Migraines are a terrible pain and very much misunderstood by non-suffers
I have suffered from migraines since I was about 10 years old (I am now 42)! Sometimes I get them if I haven’t eaten or overheat and they always last between 2 or 3 days when I do get one. For the past few months I have been getting a least one a week and they are now becoming more and more painful and taking up so much of my life as they are so debilitating.
My migraines always start on one side, mostly the left, and start with pain in my neck and shoulder before tremendous pain on that side of my head and in my eye. My speech can also be slurred or sentences tend to come out with the words in the wrong order.
I have found that the most effective way to manage the pain, most painkillers tend not to work, is with my trusty hot water bottle for my neck and shoulder and an ice pack for my head. I know this must not only sound stupid but must look even worse as lying in a darkened room with a hot water bottle AND an ice pack at the same time must look completely nuts but for me it does ease the pain. I have also found that Deep Heat Muscle Rescue Neck & Shoulder Cream also helps a great deal as the applicator sponge massages in the cream effectively and creates a comforting amount of heat, albeit for a short while, but again seems to work for me. I have tried other creams in the past with no effect whatsoever.
Along with the neck & shoulder pain and the pain in my head and eye I also get sickness and sore stomach and spend half my time in the toilet that sometimes I think I should just stay there, maybe get a blanket and call it home.
But probably the worst part of having migraine is other people. If you have never truly had a migraine and most people probably haven’t, they assume when they get a bad headache it is a migraine when it’s nowhere near. They think you are putting it on and that it’s not that bad, take a couple of painkillers and you will be fine in 20 minutes. Oh how I wish it was that easy!
After the migraine has cleared it still isn’t the end as I feel exhausted for hours afterwards and my appetite seems to go through the roof and I eat everything in the house.
My GP has now prescribed me Imigran which when I have to use them I hope they have some effect.
If you suffer from migraines I would love to hear how you manage yours and if there is anything else I can do to manage mine. I have tried a food diary and cannot see and common denominator as to why so I don’t think it’s a certain food that brings it on. I would be interested to hear your thoughts. You can comment below or email me at info@davidsavage.co.uk.
Click here to read Part Two and my Migraines and Me series
