Migraine has traveled with me through life for nearly six decades. I have never thought of migraine as a welcome companion, but it is as much a part of me as the color of my hair and the freckles on my skin. My migraines have seen various behavioral configurations as the disorder has transitioned from one season of life to the next, much like the fading of my hair from auburn to gray and the morphing of freckles into what looks more like age spots than I care to admit. Though it still bears a strong resemblance to the early episodes of my youth, my migraine disorder has matured with me over the years. Frequency and timing of occurrences have changed since childhood. Major triggers have remained the same while minor triggers have varied. Attacks run the gambit from mild annoyance to curled up in a ball in a dark, quiet room, tears of pain dripping off my face as I wait for the inevitable vomiting stage to begin and end. Where the episode falls on the intensity scale depends on the speed of progression versus how quickly I react with my rescue medications. Migraine attacks increased after puberty hit and noticeable patterns began to emerge. Early symptoms included sensitivity to everyday brightness of light and normal levels of sound. Close on the heels of sensitivity, pain would grab hold of one eye or the other and begin digging deeper into my head. If I left the headache untreated, waves of nausea would begin to ebb and flow through my abdomen. As a young adult, I noticed aura symptoms at the beginning of an episode. I noticed I was slurring words a few hours or even a day before more noticeable symptoms hit. Life during and after menopause has brought fewer episodes that often begin in the wee hours of the morning. Just when I think I have a handle on my flavor of migraine, subtle nuances remind me I can’t let down my guard. The battle wages on even in the days the illness lies silent inside my brain. My migraine management skills have matured over time as well. My doctor and I have developed a treatment plan to manage the illness. I continue to seek information from my physician, internet resources, and fellow warriors on how to combat my internal enemy and learn to be my own advocate. Migraine is a constant passenger along my road of life. We will likely never be free of each other. How my migraine presents itself over the next few decades remains to be seen. Even so, I’m confident I will be victorious more often than defeated in the battles that lie ahead. I have not chosen to travel through life with migraine, but I understand I must. Migraine is my cross to bear, and it is much more than a list of symptoms. Migraine is a part of me and a part of my life. Source
