My experience of migraine

I have lived with migraine for 57 years, since I was a child. My father lived with them, so it could be that I got them from him. As a young boy, I often couldn’t go and play football with friends because of my migraine so it has affected me greatly from a young age.

I can go six months without a migraine but when I do, they affect me in so many ways. I get pins and needles in my hand, feet and lips. I get blurred vision and have extreme light sensitivity. My migraine also make me violently sick. This can happen up to ten times in a year. How often I get them depends on how my health is at the time. I’ve had to go to hospital because of my migraine and the doctor thought I was having a mini-stroke, which is of course stressful.

Managing my migraine

Managing a migraine is tough and I’ve been prescribed all sorts of tablets by my GP but the only way to combat one is to have two or three days in a dark room, with absolutely no noise. It’s also really hard to know what causes them. I’ve thought chocolate and cheese could be the culprit and have kept a food diary to try to find a pattern. Stress is another factor. I do what I can to try to prevent my migraine, usually by keeping hydrated and getting plenty of sleep. In fact, the only positive thing I can think of when thinking about my migraine is that it has made me take better care of myself, in terms of what I eat, drink and how much sleep I get.

When I get a migraine, it leaves me unable to function, my priority is to get home and to rest. This means I have to take time off work. In fact, even trying to get home from work with a migraine is impossible as driving with a migraine is so dangerous. My work have been supportive, allowing me to take the time I need to recover when I get an attack. I do disclose that I live with migraine if I start a new job as it helps them to understand when I do get one.

I’m also unable to spend time with my family when I’m having a migraine attack. I’m actually really grateful to my family for being so understanding over the years. My children always knew to be quiet when “dad had a migraine” – showing their support with their silence. It’s tough that they have to, they shouldn’t have to see me suffer.

Why I am fundraising for The Migraine Trust

This year I have been chosen as Captain of Cherwell Edge Golf Club in Banbury. I’ve been playing golf since I was 10 and have been a member at Cherwell for over 15 years and really excited to be named Captain of my club. As a Golf Captain, you get to choose a charity of your choice to fundraise for over the year.

Having lived with migraine all of my life, it was an easy decision to chose the Migraine Trust. I spent most of my life struggling to manage my migraine alone and can see that The Migraine Trust offer support for people like me who have this debilitating condition. They also campaign to improve healthcare for people with migraine and fund research.

Raising awareness of migraine too

I also just really want to raise awareness of what living with migraine is like. If I could change anything, I believe that people who don’t suffer with them should stop calling migraines “just a headache”. People who don’t get migraine just don’t understand the pain and suffering that we go through – I sometimes wish they could experience just a fraction of what I feel to realise what it’s like to live with this awful condition.

We’ve got loads of events planned at the Golf Club over the next 12 months. We’ve already had the first Captain’s Day and raised nearly £400. We’re going to have raffles as well as quizzes, bingo nights and a disco to raise more money for The Migraine Trust. Being named Captain at Cherwell is a great opportunity to raise awareness of a cause that matters so much to me and will hopefully help other people living with migraine get the support that they need.