Suffering with Migraines

This is a collaborative post.

I remember my first migraine was when I was pregnant. It was the weirdest feeling I’d ever had unlike any headache I had ever experienced. I was about 25 or so weeks pregnant and had to go into hospital to be monitored because my symptoms could be pre-eclampsia. I thought it was a normal dehydration headache and had a couple of pints of water but then I had complete tunnel vision, felt dizzy, had virtually no balance and felt so sick. Getting to the hospital and being told I was okay and that it was probably a migraine was a bit of a relief however since then I have suffered regularly with them and they can be really hard to deal with.

I usually get one or two a month throughout the summer and less often in the winter. There are times when I wake up with one and it won’t shift for the whole day but I have to just carry on as normal. I’m really grateful on these days that I only have the school run to do and I can step away from the computer and work differently if I need to when I am suffering from a migraine. They can come on suddenly when I’m feeling really stressed too. I remember about a year ago Adam and I were in London in the British Museum and the heat, crowds and lack of water brought one on massively in the middle of the Eygpt display. We had to find a quick exit and take a few minutes to sit down. I had that colour spectrum appear across my visions and my head just started pounding.

I’ve often wondered if I’ve suffered with Migraines or Cluster headaches because of how frequent they are but after doing some research and speaking to my doctor I absolutely suffer with migraines. My first sign that a migraine is coming on is how it affects my vision. Sometimes it’s just a blurry but there are times when I struggle to see for all the exploding lights and colour line I get across my sight – it’s very weird but those that have experienced a migraine will know what I’m on about. The pain is usually on one side of my head, usually the left, and moves back across my head with a throbbing sensation. It literally feels like my brain is too big for my skull and is trying to escape out of my head. I often can’t look at bright screens, read, focus and feel sick. Regular painkillers aren’t usually strong enough to take effect or I don’t take them quick enough to dull a migraine. Usually, the only thing that helps me is sleeping although with the constant throbbing it can be really hard to actually relax and sleep. It’s been so bad at times that I’ve been sobbing on the sofa with the pain.

Things that you can do to try and help ease a migraine and that have helped me include:

1. Being in a cold, dark room
2. Drinking lots of water
3. Coming away from any screens
4. Sleeping
5. Rubbing vicks or heat lotion across my forehead and temple

There are of course stronger painkillers available from your GP or Pharmacy to help combat migraines. If you’re worried or experiencing these kinds of symptoms regularly then I encourage you to speak to your doctor as soon as you can and get any help or medication you might need.

Photo by Xavier Sotomayor on Unsplash