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Migraine - What it feels like

Not very nice is the answer, but that would be a short blog post! I've been very unwell with migraine for quite a few days although I'm thankfully up and about now. Migraines are something I've only suffered with for the past five or so years, they started after a particularly stressful period in my life and unfortunately have never gone.

My migraines don't have any form of visual disturbance, the first signs I'm getting one is either nausea or a drilling pain in my right temple. When I first started getting them over the counter medicines did used to help, and if taken early enough could stop one developing but that's no longer the case unfortunately. In fact anything with codeine in it seems to make things worse now.

The drilling pain usually increases to the point it's almost unbearable and this is accompanied by retching and vomiting. On Saturday I was retching every half an hour, all day. I couldn't keep down any fluids at all and the result of it has been my neck is now very tender from it.

There are all kinds of pain, I'm quite resilient having had a lot of tattoos, I've also had various sports injuries, but nothing, and I mean nothing, is like the pain of migraine. It's a peculiarly invasive pain I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, no pain is great but this is just nasty. Strangely sleep does offer some relief, but the periods you're awake and suffering are horrendous. You basically have no choice but to lay and suffer.

I've many times thought I was going to die during one of these attacks, and after hours with no relief from it you begin to feel death would be a release. I start to wonder am I going to be needing carting off to hospital and put on a drip, I imagine my family being worried or himself coming in and finding me unresponsive. It's very very hard to keep your mind from going down that kind of negative stream of thinking. I try and distract myself by having podcasts or something similar playing but it's a struggle to concentrate on anything for long.

Obviously not being able to drink adds in dehydration, which doesn't help and I feel slows down the recovery. Honestly the best thing I've found is cola, I can't often keep it all down but  for some reason it's more palatable and easier than water. At least I'm having something which is better than no fluids at all.

On Sunday to say I was a state was an understatement, my lips were chapped and blistered, I smelt, I could hardly stand up but I was beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. It often takes me several days of recovery, I can't touch foods and drink I normally love as my stomach won't take it. The most bizarre things happen, I was crocheting a wrap but the colour of the yarn made me nauseous so I couldn't look at it, despite me loving the colour! I eat mainly toast, fresh pineapple and yogurt, and found that's the best combination for me while I'm getting back to myself.

You do need to watch your triggers, with me it's normally stress and unfortunately some stress in life is unavoidable. One of my biggest issues I need to tackle is the fear of getting a migraine, particularly if I have an appointment booked, which often means I get one afterwards. I am very sensitive, and was bought up to be super conscientious which is proving a pain in the proverbial as I get older. When you have attacks like this it's exceptionally difficult to not fear getting one again in the future.

I had a daith piercing four months ago which did help, while it was swollen! Now it's all healed if anything I think they're slightly worse than before. Going forward I'm not sure what to do as I personally feel the side effects of being on medication constantly often outweigh the benefits for me. All I can do is hope one day they go as mysteriously as they, arrived and if you suffer from migraines too you have my sympathy and understanding. I think it's something so awful unless people do experience it they can't truly understand how bad an experience it is.

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