What's Your Secret Horror Story

By Holly Harding

1 min read

In the following video, Holly shares a story about how a migraine attack appeared quickly and suddenly and left her in a dangerous situation.

What's your migraine horror story?

Has a migraine attack ever crept up on you and caused you harm, embarrassment or near peril? Perhaps aphasia challenged your ability to speak properly right when you needed to deliver a public speech? Has aura appeared while you were driving? Maybe nausea turned to a sudden need to vomit at the most inconvenient time. Whatever your story, we hope you’ll share it in the comment section below so that we can feel connected to each other as we navigate this isolating disease and remember we are not alone!

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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Melissa Arnold Community Admin
That's SO rough, Holly. Sending hugs! -Melissa, <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>migraine.com</a> team
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 Thanks, Melissa- indeed! I look forward to reading what others have to say. - Holly (migraine.com team).
mistyrose Member
As a teacher, I was at a parent teacher end-of-the-year-conference. A migraine exploded as I was placing a cup of coffee down on the table, ready to give my talk. My hand started shaking violently that my coffee flew in the air over the parents at the head table. I had no control over my blurry vision, pain and shaking. It was so embarrassing that I left the school (and town) and taught somewhere else.
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 Hey mistyrose- Thanks so much for sharing what certainly sounds like a horrific experience- it does sound like unfortunate timing! Were you ever able to explain to the parents what had happened and why? - Holly (migraine.com team).
dragon-mother Member
I ended up with migraines and seizures from a auto accident that left me with a TBI. Changed my life. Permanently disabled. I have problems with low frequency noises. They cause me to have migraine storms and nausea. The place I live at had been good for over 2 years. It is elderly and disabled. For the past 3 weeks I have been hearing a low bass vibrating noise that has sent me to the ER twice and had me living in my car for 3 weeks. The landlord said that I need to go see a psychiatrist since no one else was hearing it. Made me really mad. I told her there was a maintenance issue. When they went up on the roof they found out the vibration pads on the A/C pods had worn out and one of the units had slid off the pedestal. It was like living in a Stephen King novel.
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 dragon mother- sleep is such a key and important component of migraine management and prevention. I really hope the ambien ends up being an effective treatment for you. Stay in touch- we are thinking of you. - Holly (migraine.com team).
2. Peggy Artman Moderator
 <inline-mention user-id="3910973" username="dragon-mother"/> , I am relieved to hear that you are under the care of several doctors. You are taking a lot of medication, but I can understand with your seizures, you may need it. Sleep is so important for managing migraine attacks. It is best to go to bed and get up around the same time everyday. Good quality sleep is also very important. I'm glad your doctors are trying to help you with this. I am attaching one of our articles on sleep. Keep us posted; we are here for you! ~ Peggy (Migraine.com team) <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/sleep-routine' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/blog/sleep-routine/</a>
hillmed Member
Social events are my secret nightmare. I want to be social, have friends, have a little food, catch up with everyone's lives, and meet new people. Take the time to wear something special and feel renewed. I arrive at the social setting and my inner self seems to go into hiding to protect the body. Trying to pretend everything is OK and I am having a good time. All the stress of preparation to go out and trying to be social, BAM attack of the migraine. So why even try?
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 hillmed- you are NOT alone in this. I have heard many migraineurs who say that adjusting to sheltering in place for COVID has not been difficult as this existence is quite normal for us. Being in social situations can be a stretch- so many unexpected outcomes can arise - with lights, noise, interactions, triggers lurking around every corner. None of us relish the idea of having to excuse ourselves and we all have run into just this reality enough times that - as you said- we can get anxious and stressed simply getting ready to depart for such an occasion and trigger an attack before we even leave! Finding ways to be social, dress up, and "renew" (as you said) is and important part of life. We migraineurs might need to find slightly more creative ways of doing so- I find that limiting my social interactions to gatherings of one or two at a time makes for a more effective outcome. More than that, and things go sideways! Thanks for sharing with us- I know so many can relate! - Holly (migraine.com team).
pigen51 Member
I have had migraines for over 40 years now. I worked in a steel foundry for over 35 years, a job that requires both physical strength and the ability to work around hazardous conditions, including molten steel and high heat levels in the melt shop. I worked there for so long, not because I liked the work, or didn't have the intellect to do something else, but because I supported a family for 11 years, and then through a divorce and remarriage, I supported both myself and my wife, 2 adopted children, and 3 biological children from my first marriage. So as time went on, and the pay became better, I financially could not leave that job, in search of an easier one. So I did what I could to survive and still do my job. As one of the old hands there, I knew pretty much every single job in the shop and most of them in the lab. So I often was called upon to fill in for missing workers. I could tell horror stories about the work, but I will leave that for another time. What I do need to say is that for me, I sought treatment for my migraines for the entire time I have been an adult, and the only thing that has ever worked has been some form of a narcotic and something to make me sleep. For years, I suffered, unless it got so bad I could not take it, and could not stop vomiting, and then I would end up in an ER, which was hit and miss, as everyone knows. To be able to keep working, I often in the latter half of my employment, would use either Norco or Fiorinal w/ codeine, cautiously, to be able to get through the shift. We all know that is not a good thing, and I don't say that it is either, but sometimes, you do what you have to do. One day, going in to work, I had a bad migraine, but I had the company unhappy with me for missing work due to migraines. I was covered under the ADA, but the company I worked for really didn't go out of their way to make things easy for anyone who dared to use it. So I went to work anyway, taking a Fiornal w/ codeine before I left, and taking 2 more with me, in case I needed to take one later, as often my shift morphed from 8 hours into 12 hours, with no notice. That day, I had to run a furnace, which is basically just a big hole in the floor, which you push metal into, and it uses electricity to melt the metal. From there, it is poured into a ladle, transferred to a vessel, processed, and then poured into a casting machine, forming a solid round bar, which was cut and packed. Of course, the furnace job is a nasty, hot, and smoky one, even though there is a smoke hood over the hole to try and take smoke away, it works marginally at best. So I was melting 20,000 pounds of steel at a time, every two hours, all day long. In a factory, you are supposed to get a break every so many hours. However, on certain jobs, like running a furnace, it simply was not allowed. You had to stay on the furnace, except for running a sample up to the lab once molten. We did look out for each other, and I would get a guy to spell me long enough to use the bathroom if needed, but really, you had to eat and drink anything you wanted to, on the job. It was a super hot day, one of the hottest years in Michigan in years. On the floor, it was about 150 degrees. We did what we could to stay hydrated, and again, watched out for each other, to avoid dehydration and heat stroke. Of course, being so sick, the thought of eating anything was out of the question. I tried to drink as much water as I could, but I knew that I was dehydrated, my head was pounding, and all I could think of was getting out of work and heading home and maybe a nap in a dark room. Late in the shift, a foreman came up and asked me if I would stay for another 4 hours, to run the furnace, so he could use the other man on a different job. I almost never said no, but this time, I said that I couldn't, and I knew the foreman was mad. He tried to talk me into it,but I would not budge. A little after noon, I took another Fiorinal, risking vomiting, to try and stop the headache. When I finally got out of work, at 2 pm, I was in a bad way. Driving home, I started to feel lightheaded, and felt like I was going to black out. I had a 20 minute drive, from on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan inland. I don't remember driving home after I got past the first 5 minutes or so. Not like I was groggy or something like that, but like, I really did not remember driving home. I got home, turned off my car, and sat in the driveway. My wife finally came outside, and came to the car, and asked me what I was doing. It was only at that moment that I remember anything. I stopped using fiorinal w/codeine completely after that. I did end up in the emergency room later that night, and got a compassionate doctor who knew that by the time a migraine patient ended up in the ER, they just needed relief, and gave me a shot of a narcotic and something for nausea, and sent me home. It would be nice to say that I never again used narcotic type of drugs to stay at work, but unfortunately, that is not the case. I was much more judicious with their use, and also never used them if I had to do any job involving molten steel. I also called in sick much more frequently, with my doctor giving me a work slip if I did. Like all good stories, this has both a happy ending and a sad ending. As I said, my company was not the small family job shop that I hired into just out of high school. They eventually kept looking for ways to get rid of me. Finally, they said that I appeared " out of it" and sent me to take a drug test. I had not taken any narcotic medications for quite some time, and so felt quite comfortable with their test. I knew that it was just a fishing expedition, trying to get rid of me. They called me back to come in the next day to personnel, and they told me that they were firing me due to me having alcohol in my system, and them having a no tolerance policy. I asked them to show me the results, and they would not, they said that I needed to send them a letter requesting a copy. I had been at the shop for 7 hours that day, I don't drink, and they would not even give the state of Michigan proof of my having alcohol in my system. I would have sued them, but by that time, my migraines had gotten so bad, that I knew that even if I won, the handwriting was on the wall. That is the bad part of the story. I tried several different other foundry jobs in the area, my work history of being at the same job for so long seemed to carry some weight. But the fact is, I could no longer work full time. I finally got a part time job in a mobile home park, as a maintenance man, and filed for social security disability. I eventually prevailed after 3 years. I burned through a good share of my IRA, in order to be able to work part time, but I did get back pay from my disability claim, and that made up a good deal of it. So that is part of the good. The other part that is both good and bad is that my wife got breast cancer a few years ago, but because I was now medically retired, I was able to be here to help her, after so many years of her taking care of me. There are times that I was not feeling very well, but I was still able to drive her to appointments, sit with her and interpret doctors sometimes hard to understand terms, and just lend her moral support. She is now cancer free, and our marriage of almost 28 years is stronger than ever.
1. Melissa Arnold Community Admin
 Wow, <inline-mention user-id="3906478" username="pigen51"/> , what an amazing story! Thanks so much for sharing with us. Your description of running the furnace in the foundry gives me a deep appreciation and respect for the work you did -- I don't think there are many people today who could handle that on a regular basis, and that's without migraine! Your experience reminds me a bit of my father-in-law, who suffered from horrid migraines while working as the head electrician at a major hospital. He wanted to stop, but had 2 kids and a wife that needed him. He is also now on disability. I'm glad that for the most part you were able to recover financially and that your wife is doing well now. Your story is a great encouragement -- you may want to consider re-posting it in our stories section here so that more people can appreciate it: <a href='https://migraine.com/stories' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/stories/</a> May you have many more happy years together! Melissa, <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>migraine.com</a> team
2. pigen51 Member
 To both Melissa and Holly, Sometimes, I go back and read some of the things that I wrote, and feel bad at writing such a long and rambling story. So always feel free to cut anything for length, any time you think appropriate. I read some of the stories from the people on this site, often ladies, ( or women, I am not sure which would be more respectful), who suffer so much, without either financial support, or a partner to support them, and my heart breaks for them. When I got fired from my job, my wife not one time made any remark or showed me by her attitude that she was angry or disappointed with me. She was nothing but understanding and supportive. Of course, I felt bad, as I had passed up many chances to do various things after high school, and chose to work in a steel foundry, so I could marry my high school sweetheart, and get married. I guess that I felt that if I had a less difficult job, I might not have been as apt to suffer from migraines so much. I did have several scholarships to attend college, to play football, or to play music. The football offer was a full ride for the first year, renewable each year. The problem was that I had already suffered many concussions from football, which I suspect are contributing factors to the migraines today. I did attend college on a few different occasions,and spent a year at a Bible college. I do tend to be positive person, even when suffering from a migraine. One thing about the factory that I worked at, we also made steel for jet airplane engines. That was melted under high vacuum,in a huge chamber. We melted up to 12,000 pounds at a time. It all was pretty high tech, and I spent a few years running one of those furnaces as well. I did go through some depression after losing my job,since my identity was in part wrapped up with the job, since I had actually been one of the people who helped build the business from a small shop to one that melted over 85% of the world's metal for artificial sockets and knee joints. Thank you for your continued support to everyone who's lives are made better by being able to get support from each other. You are doing a great thing.
brownt Member
Hi Holly, Thanks for starting a discussion on our difficult times with migraine. I have had chronic migraine for over 25 years and have many opportunities to have embarrassing moments and difficult times. One of my ongoing challenges that on occasion becomes awkward is inappropriate word selection when I cannot think of the correct word. It happens when I am emailing or blogging and certainly when speaking with another. It seems that of all the words in a conversation it is the most specific and needed word I cannot think of in the moment. Some get annoyed and correct me thinking I am not too bright if I cannot use the correct word. I also have a writing challenge generally and when not thinking up the words in an essay or assignment in school it often made me look bad to the teachers. I cannot image how many marks I was docked because of the use of the wrong words. Exams were the worst. I always got a migraine and often could not think of the answer even though I had known it the night before. I think Sometimes just understanding the words in the question was overwhelming. Migraines can make any "A" student into a "C" student without any effort. One incident has left a lasting memory for me and probably did my reputation as a professional little good. I was invited to a conference as a key note speaker to kick off the conference talking about a program that I developed. Other organizations wanted to copy it and were very interested in how I accomplished it. I flew into the city the night before so I could get acclimatized. Flying generally always gives me a roaring migraine that can last for days. It was a shorter flight so I felt like I got off easy with just a medium duty migraine. I stayed up with the attendees visiting that night and went to bed early looking forward to the next day. At about 3:00 am I was awoken with a severely debilitating migraine. I took all my medications and went back to sleep hoping that it would calm come the morning. When I woke again to attend the conference it had not let up one bit. I could not see straight, speak straight or really make any sense. Being that I was kicking off the conference I thought I better go through with the presentation. It was a disaster. All the attendee came to the presentation. It was a full house of somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 professional peers. I spoke like I was still drunk from the night before partying. I did not drink. I had a hard time keeping track of my visual presentation and my comments. Even with bullet points of what I was to speak about I could not find the correct words. The audience was quiet and there were no questions afterwards. It could not have been worse. At the time I did not share with others that I suffered from migraines. It was still a new thing and most people did not even know much about it. It would like have made me seem less professional than I already appeared looking for excuses for being drunk. Nothing was said when I got back to work, but I cannot image that the news did not arrive before I returned. I was not invited back to make any presentations after that. We have come a long way since and the medications have improved significantly. Even still, I was on a course a few years back and it was so intense that I got a severe migraine part way through. I had to step away from the class and lay down a few times and then catch up when I returned. The instructor did not say much and I am not sure understood what was happening. At least I was able to continue at a less optimal participation level. Another time I was attending a work Christmas function and my migraine was bad enough to make me throw up. Just as I was getting to the front door of the event I had to lean into the bushes on the side to throw up. People I worked with were walking by going in seeing me throwing up beside the front door. It was very embarrassing. As you can imagine I did not have a big appetite for dinner and dancing. No one said anything and did not object when I excused myself to go home early. Having chronic migraines can make a person seem like the life of the party. Something we all must deal with.
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 BrownT- thank you so much for taking the time to share these examples from your life that illustrate times when migraine negatively impacted your ability to do presentations and find your words. It can be so troubling when we feel our reputation is being tarnished or that we are being misunderstood or misrepresented due to the way that migraine impacts us on so many levels. You're so right to point out that the world's understanding of migraine as a valid condition has shifted over the years. Thankfully, now, we can say that we are having a migraine to explain why we are struggling with our words or having other symptoms. I have learned to preface important conversations I'm having or speeches I'm giving with a disclaimer that I have chronic migraine and may therefore struggle with my words before I get started. I find doing so puts me at ease so I'm not worried about it as I talk. The stress can of course increase the migraine and then cause an uptick in symptoms like aphasia at the worst possible times! Thanks again for sharing- I know many in our community will relate to your stories. - Holly (migraine.com team).
beverlyj1209 Member
When I get a migraine I have aphasia and an aura. These two elements in particular prevent me from driving without fear. I worry that the aura will prevent me from driving safely and the aphasia will prevent me from being able to speak.
1. Holly Harding Moderator & Contributor
 That is a terrifying combination, BeverlyJ1209. Aura alone, while driving, is very scary. Add aphasia to the mix, and I can imagine many scenarios where the combination of the two would lead to unfortunate outcomes. I have actually created a note that I put in my glovebox to explain that I have chronic migraine and that I experience aphasia (with a definition of what aphasia is), along with a list of emergency contacts- in case I am ever in a situation where I get in some kind of trouble and am incapable of communicating on my own behalf. I know of others who add to that type of document a full list of medications they are taking. I wonder if doing so would help calm your worry? Warmly, Holly (migraine.com team).