Waking up and feeling as if you have been stabbed in the eye or that your head has been crushed. Tingles and cloudiness throughout your head, neck, and face. Standing up to excessive dizziness, loss of orientation, and extreme light sensitivity. Feeling as if your stomach is in our throat because you are so nauseated. Trips to the ER for relief. Trying medication after medication to control your migraines as much as possible. Endless appointments, tests, and scans. Food journals, pain journals, symptom journals, and activity journals.

This is just a glimpse into life with migraines.

Studies have found that 13% of adults in the US suffer from migraines. A common belief, however, is that any bad headache is a migraine. This is completely false.

Just because you have a bad headache, doesn't mean you have a migraine.

After living with migraines for over 4 years, I can now tell the difference. It is quite upsetting when people fake migraines or even claim I am faking. There are times I won't move from my bed for multiple days. I sleep for hours on end and don't even think of eating.

I may have conversations that I don't remember after getting through the migraine. It is like I am separated from reality when I am going through a migraine attack.

I miss many days of class each year for not only migraine days but also various appointments with my handful of doctors.

I have gone through doctors left and right because some refuse to believe that I, a 16-year-old girl, can have upwards of 20 migraine days a month. I have been through doctors straight up ignoring me, not caring, and just pushing medicine after medicine on me.

It has been degrading not only living through migraines but also struggling with finding the help I need.

There are times you are your best medic. You know just how much you can push. You know just what you are capable of. Support from family and friends can benefit one more than anything else.

Nonetheless, I have pushed through. Some days, I physically cannot get out of bed. Others, I force myself to go to class so I am not behind. I have helped others struggling with migraines by giving them my best tips, and others I can tell just want attention.

Ice pack on the neck, Vaporub on the feet, and sleeping in a dark and cool room are sometimes the best thing for crushing a migraine.

However, if you believe you may be suffering from migraines, contact your doctor soon. The sooner you catch the beast, the sooner you can find your best solution.

I believe in a cure. One day, there will be an end to migraines.