Imagine you are driving down the road and all of the sudden a sharp pain hits the side of your head. The pain is so excruciating that its hard for you to concentrate and do an everyday task like driving. Now imagine getting that pain anywhere from once a month to everyday. That is what it's like for an individual suffering from migraines. According to the Migraine Research Foundation, about 38 million people in the United States suffer from migraines. That's a lot of people suffering, and chances are, it includes someone in your family or friend group. As a diagnosed chronic migraine sufferer, I have first hand experience into what it's truly like experiencing one of these awful occurrences. I hope that individuals who have never suffered through a migraine will get a better insight into the pain sufferers feel (so maybe you will stop telling them to pop a pill and get over it), and that individuals living with this painful neurological disease will be able to relate. I am not a doctor so by no means do I know everything about migraines, I simply wish to show to you what a migraine sufferer goes through on anywhere from a daily to monthly basis.
Usually, the beginning stages of a migraine aren't too painful. It may start off with a little warning of some neck or back pain. Others, such as myself, experience auras. Auras are individualized depending on the person, but can include dizziness, blurred vision, spotting in your vision and sensitivity to sounds, smells and/or lights. These auras are more annoying than anything, but can be dangerous if you are doing something like driving down the road. They mainly serve as warning signs that you're about to get hit with a painful migraine. From there it all goes down hill. Migraine sufferers usually start to feel pain anywhere between 10 to 40 minutes after the auras. Migraines are different from headaches in that, migraines are usually felt on only one half of your head, where as headaches are felt all over or across your forehead, and let me tell you, its no fun. Once the pain hits most are unable to continue daily functions such as work or classes.
The pain those diagnosed with migraines feel is often debilitating. I have personally missed a lot of classes due to the pain I feel when I get my migraines. I find that I cannot pay attention to anything outside of the pain, much less class. The pain is so intense that many people get nauseous and even throw up. During the migraine dizziness, extreme sensitivities to sound, smell and lights, and the inability to focus are common. When my migraines occur, I find it difficult to do anything else but curl up in a ball in a dark quiet room, and pray that the pain will end. Often times when people fall asleep their migraine will be gone in the morning. But for others, the migraine remains and they wake up with the pain still present, as migraines can last up to 72 hours. When you are finally free from the painful grips of your migraine it's a relief, but occasionally your migraine will result in painful rebound headaches. These headaches are by no means as bad as the migraine, but after your long battle with the painful migraine frankly you just want a break.
Migraines are luckily manageable for most by medicines, but for some unlucky few there is no relief from the pain until a cure is found. So when someone tells you they have a migraine, don't tell them to suck it up and push through it, don't tell them take to take some Aleve and it will go away and most of all, don't invalidate the pain they feel.These individuals are probably already stressed. Instead offer them a dark, quiet room, a blanket and some support because migraines are a painful, annoying, debilitating disease and unless you have experienced one, you truly cannot relate. So the next time someone you love is having a migraine, support them. Trust me, they need it.
