What Life With Migraine Is Like for Me

Understanding the nature of migraine disease. Living life with a chronic illness.

Migraine has traveled with me through life for nearly six decades. I have never thought of migraine as a welcome companion, but it is as much a part of me as the color of my hair and the freckles on my skin.

My migraines have seen various behavioral configurations as the disorder has transitioned from one season of life to the next, much like the fading of my hair from auburn to gray and the morphing of freckles into what looks more like age spots than I care to admit.

Though it still bears a strong resemblance to the early episodes of my youth, my migraine disorder has matured with me over the years. Frequency and timing of occurrences have changed since childhood. Major triggers have remained the same while minor triggers have varied.

Attacks run the gambit from mild annoyance to curled up in a ball in a dark, quiet room, tears of pain dripping off my face as I wait for the inevitable vomiting stage to begin and end. Where the episode falls on the intensity scale depends on the speed of progression versus how quickly I react with my rescue medications.

Migraine attacks increased after puberty hit and noticeable patterns began to emerge…