Migraine Awareness Month #1: My First Migraine

When did I experience my very first migraine?  Well, that's hard to tell because I was so young that I really can't remember when the first one was.  What I do remember is that as a toddler, I would get extreme motion sickness whenever I rode in the car.  I also got very sick during very hot days.  During either of these bouts of sickness I would get the worst headaches but didn't really know how to communicate that.  They didn't seem out of the ordinary either as I just thought them to be a part of being sick.  But I do remember the pain.  It was throbbing, pulsating, stabbing pain - very much like the pain I experience today. This was all while I was as young as two or three.  Were those headaches migraines?  Maybe.  Those memories aren't vivid yet somehow, I can remember the pain.  Thankfully, those were only whenever I was in a car or out during a hot day in the summer.  It wasn't until I was eight years old that I began experiencing crippling headaches that would make any kind of light, noise, movement or odor intensify the pain.  And the nausea was unbearable causing severe vomiting with each episode.  Being so young, pain that tremendous is inconceivable.  There is no way to begin understanding why something can hurt so bad with no relief.  I would always cry and pray and wish the pain away only to have to endure hours more until sleep finally brought me out of consciousness.  Tylenol didn't worked and I would always vomit it up so it never stayed long enough in my system.  All I had was a cold washcloth, my parents trying to calm me (if they were home), and darkness.  The other pain that many don't realize is that of missing out on life.  As a kid, it's very hard coming to terms with not being able to participate in family functions or play with friends.  It always seemed that a migraine was always lurking around the corner to ruin my day.  So, I guess you could say that 1986 was the commencement of my Migraine disease though I may have had a precursor during my toddler years.  My mother and her father both suffered from migraines so I was lucky to have a parent who understood and knew what it was that I suffered from.  She would always give me the best comfort, helping me to relax and distract myself from the pain with guided imagery.  I loved the beach so she would describe the ocean and the sounds of the waves which would bring me to a place of peace.  That would usually make it easier for me to fall asleep.  Whenever I was home alone with my older sisters with a migraine I would try to "go to the beach" on my own but it wasn't as successful as when my mother did it.  I needed the sound of her voice because that was what really made me calm; that and her physical presence.  Now, it's my husband who brings me that sense of calm.  He has been my center for fifteen years, all of which he's been there for me through my disease.  I wouldn't wish this kind of pain of anyone, especially children.  When I think about myself as a child in pain during a migraine attack now it brings me to tears because I, as an adult, can barely take the pain.  A child should never experience physical pain so debilitating.  It's cruel and unusual punishment.  I don't know how much better treatment is for child migraineurs but I hope it's somewhat better than from what I had.  It's a terrible disease to have at any age.  It's an inconceivable one to have as a child.

National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger's Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.