Migraine Awareness Week: lets talk about headaches

I remember the first time I ever got a migraine.  I was about fourteen I think, in school and I suddenly couldn't see properly.  I was sick all over the place.

"Migraine" declared Sister Assumpta kindly and sent me home.  I was shocked.  There was no real headache at that stage.  How could it be migr-

Aaagh.  The pain was terrible.  And it wouldn't stop.  And it went on and on.  And on and on. And on and on.  Nothing would get rid of it.

As I lay in my curtains closed room with the pain so intense it felt like my head would split in two I didn't know that I was beginning a horrible life long relationship with migraine.  (Although my teenage bedroom was in a mess so bad it practically triggers migraine just thinking about it).

I was easy to diagnose - I had all the classic symptoms - the aura (that weird shimmer of colours that obstructs vision and normally comes at the beginning of an attack); the nausea; sensitivity to light and the feeling of a drill grinding into my right eye.  Stomach shut down meant that no tablets I swallowed had any real effect  But lots of people have some or none of these symptoms and it can take years to figure out that they're actually suffering from migraine.

But if you've a migraine you'll know all about it.  If you've ever experienced a headache so bad you've had to take a day off work ; had to shut yourself away in a darkened room because you couldn't stand light and maybe experience the headache for two or three days - then you've got a migraine.  It could be hormone related, there could be a food (or in Kirstie's case a WINE trigger), stress or none of these.  Or all of these

We've talked about it often on Beaut.ie - hence our despair when the simple purchase of Nurofen Plus became an endurance feat of  Gestapo style interrogation proportions.

Imigran works for me - sometimes.  When it works it's brilliant, the pain is gone instantly. I often have to top it up with Nurofen Plus (I got a prescription from my doc to make that process a bit easier). They don't always work though.  Kirstie's on prescription meds and they seem to be bringing it under control at last.

What about you?  Do you suffer from migraine - tell us your story.