Migraine Awareness Week - My Experience

Migraines are something I’ve always experienced and as my awareness has grown, I’ve been able to identify the triggers as well as minimise the regularity and, in some cases, reduce the peaks.

?Since a child I’ve had what I dub ‘flashing lights’ but is probably an aura migraine. These are a daily accordance for me for as long as I can remember and are more active when I’m tired but it’s just a slight irritant.

?At least since uni, a daily background headache has been my norm. Developing into Migraines was frequent too, although I learnt to manage the pain levels and whilst it did impact my performance, I could keep functioning. I spent a couple years on different medications, but whilst these lessened the peaks, I don’t think they were worth it for me. The hardcore migraine tablets I had, just spaced me out too.

?I started focusing on triggers:

• Using ZoomText at silly magnification was a big factor. Despite having switched to only using a screen-reader, the energy used in focusing and processing all the audio information can still get to me.
• I noticed that working from home was helpful and that when I visited an office it was triggering. I can control my temperature/lighting levels and I am able to drink more water due to being in closer proximity to the kitchen and toilet, which are both more time consuming and challenging to reach in the office.
• Tiredness is definitely a factor, and therefore working long hours or getting a poor night sleep means I need to practise a bit of self-care. I can manage this, but it usually requires doing literally nothing in the evening to recoup.
• I observed that a chocolate bar at lunchtime could trigger a rough afternoon. This led to me doing a sensitivity test to understand potential triggers. I’ve identified I can eat chocolate with soy lecithin’s and am still experimenting with other things, like certain E numbers. The science is apparently dubious for these tests, but it called out hops (used when making beer), which explains why half a shandy gives me a hang over and I’d do better to drink spirits on a work night!

?I know that working exacerbates my migraines and I’ve decided this is something I accept. Identifying more of my triggers has been massively helpful, as well as how I’ve been supported with adjustments to aid my ways of working, both with working from home and compressed hours.? Focusing on combatting my migraines has allowed me to thrive at work and I’d never have been promoted in 2021 if I hadn’t done this. Not living in permanent pain is lovely, although it does mean the peaks impact me more. That said, a development point is to take time to actually stop and get better quicker, rather than soldiering on. I’m just not very good at being unwell and only with hindsight do I realise that it was bad enough to stop work … possibly!?