Migraine

Just the word gives me goosebumps. I’ve been a migraine patient ever since I was a kid, I knew that the constant headaches I used to get in school particularly after a day in the sun were migraines. My dad suffers from it too and from what I’ve been told it does have a genetic connection. Since of late the headaches have become frequent and more intense with shorter intervals between attacks. Every 7-10 days or so.  At first I used to brush it off, pop two panadols or panadeine depending on the intensity and set about doing stuff. This was pre-dominantly a weeend occurrence. Yes, I’d have this nagging pain to deal with all day but it didn’t hinder my mobility or ability to go about things. Now, however, the attacks have spiralled out of control and I’m left like the wind’s been knocked out of me. It starts with a pain above one of the eyes and then within 30 – 45 minutes has become a full blown attack that leaves me cowering under the sheets, blinds drawn in complete utter darkness, stillness and quiet. Nothing short of a dose of panadeine and Brufen 4 hours apart coupled with laying completely still in bed and trying to sleep it off for the rest of the day works to ease the pain. By late evening or night, the pain eases and I feel like I’ve done a triathlon.

The pain is like nothing I have ever felt before. It literally feels like millions of tiny jackhammers are going at it with a vengeance at your temples, top and back of the head, neck and shoulders and like all the nerves in your head are being twisted all at the same time. Apart from the pain, it leaves you unable to look at even the dimmest of light, makes you sensitive to sound – even a person talking to you and you can forget about trying to string a coherent sentence together at a normal tone of voice.

Triggers are apparently the key to avoiding and keeping migraines at bay as there’s no one cause that brings on an attack. This could be food types, light,sound,smell,routine activity, sleep irregularities etc. Mine have ranged from the sun and heat as a child to coffee and sleep irregularity as an adult. The verdict basically for me at this point is to regularise my sleep patterns – this means waking up at the same time every single day, including weekends and going easy on the coffee.

C, over the last 6 months of observation now knows exactly what to do when I get an attack. Watching him tip toe around the room making sure it’s cool and dark enough, making sure I get my painkillers on time and even sitting down to feed me when I refuse to eat makes me smile despite the pain. I’m lucky to have him.