Everyone knows the awful feeling of being sick. Everyone has experienced a day of having to miss work and/or school, lying around in bed, and trying to heal so that your body will return to a normal state. And everyone dreads going to the doctor’s office for that illness that over the counter medications just will not fix.

It’s life. We all get sick at times, and it sucks.

However, my “occasional sick day” has turned to 50% of the time. It’s become unbearable to the point where at least 2 days a week, I feel as if I can’t eat, cook, clean, or even sleep.

I am at war with migraines, and they are ruining my life.

From the age of 15, I’ve suffered from migraines. Over the years, they seem to get worse rather than better, making it hard to even function some days. I went from the occasional 1-2 migraines a month, to having 1-2 migraines a week over the last year. Sometimes, it will be one long migraine that lasts 2-3 days, and other times my migraine short and sweet, only to come right back the day after. I have tried every over-the-counter medicine and also been prescribed both a daily prevention medication and a medication for breakthrough migraines. It still seems there is no solution.

As a mother, I try to cope with the migraines and function as much as possible for my daughter, but some days are harder than others. This is what bothers me the most about my migraines. I feel as if I miss out on park trips, play time, and other fun things I could be doing with her because I am in bed, in excruciating pain. Also, I feel as if my migraines have made me a less reliable employee. I work in an office setting, in which I’m surrounded by bright lights and I stare at a computer screen all day. Anyone who has experienced one knows, it is impossible to work in such an environment while you’re suffering from a migraine. Migraines call for a dark, silent room, even though you won’t be able to get any rest with that pain. But, being that I have to keep my job and I have to provide in my household, I have no choice but to get through the work week, one day at a time.

Most people don’t take migraines serious, especially if they’ve never suffered from one. I have heard everything from “so you’re going to the ER for a headache,” and “oh, it can’t be that bad, it’s just your head.”

However, it’s not “just a headache," and it is THAT bad.

There is no way to explain the pain to someone who has never felt it. There’s nothing that I can compare it to. Migraines do hinder your day to day life, and they are very serious.

I have now done research into migraines and looked into solutions others have found. I began to take a daily Magnesium vitamin, as some say it worked wonders for them. I have been offered Botox injections to treat the migraines, but am holding that off for a last resort. I hope to find a solution to gain back control of my life and to be in a happier, healthier state.