If migraines were just really intense headaches then I feel like migraineur would have less to complain about, but they’re a lot more than just a headache and usually come with a range of horrific symptoms as well.
I started getting severe migraines regularly 2 years ago and it’s been a wild ride to get treatment for them. I’ve written more about that here, but on top of actually dealing them, I’ve also heard people give very unhelpful advice. So here’s a collection of them!
“It’s just a headache”
No, it’s not just a headache and it will never be that simple. A migraine is a neurological attack, my common symptoms before getting one involves slurred speech, a lack of coordination in my hands, seeing dots everywhere and generally not being able to get my thoughts straight.
Once an attack starts it’s a throbbing horrific pain in my head that makes it feel like it’s being squeezed in a vice, and it also comes with brain fog, neck pain and in some case numbness in my limbs. Those are just my personal symptoms, so no – it’s not just a headache.
“Just sleep it off”
Believe it or not, sleep is not a cure when you sleep during a migraine you’re just sleeping through it. A lot of the time if it’s a nap I’ll still wake up with a migraine and even have a lot of weird dreams alongside this. So sleep isn’t a miraculous cure.
“Have you tried drinking water?”
Yes, I have. I hate being asked this because although dehydration is a massive trigger for migraines. I’ve been dealing with them long enough to always remain hydrated, so being asked this question is ridiculously patronising.
“I know how you feel I get headaches too”
Refer back to the answer about it not being just a headache. I do appreciate people trying to sympathise but this just comes across as really ignorant and honestly if I’m having a migraine during this conversation I would probably snap at the person asking the question.
Image is from Unsplash.
