I know it might sound as though I’m repeating myself but some people are just still not getting it. Also, I apologise for the shouting but some people in the back can’t hear me…
A MIGRAINE IS NOT A HEADACHE! Also, whilst we’re on the subject, a migraine is not a hangover and a hangover is not a migraine. Migraine is a condition and a symptom of that condition can sometimes be head pain and by pain I mean “Jesus f**king christ I am going to kill someone”.
Think of it like this… when you get a cold you have several symptoms telling you it’s a cold. Runny nose, sore throat, headache, sneezing. They are the symptoms of your cold. Head pain or headache can be a symptom of a migraine, it is not the migraine. Just like a sore throat on its own is not a cold, it is a symptom.
Now we’ve got that cleared up let’s talk about the migraine associated head pain. A stand alone headache is generally quite manageable. It’s annoying and it hurts but not to the point of wanting to die. The pain I experience with a migraine attack is unbearable. I cannot stress to you enough how agonising it is.
Recently I experienced one of the worst migraines of my life. It started out in the usual way (for me), a niggling headache that wouldn’t go away. I took some painkillers but unfortunately I didn’t have access to my cyclizine hydrochloride (anti sickness medication). We were waiting for a flight back to Manchester from Atlanta and the majority of my medication was in my checked baggage, our flight had been delayed and so I had no access to my luggage.
Without a mixture of paracetamol,codeine (which you can’t buy over the counter in America) and cyclizine hydrochloride, I was in trouble.
I drank lots of water and tried to relax as much as possible.
Our flight from Orlando to Atlanta hadn’t left on time due to the late arrival of our cabin crew and this caused us to miss our connecting flight to Manchester, this is pretty shitty on its own but put that together with a migraine and not being able to get to my medication and I’m pretty much in meltdown mode.
As the next flight to Manchester wasn’t for another 24 hours we were put up in a hotel for the night and the walk to that hotel through the airport was the longest of my life, and I’ve walked the three peaks!
It was like walking through treacle, everything was so heavy. I was cold but I was on fire. Every single noise was agony. I had my ear phones in to block out noise, my hood up and sunglasses on and I just wanted to sleep.
We arrived at the hotel and I naively thought I could sleep off the remainder of the attack. My brain had other plans.
I took some more painkillers and instantly regretted it. My body didn’t want anything, I was past the point of medication and my brain didn’t know what to do.
I began throwing up around 9.30 pm and didn’t stop until 1 am when I was intravenously given saline and an anti-emetic by a paramedic. This was the first time I’ve ever had to get urgent medical help for a migraine. I have never felt pain like it.
Actually the only way I can describe the pain is like being in labour in my brain. I had no idea what to do with myself. I couldn’t lay down, I didn’t have the strength to stand and sleep was certainly out of the question.
All I could do was lean on Chris and stumble around the room. I begged him to kill me, fortunately he wouldn’t.
In all honesty though I would have gladly died. You might think that is just me over reacting, but trust me, it isn’t. The pain is horrifically exhausting and you feel like you’ll never feel normal again.
Well, I don’t suppose I’ll ever feel normal but just a little less pain would be nice.
Please, if you’ve never suffered a migraine attack don’t comment on someone else’s migraine attack. You seriously have no idea how it feels. It’s not just a headache, it is never just a headache. It’s not even in the same realm, they should never be listed together as the same thing because they are worlds apart from each other. IT IS NOT JUST A HEADACHE.
Have a fabulous day!
Made A Hames 