For as long as I can remember, I've suffered from migraines. One of my most distinct memories of primary school involves being sent home, curling up in my darkened bedroom, clutching a pillow to my face and crying because the searing pain through my left eye just wouldn't relent. This would go on for hours or even days. Paracetamol wouldn't touch it, nor would the litres of water I chugged.
As I got older, they seemed to become more intense. However, I also started identifying patterns - around my period, if I drank too much alcohol or too little water, if I was stressed or hadn't been eating properly. It helped to be able to pinpoint and even predict when they were going to strike, but it didn't ease the physical pain. When I was 18, I discovered Sumatriptan; medication that works by narrowing the serotonin receptors in the blood vessels in your brain (a.k.a. they take the pain away). I often describe these little pink pills as 'lifesavers' - on far more than one occasion, they've released me from the previously-two-or-three-day ordeals that my migraines can be.
But what happens when the medication isn't there or it isn't enough and you're desperately trying to make it to a 9am seminar without vomiting or passing out? Or it's your best friend's birthday party and you're confined to your room, the pounding music from downstairs pulsating in your head? Or you promised to be available to cox a boat full of impatient rowers at a 6.30am session, but you wake up with that all-too-familiar sensation behind your eyes?
Living with migraine is a challenge at the best of times, and I don't feel that your typical student lifestyle is particularly accommodating. High pressure and constant academic demand combined with society events and getting drunk at least twice a week isn't the best cocktail when battling migraine. I know that you don't want to be left out or left behind, because I don't either. Fortunately, we don't have to be.
This post isn't going to be full of tricks or tips on how to deal with migraine as a student; I'm still figuring that out myself. I just want everyone to know that it's possible to lead a rich, full, satisfying university life alongside it all. If a 'big one' entails chugging a glass of water beforehand and sticking to a two-drink minimum all night, then so be it. If looking after my head means skipping a Monday morning workshop in order to recover, then so be it. (I can always catch up, and tutors are usually very understanding.) If going rowing means sitting quietly in the cox seat and letting the coach do all the work, then so be it. (Teehee).
It can still be tough - occasionally (especially around my period), I can end up with week-long migraines, despite my medication. I like to make sure that all of my housemates and friends know about this when it happens; that way, I'm confident that if I ask them to keep it down or leave me alone for a few hours, they will. And, cliche as it may sound, taking some time out of my schedule to sit back and have a cup of tea can really help.
Migraine isn't something that can be magically cured. In my case, medication certainly helps. For some people, prevention is effective - tackling the migraine before it manages to erupt. Drinking water, laying in a dark room and eating balanced meals can never hurt. Rest assured that you can live with it. Even as a super busy university student.