One Woman's Story About Living with Migraines Every Day

If you experience migraines, or have a loved one that experiences them, then you know how painful living with migraines can be. We recently sat down with a young episodic migraine sufferer to talk to her about her personal experiences with migraines and their effect on her life.

If you’re a migraine sufferer yourself, you’ll likely be able to empathize with a lot of what she has to say. Watch or read on to learn more about this episodic migraine sufferer’s personal story and alternative treatment options available to those who experience them.

Lauren’s Personal Episodic Migraine Story

Q: Tell us who you are, and how often you experience migraines.

A: Hi, my name is Lauren. I suffer from episodic migraines. I get about four to six migraines a month and they last about four to twenty-four hours.

Q: What happens to you when you experience a migraine? How do you feel?

A: I can’t focus. I can’t really talk or eat and I’ll have to lie down and sometimes you can’t just do that. Sometimes you are in a place where you can’t lie down. You can’t shut off the lights.

Q: How do migraines affect your day-to-day life?

A: I do live in constant fear that if I forget that medication I could end up with a migraine and end up in a lot of pain for a long time. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about where you are. Sometimes you’re at work. Sometimes you’re in the car.

Sometimes you’re out to dinner with your parents and a lot of times people don’t know how to react. They don’t know what’s happening and so that can be scary for you and them because you’re going through a lot of pain. There’s nothing that they can do except for help you get home.  

Understanding Episodic Migraine Symptoms

Did you know that episodic migraine sufferers experience 4-14 migraines per month?

Episodic migraine symptoms include:

• Throbbing one-sided or diffused pain
• Visual auras
• Blind spots
• Light and sound sensitivity

Symptoms can be set off by:

• Lack of food or sleep
• Smells
• Anxiety
• Stress or hormones>

Migraine fact: Migraines are the 6th most disabling illness in the world.

According to the National Headache Foundation, over 90% of migraine sufferers are unable to function during a migraine.

What does the future hold for migraine treatment?

We asked Dr. Joseph Soufer,  CEO and Medical Director of Chase Medical Research, to comment on the future of migraine treatment. Here’s what he had to say:

“At the present time migraine treatment only treats the symptoms of migraines not the cause of it. In clinical research, what we are doing is treating the source of the migraines which is in the nerve cells of the brain. In the future, we are hoping that we will find other innovative trials that will be able to help improve the treatment of migraines. But presently, we are very happy to know that there are treatments [in clinical trials] now that will get to the source of the problem.”