Migraine Train
Migraines. Pounding, Squeezing, Nausea-Producing Headaches. Debilitating.
I started getting headaches in first grade. The doctors told me that I was allergic to chocolate. Maybe it had to do with caffeine, I don’t know. My parents were pretty sure that it was just an excuse for me to get out of school. “Debbie’s teacher called to come pick her up from school again – she’s got another headache”. To be honest, I think that had more truth to it than the actual headache. I was so clouded by the desire to go home that I’m not sure how bad the headaches really were. And I didn’t give up chocolate until I was 33.
Either way, the first time I recall a headache that I immediately classified as a true migraine was in 2002. I was in St. Kitts. I woke up with it. No warning of nausea, just a quick sprint to the bathroom to throw up the pain. Then finding a cold spot on the floor near that a/c unit, and making the room as dark as possible. Not a good way to spend a Caribbean vacation.
Migraine is a genetic neurological disease, characterized by episodes often called Migraine attacks. According to Health Union, LLC at migraine.com, there are about 100 million people with headaches in the U.S.; about 37 million of these people have migraines. The World Health Organization suggests that 18 percent of women and 7 percent of men in the U.S. suffer from migraines.
I have so many friends and acquaintances that suffer from migraines that I feel it deserves a regular blog category. So keep coming back and look for migraines on the blog menu, and take a ride on the Migraine Train with me.
Take care (and don’t look into the light!)
Debbie