Skip to main content

I Hope It Hurts Your Feelings Too


Let me just start by saying something loud and clear:
 
There is no CURE to Migraine.

Now let that sink in. Let that sink in so far that you think of all the other things in this world that don't have a cure. Cancer for example. Yeah, there's medical treatments, but nothing guarantees that it won't come back.

Parkinson's Disease. Alzheimer's. Coeliac Disease. Scoliosis. Fibromyalgia. Endometriosis. Cystitis. Chron's Disease.

All of these conditions, whether they develop over time, reveal themselves, or are forever ongoing conditions, all fall under that same category. As hard as we may fight, there isn't a cure. It isn't reversible. Eventually, it will win.

So in all honesty, I hope your feelings get hurt. I hope you recognize where your faults lie, and how incredibility inhumane you treat individuals who may not even appear to be sick, but are suffering severely.

What if I told you that Migraine fit with all these other conditions and that it was just as bad? You wouldn't know. Because to you, it is just a headache.

To you, I just need to go see a chiropractor.

To you, I just need to drink more water.

To you, I shouldn't eat so many carbs.

To you, I should try not to be so stressed out.

To you, I should just push through, it can't possibly be that bad.

To you, I should really go see a doctor.

To you, I should try and get more sleep.

more exercise.

more.

more something.

There is always this endless list of all the things YOU think that I should be doing. There are always all these alternative options to every goddamn thing.

There is never a convenient time to explain to someone the ins and outs of migraine. There is never a time when I could encapsulate all that it is and make it understandable. There also doesn't seem to be a time when people actual care.

You sit and you seem concerned. That's fine. But then YOU turn it around on ME.

YOU turned a genetic disorder that I have absolutely no control over, that a cure doesn't exist for, back around on ME.

I have to sit back and listen to the comments. Oh god, the comments.

"Oh gosh my head hurts" mumbled under your breath as you're wishing you could just leave work early. Wow, I can't imagine what that's like.

"Well what medicines have you tried" well what medicines haven't I tried.

"You must not be feeling good today" Actually my appearance doesn't have any correlation to how I feel. I always feel horrible. Stop talking about it.

And if I have one more person ask me "How I do it?" or "How I live with the pain everyday?" I might just have to slap you in the face. If you wonder why I'm not stressed about school or work or my finances or boy problems, its because at the end of the day, I can be a good student, a good employee, and I don't mess with boys, I don't have time. But that's the point. I don't have time for boys, because I have to be a good student and a good employee, but all of that depends on the level of throbbing my head decides to be at for the day. I have no answer for you to your questions. I don't have time to worry about day to day anything. I get every day about an hour at a time. And I have to take it an hour at a time.

And those hours are usually accompanied by the demeaning comments, vague suggestions, and extremely way to personal intrusions and questionings into my life.

And for some reason, I sit back and I don't snap at any of you. Why?

Well I can't image you'd respond well if I told you that there isn't a cure for being a bitch. I can't respond to your inconvenient headache with "Imagine if you had that everyday" because I'm not trying to make you feel like your pain isn't valid. No one wants to hear that I don't have time for all of these insignificant details because most likely I'll be dead before any of then come to mean anything.

I hope it makes you really uncomfortable knowing that people are all around you in so much pain that they don't think they'll live to see the end of it. Or that they pray that this is the end of it.

You hurt my feelings by pressing for information and then acting like the cause of my migraine is somehow my fault.

You hurt my feelings by trying to diminish my pain and make it insignificant,

You hurt my feelings by pretending to care and then turning you back on me.

So to those who have been by my side, thank you. Thank you for always being understanding. Thank you for knowing that I can't control how I feel. Thank you for listening when I rant about all the horrible things I have to listen to day in and day out.

-A

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Defining "Normal"

I'd be crazy to think that "normal" in terms of life as a disabled migraine patient should look anything like your "normal"... When I say this, I want you to think about your week. For the most part, you work your scheduled days, enjoy your weekends, and absolutely dread waking up on a Monday morning. That's your routine. Even as a student, Monday's are dreadful and suddenly you're halfway through the semester wondering how on Earth you've gone this many weeks and how this new semester's routine became so normal so fast. Each day brings a new attitude, because each day is closer to the weekend or a fun event. I have to admit, with football season pretty much being over, I don't know what day it is 99% of the time. That's crazy right? I think it is. My "days" exist in a bubble of I took medicine two days ago, so even though I need some today, I have to wait until tomorrow. I leave my medication on my counte...

Tips and Tricks: Migraines Without Meds

We've all got that one thing that we know will make us be more comfortable, more ourselves. That little something we feel gives us an edge in whatever we're doing. It's that red pair of shoes that'll make us stand out from the crowd because there really isn't a wrong time to wear them, but they certainly aren't expected. It's that lucky pair of socks. It's the green scarf. It's our lucky pen. We want to be comfortable. But, when we've got outside forces controlling a pulsing sensation in our heads, comfort is about as far away as the sun we're desperately trying to avoid. And if you're in my position, reaching for the bottle of pain killers isn't always the right choice. To be completely honest, my pain meds scare me. Every time I get into some trance while I'm on them. Every time I feel myself coming down. Every time the pain sneaks back in. Some days I convince myself that the medication simply wore off and the br...

The Time We Take

Life's made up of moments. Or at least that's the idea. When everything is all said and done those moments will float back through our mind. Certainly makes you stop and think for a second about what kind of moments we hope make it to our highlight reel. Maybe it stops us in our tracks because we open up Instagram only to see everyone else's highlight reel. We forget that their reels are full of moments we'll never understand, and we get stuck in this place where we're convinced that we aren't doing enough, or aren't doing the right things with our lives. Maybe you can pick out those moments that you wish could live on forever, even though there isn't a photo to have captured it and locked it in time. Maybe you've still got some old photo albums laying around full of memories and long lost friends. One of the things I'm striving for this year is to capture those moments. To live in them. So often, I'm so buried in pain or end...