My Migraines

I had my first Migraine when I was 8 years old. I was in recess, running around with my friends, when suddenly a kind of pounding appeared in my head. The sun was burning, blasting my head apart. Earlier that day, I'd had what I called (and still call) "lights": big, colourful patches of lights that would come in yellow and green and that would cover my sight. I think I was more frightened of the "lights" than of the actual headache.

I dont remember how long that first Migraine lasted. My teachers, my parents, and even me, were convinced I had some kind of flu and I was sent back to school a couple days later. But these horrible "lights" and headaches came back, again and again. Sometimes, I would hold my teddy bear really tightly and pretend it was the one who was suffering and I was the one comforting it but most of the time, I just wanted to shove my thumbs in my eye-sockets and stir my brain around until it felt better.

I'm thirteen and since the age of nine, I've seen more doctors than I can remember. Some have managed to relieve my Migraines for a bit, but most of them haven't.

This year has been particularly hard. I've spent days and days in bed with my head on fire. I had already went through Zomig and Almogrand so one doctor proposed Maxalt this year. It made no difference. I can still spend up to a week in bed, barely eating because I'm too scared that I'll throw up. The lights still come and every time I desperately try to go to school with a Migraine, I always end up fainting on the floor of the subway.

My dad also has Migraines, but he's given up hope and just deals with it, without any medicine or treatment. My doctor and him keep telling me that that's the only real option there is, but I won't believe them. I've already missed about a dozen school days this year but I'm not giving up :)