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It is not just a "headache"

I have had migraines since I was in high school. I remember calling my mom crying because I hurt so bad.

I didn't know what I had, but I figured it wasn't normal. I finally figured it out when I was in nursing school and at that time, there wasn't much in the way of treatment. Fast forward to post-menopause and I am now having migraines at an alarming and almost debilitating frequency. My sister, also a, RN, says that I have "migraines" which in reality, means I use migraines as an excuse to get out of things. My sister-in-law, who is also an RN, sends me articles on how to prevent "tension" headaches.

It is frustating that I cannot expain to people what it feels like. How frustrating it is not to be able to function normally on some days. To be so nauseated that you wish you would throw up. How certain sounds are like fingernails on a chalkboard. How perfume makes me gag and can trigger a migraine. How I feel like I am losing the things I enjoy like reading or listening to music because I cannot focus. How I am feel life is passing me by.

I am an older mom with young children...it scares me that I will not be able to enjoy the things that they excel in. It is not just a "headache".

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