“I’ve found that many people see migraine as a ‘female condition’. While it is more prevalent in women (8:1 ratio), men do suffer migraine and it has an equally debilitating effect on our lives. Some individuals have even said quite disapproving things to me about it, basically questioning my manliness.”

“There are friends in my life who simply do not understand. By a comment or look you sort of know that is one barrier that won’t ever come down.”

The migraine aura makes me feel nauseous just to think of

“In my younger days, the migraine aura looked like a colourful version of ‘TV static’ – flickering, colourful snowy blotches that I would see in my peripheral vision. In adulthood, it more accurately resembles zigzag, pulsating lines, expanding from the centre of my vision outwards. Just thinking about it here is making my stomach feel sick. It’s absolutely horrible.

“Once a migraine has set in, the pain is so bad, I can only text, ‘Migraine’ if people try to get in touch. Then it’s several hours of nausea and vomiting.”

Teenage hormones can increase the intensity and frequency of migraines

“The years between ages 7-15 were the worst of my life in terms of migraine attacks. Very few people understood what I was going through, which caused a lot of additional stress. In hindsight, I realise, I was depressed.”

Even onions can trigger a migraine!

“Triggers for me include extreme changes of weather or barometric pressure, humidity, lack of routine, long gaps between meals, dehydration and, bizarrely, the smell of onions.

“Thankfully, I’ve had fewer severe migraines since 2017.”

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“I’ve suffered ‘headaches’ since I was about three years old. I used to complain to my mother about pains in the back of my head. It was alarming for her since I was so young and, being adopted, I had no family medical history to work with.”

“In my early 20s, I contacted my birth family and discovered a strong genetic link to migraine. It was only then that I was formally diagnosed at the Migraine Clinic in Beaumont Hospital. The wait to access this clinic was over a year at the time, but the care I received there was second to none. And once you’re in the system, it seems easier to access follow-up care.”

There seems to be a migraine-shaped gap in GPs’ knowledge

“Unfortunately, many GPs seem either uninterested or uneducated about the finer aspects of migraine. It leaves many patients in the dark about the condition in general and how to manage it.

“Organisations like The Migraine Association of Ireland (MAI) are vital to help sufferers understand more about the condition. They also connect with others who can give hints and tips on how best to manage your migraines.

“I now have a really good GP who helps me manage with prophylactic and acute treatments, but migraine sufferers desperately need more migraine clinics made available to them. And there definitely needs to be more neurologists who have an interest in migraine in public hospitals – all over the country.”

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“Fear, panic, nausea, numbness and throbbing pain. For me: what my first migraine felt like.”

“It took me a long time to understand the connection between the mind and the body, and how it can help me deal with my migraines. I’ve battled with intense anxiety for most of my life, but I’ve learned to manage it with counselling and yoga. The knock-on effect this has had on my migraine has been hugely beneficial.”

You have no control when a migraine hits

“You have very little – if any – control of when a migraine will strike. You could be in work, driving or in a social setting. That would immediately make me panic: ‘How will I cope? How will I get home? What about the task I need to finish for work? My anxiety raced all the while my body was trying to process the migraine itself.”

My migraine routine

“However, many migraines later, I’ve managed to level off my fear at the onset of attacks with a ritual that I stick to.

“Once I feel the visual aura starting, I immediately take my medication. I get plenty of water and find as quiet and private a space as possible. Once I’ve managed this much, I sit down, close my eyes and very simply try to breathe deeply in and out.

“I reassure myself, sip water, and just breathe to distract myself as much as possible from the physical symptoms. Once my mind is calm I find that I’m far better equipped to manage the migraine itself.

“Although focusing your attention away from the physical symptoms is challenging, with practice it can become a powerful skill and one I definitely recommend integrating into in the battle against migraine.”

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