In October 2020, as I sat in my tutor room at school, I glanced out the window and saw the sky flashing red. I had never experienced migraine before, I didn’t even really know what migraine was, but I came to learn that what I had experienced was aura. I didn’t know in that moment how much I would suffer for the next years of my life.

Aura is the first sign of a migraine attack that I become aware of, and after that comes the awful head pain  which can often be a 9 out of 10 on the pain scale. There have been many moments where I wanted to give up, but I am glad I did not.

Before my life was changed by migraine, I had left my secondary school with A*s across almost all subjects at GCSE. After developing chronic migraine, all of that changed and my grades plummeted. The pain was so severe that I barely retained any information from class. I suffered from almost daily migraine attacks, which lasted 10-12 hours each day. I spent a lot of time in the medical room.

‘There was that anxiety about needing to get good grades’

My attendance slipped to 10% in my first  term of sixth form. Although I did try my best to catch up and got decent grades at the start of year 12, I couldn’t handle the workload as time passed. Because of my attendance levels the school threatened to expel me. My sixth form were understanding but only to an extent, and a lot of the time did not understand my condition. Even though I attended classes, I could barely understand the content as it felt like a knife was going through my skull.

Managing migraine at that young age and the stage of life I was in was very challenging. The frustration of missing school was huge. It was a very low period for me, and it definitely affected my mental health. I remember on one occasion crying for eight hours on and off because of how much emotional pain and physical pain I was in. There was that anxiety about needing to get good grades, and I felt I was falling so far behind my peers. There were times I felt like ‘do I have to live this way? Is this just going to be my life forever, living in pain?’.

‘Living with migraine while also navigating the care system was hugely challenging’

At this stage, I was also in emergency accommodation after leaving the care system – which also contributed to the deterioration in my mental health. Living with migraine while also navigating the care system was hugely challenging – the constant switch in environments, particularly home environments is so difficult, and the stress was huge. I also know that inconsistent routines can be a migraine trigger, so I’m sure all the uncertainty at that time played a role in how challenging that time was for me.

In the end my mental health and physical health took over my grades. I left sixth form with lower grades than expected and thought my life and ambition to study Psychology with Neuroscience at my dream university was over.

However, I was accepted into my preferred university on the basis of my GCSE grades and the university understanding my personal circumstances. After discussing my situation and my past psychology A level performance, one of the lead psychology professors agreed that I could progress onto the Psychology course if I passed with a 2:1 average in a humanities foundation year.

‘I have been slowly getting my life back’

I had to apply for extenuating circumstances for several assignments and the process wasn’t all smooth sailing. In summer 2023, I finally found a treatment that worked well for me, and I have been slowly getting my life back. Although there are spikes in pain, the days of 10-12 hours of pain almost daily are thankfully gone. After completing the humanities foundation year, I am currently studying on my dream course and am currently loving studying Neuroscience.

I have always had an interest in biopsychology, but I think my experience with migraine has added to that interest.  My goal now is to work towards a career in neuropsychology. I would really like to be able to support other people through my career.

‘Academic results don’t define you’

To any other young person who is struggling with migraine, I would say that you always have options in terms of different paths to your goals. Academic results don’t define you, and sometimes taking a different approach can lead you to the same end goal.

Although it took me extra time to get here, I am beyond grateful. One positive thing that has come from migraine is that it makes me value and cherish the days I do feel better – it’s a reminder to make the most of every moment.