Have You Ever Had a Win No One Cared About?

By DarylM

1 min read

I recently found a new trigger, white noise. This trigger is more like an atom bomb for me. Twenty minutes of white noise will give me a migraine so bad I can't drive anymore for the rest of the day.

An (almost) silent trigger

The worst part about white noise is how it can be everywhere and one does not notice it. For the longest time, I could not figure out why I felt like garbage in the kitchen and dining area. It turns out it's the refrigerator!!

Taking a proactive approach

I recently got ahead of my migraines and created a white noise detector. I felt myself get a little emotional as I figured out a way to take my life back from a hidden enemy. I shared it on my social media sites and I got basically no response from it.

A small win

I am continuing with making my detector, adding a light flicker, and being able to alert me to any white noise or excessive light flicker. I am making it for me so I can participate in the world and not hide from it.

Share my own story

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Nancy Harris Bonk Moderator
Hi DarylM Thank you for reaching out and sharing this with us. New triggers can pop up when we least expect them! I know you're not alone in this. Sending you pain free wishes, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>Migraine.com</a> Team
ckhdesign Member
 Wow, Daryl! Those detectors you've developed for white noise and light flicker sound amazing! How do they work? Is this something that conceivably could become an app? I ask because I am constantly second-guessing myself about white noise and light flicker. I'll be somewhere and think a light is flickering, but people around me will say it's not. Same thing with hearing a roaring sound of some machine humming, but everyone will say there's nothing going on. I can usually remind myself that if I'm hearing or seeing something, I'm not crazy. It's just an extra-sensitive reaction and still a valid reason to move away before a migraine sets in. But still, it'd be great to reassure myself via a measurement system that the trigger actually exists. The white noise thing is not always so bad but then other times, I'm overwhelmed by all the humming going on. Especially in my kitchen, where I can hear not only my fridge but the fridge in the apartment above me and the ceiling fan and etc. My living room is often unbearable, but other times not a problem at all. At the worst times, I wear my Decibel Defense headphones to try to block everything out. Anyway, thanks for talking about this. I thought I must be the only person dealing with this. Whenever I mention something about a light flickering, my family rolls their eyes and my brother says, "So don't look at it!" And my apartment maintenance crew is puzzled by my repeated work order requests to fix the building heat exhaust system when it starts to hum at a different frequency. I'm excited that you are being proactive about this stuff. Keep up the good work! I definitely care. 
1. DarylM Member
 <inline-mention username="ckhdesign" user-id="3704026"/> after some thought and research of the options out there, I am going to make my software open source. We all can benefit from it.
DarylM Member
The device is a mixture of hardware and software. The hardware is about $30 and can be run with any usb power source. I wrote the software but I can make it available. Your comment has made me start thinking.
Prettymomma Member
So glad you discovered one of your triggers. How amazing it is that you have actually invented a white noise detector! That is sooo cool! That is definitely a win that should be celebrated! 
1. Prettymomma Member
 <inline-mention username="Melissa Arnold" user-id="3827796"/> Thank you so much! You are so sweet! You have no idea how grateful I am for a community and support system like this. I am so glad that I have found this great treasure!😀
2. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Prettymomma" user-id="7002652"/> we are beyond grateful you have found us!!! Our team is repeatedly warmed by the compassion and support that you so generously give others. We are here to give that to you! Thank you. Warmly- Holly <a href='https://-migraine.com' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>-migraine.com</a> team