10 Years of Your Favorite Reads

5 min read

The articles that are published and shared by Migraine.com are written by patient advocates who understand just how challenging and unique each and every experience with all types of migraine and headaches can be. In honor of the Migraine.com 10 Year Anniversary, we wanted to share with you some of your own favorite reads, the articles that resonated the most, struck up conversations, and described just how it feels to battle the symptoms, triggers, and stigma of migraine.

The many symptoms of migraine

We say it time and time again, but migraine is not just a headache. There are so many symptoms that are swept under the rug or misunderstood by those who aren't living with it. However, we know just how debilitating and disorienting a migraine can be beyond head pain. The Migraine.com advocates have shared a plethora of articles on these symptoms but here are a few that seemed to stick out the most:

Migraine is More Than Head Pain: The Many Symptoms of Migraine"The pain is a big deal, but it is only a small part of this neurological disorder that impacts the entire body." - Kerrie
The Difficulty of Conversing During a Migraine Attack
"Point is: I am a people-person, and I love talking with people...All that changes when I am suffering from a serious migraine at work...Gone is my very basic ability for looking people in the eye; gone is my talent for listening." - The Migraine Girl
Chronic Migraine: The Body’s Slow Leak
"The analogies about how chronic migraine takes a toll on our energy are endless. We feel like a car that has run out of fuel, a tire with a slow leak, a car running on fumes, a balloon running out of air." - Holly
Unique Symptoms of Childhood Migraines
"We all know how horrible it is to have a migraine especially one that hits suddenly, lasts a long time or causes lots of sensory problems. As difficult as these maybe to live with as an adult, imagine how hard it must be for the children and the parents?" - Maria
Chronic Migraine Taxing Brain Power
"The mental drain is not always considered when discussing symptoms we face during a migraine. These symptoms are very real and can include things like brain fog, problems communicating, and fatigue that become frustrating for the individual experiencing them." - Amanda
What It’s Like to Live with Hemiplegic Migraine
"I live with hemiplegic migraine (HM), which randomly gives me symptoms like a drooping face, pins and needles feelings at the most awful times, and migraines that will not let up." - Kelly
The Pain of Allodynia
"I’ve had migraine for about nine years now, and there have been lots of odd symptoms that I’ve experienced along the way. One of the more annoying ones is allodynia." - Tom
3 Crazy Cravings That Help Me Get Through My Migraines
"Every migraine I have has a distinctive personality. They’re so individual in their pain that I want them to have their own name, social security number, and Netflix account. However, there’s one way in which my migraine personalities do stay the same: Their food cravings." - Tonilyn

The complexities of life with migraine

Each and every one of our experiences with migraine is unique. What works for one doesn't work for all. The symptoms one experiences may be more severe than another. We all crave understanding from those who don't experience migraine, but we also crave that same understanding from one another. Migraine makes our lives complicated in different ways. Whether it's affected our relationships, careers, mental health, and more, we've all been impacted. The Migraine.com advocates have shared their individual experiences and here are a few that have resonated with many of you:

It Might Be Time to Stop Asking “Why?”
"Why? Why did my migraine attacks start? Why did I get so sick? Why is it worse for me than others? Why? When my migraine disease became chronic in 2011, this was the biggest question on my mind—and what I wanted the doctor to answer for me." - Lisa
The Differences Among Us: What I Wish Others With Migraine Knew
"There are many things those of us with migraine disease wish people without it understood...But it isn’t just those without migraine that make us feel misunderstood. Sometimes, it is others of us with it." - Sarah
Why Do I Pretend to be Well?
"I am constantly worried about how I am being perceived and trying to justify what I am doing because I constantly feel like my pain isn’t valid and does not warrant a moment or a break." - KyKy
Worsening Episodic Migraine
"Up to this point, my episodic migraines have most of the time been bearable. I would get a debilitating migraine on rare occasions." - Steven
Migraine Journey on Remembrance Day
"I struggled to acknowledge my sister’s condition for what it was—a debilitating neurological condition. Looking back, I wish I would’ve had the knowledge that I have now, and that I could’ve supported her better throughout her toughest years." - Billy
4 Things Intractable Migraine Has Taught Me
"For many, many years I identified myself through the eyes of my disease. I felt less than, weak, invalidated and unimportant all of the time." - Jaime
Waiting For the Other Shoe to Drop: Migraine and Comorbid Conditions
"Migraine is a challenging and complex neurological condition by itself, but sadly it also frequently brings with it a wide range of comorbid conditions which add to that challenge and complexity." - Shoshana
Cluster Headaches – Journey to Diagnosis
"When I was about 30 years old, I started having new headache symptoms. Since I had migraines for years, I knew this was something different. I would get intense head and eye pain at 2 pm every single day. It would last 2-3 hours and then it would go away." - Anna

The many questions and faces of migraine

Migraine is ever-changing with evolving triggers and symptoms. A treatment that may have worked at one point can stop bringing relief all of a sudden. New symptoms or triggers can come and go with no rhyme or reason. Managing these changes and recognizing them takes a lot of work and energy on top of dealing with migraine disease. Often the migraine community likes to share and learn tips from each other and how to cope with all the different types of migraine attacks. Here are two of the community’s favorite series:

What's Your Secret Video Series
"In the 'What’s Your Secret' video series questions that have been asked by our Migraine.com community members are brought to life!" - Holly
Unofficial Migraine Types
"A review of the “Unofficial Migraine Types” identified by The Migraine Girl. The Bulldozer, the Creeper, the Wave…. and so many more!" - The Migraine Girl

What's your favorite read from Migraine.com? Comment below to tell us!

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Migraine.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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pigen51 Member
While I cannot pick a favorite read from <a href='http://Migraine.com' target='_blank'>Migraine.com</a>, what I can say is that without <a href='http://Migraine.com' target='_blank'>Migraine.com</a> to go to, life would be much more difficult. Both because of being able to look at the journey of others, and how they have handled their disease, and also being able to sometimes share my own path,and always have people come back to me, and at the very least, validate my thoughts and feelings. I think that probably the hardest part of suffering from migraines is not even the actual physical part, but the emotional toll that it takes on you, on your self esteem, and your inability to do what people who do not have migraines do. Making plans lately, as my migraines have progressed to near daily pain and nausea, has become almost impossible. I find myself telling my wife, I will do that today, and then later having to say, I will do it tomorrow. Hoping that tomorrow, will be a better day. And while she is almost always understanding,I know that inside, it bothers her, since she is the type who cannot stand to procrastinate, and her dad was the same way, so she was never around someone who had to put things off, the way a migraine sufferer sometimes does. By being able to come here, I can always find someone who has walked my path, and often is in even worse shape than I, at least in some ways, and I feel empathy, and understanding, and less like a unique case, which can cause depression, which should be considered one more symptom of migraines. And being able to see what kind of luck people have had with some of the newer class of drugs, the anti CGRP ones, has allowed me to push on with my neurologists search for one that might be the " magic button" that works for me. So I guess I should say, thank you, both to the moderators, who do such a wonderful job, but also to those who come here, and write their experiences, and also read of mine, and comment on occasion. They say there is strength in numbers, and so it seems that we need to stick together, in order for all of us to stay strong, until we each find the correct treatment for ourselves. Here's to painfree days, that allow you to live life to the fullest, and to enjoy the beauty of creation. Blessings to you all.

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