Have you ever had to explain your migraines to someone who doesn't understand? It could be a boss, a doctor, a family member, or a friend. I have had to explain, and in the past I have sounded like a bumbling idiot. Hopefully this explanation will make more sense.
I deal with chronic daily migraines, for me that means that the nausea and pain come in waves, and never really go away. I have been chronic for 25 years. My head continually pounds, or is in a vice grip while pounding. I know when a storm is coming, because the pain in my head increases drastically when one draws near. My eyes tear up, and my vision gets blurry. Sometimes I feel like I am on a boat because the room is rocking under my feet. The longer my migraines continue, the more difficult it becomes to concentrate, or sometimes accomplish the smallest tasks. This is what I deal with day to day.
It is nothing compared to when my trigger level overwhelms my pain threshold, and I am hit with the excruciating immobilizing pain of a high level migraine.
Here is my explanation: I have to skim my feet on the ground, just to make sure my head stays on my shoulders. Every sight, sound, odor, or regular step I take jars my head to the point I feel it will fall off. I cannot tolerate even the slightest sound, the hum of electricity, or the whisper of my own breath leaving my body. The barest flicker of light, from outside or from my phone, catapults me from intolerable pain to intolerable agonizing pain. Every word whispered, either by myself or people around me, feels like having a broken bone, repeatedly re-broken.
I use a few different metaphors to explain the kind of pain I experience in my head.
If it is a stabbing pain in my temples: the invisible man with the ice pick is stabbing me there.
If my whole head is throbbing and won't quit: the miniature miners in my head are using their tools on my brain.
If my head feels like it's in a vice grip: the rubber band around my head is going to pop my skull like a watermelon.
All these metaphors explain my pain in a picture that is easy for others to imagine.
I know that each one of us is different, and we all experience our pain in different ways. If any of my explanations help you, feel free to use them, or tweak them as necessary. If you have an explanation that works for you, and you would like to share, please do so in the comments below.
"I hope when people in pain see how I am dealing with chronic pain they aren't wishing they could be so lucky to cope as well. My hope is that they realize God is my strength - - and He is available to them as well. I am weak. But He is strong. He will be strong for all who ask Him. I couldn't 'do' illness without Him." - Lisa Copen
Since originally writing this blog in 2015 new medications have decreased my monthly migraines (sometimes). A new diagnosis has explained a lot of my aches, and moving away from a moldy situation has probably also helped.
Keeping the new house clean is a daily struggle. I’m learning to take things slow, and stopping when I need to. I am working on finding a solution to my electronic use migraines. One hour on the computer is a little too much for me. I really wish the Google Docs on the website had a dark mode version. It might help me get more done on my edits and reviews.