets them about 3-4 times a year. I always need to avoid the light, so I shut my bedroom curtains, pop on an eye mask and pray that the medications work quickly.

Sometimes I’ve had room spinning with a migraine. That’s horrible. A bit like when you’ve had too much to drink. Sometimes I get the flickering. Don’t even bother talking to me because I can’t put a sentence together. I hate it when it feels like someone’s sticking pins in my eyes. Luckily I’m no longer sick with them and recovery is quicker since on my medication from the neurologist. Makes me laugh when people have said to me that they have a migraine and they’re sat chatting to me or they did all their housework with one. They even went to work or a day out. That is not a migraine. It’s a headache. A migraine will floor you and you can’t do anything. Nothing at all.