So, migraines are more than just really freaking bad headaches.
Migraine is actually a genetic disorder (here's BuzzFeed Health's previous reporting on what's happening in your brain during a migraine) that encompasses a whole mess of neurological symptoms. Other than the debilitating pain of the migraine headache itself, migraines bring other awful stuff like auras (seeing flashing lights or spots in your vision), nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and a post-migraine hangover that makes you feel fatigued, unable to concentrate, and, well, sad.
But since it's not always apparent to others just how bad it feels to get migraines or exist in fear of getting them, here are just a few of our secrets.
1. Unfamiliar food situations (potlucks, parties, new restaurants) are terrifying because we could accidentally eat something that could trigger a migraine.
2. Lots of us basically live in fear of our periods.
3. We're basically amateur meteorologists because certain weather changes trigger migraines.
4. Sometimes we make up a reason that we can't hang out because it's easier than saying we have a migraine. Again.
5. And we do that because when we say we have a migraine and a friend says "Again?!!" we die a little.
6. We've workshopped a million different ways of describing migraines in an effort to make people understand how bad it really is.
7. We cry a lot.
8. We secretly think no one has ever been in as much pain as us.
9. We could talk about our migraines forever.
10. And talking migraines with other people who get them is our bonding activity of choice.
11. It's tough to look forward to special occasions and vacations when you're worried that a migraine will ruin all your fun.
12. If we could take only one item to a desert island, it would be our migraine meds.
13. Every new job or semester means having to explain why we might not show up for a day or three, and asking for some leniency.
14. Nothing warms our hearts more than a non-migraineur who really gets what we're going through.
15. We track a ton of minutiae about our daily lives in order to see any patterns about when we get migraines.
16. If you see us space out and squint our eyes, we're trying to figure out if we're about to get a migraine.
17. Most importantly, we may seem pretty high-maintenance but honestly it doesn't take much to make us feel amazing.
