Since
the age of twelve, I have been
experiencing painful migraine headaches. I’m pretty sure that at the time, my
parents just chalked it up to the braces on my teeth. It seems completely valid to me now. I just knew that I
took a lot of Excedrin.
The
older I got, the worse the headaches were. At the age of nineteen, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I spent a
lot of time wondering if there could be a connection. Now, at the age of forty-five,
I’m certain there’s a connection. Upon my
research for this article, I stumbled on some interesting articles. The
connection between migraines and bipolar is so strong that over one-third of
people living with bipolar suffer from migraines.
I
think my migraines are typical. Everything is either too bright or too loud. Not to mention the various smells that can
trigger it. I can’t take scents like burning wood, cigarettes, bonfires, burning leaves, along with many
perfume scents make me instantly feel like I want to vomit. That explains why
I’ve been using the same body spray for more than twenty years. It’s the only
one that doesn’t cause a negative
reaction.
Migraines affect about 1 in 7 (14%) persons diagnosed with
bipolar disorder, who are 3 times more likely to experience migraines compared
to the general population. The risk of
developing migraines is not the same among all types of bipolar disorders. A
study by Low et al found that in the subgroup of patients with bipolar-II
disorder, the lifetime prevalence of migraine was 65%. (I’ll just
note here, I’m bipolar-II.)
In the same study, the overall lifetime prevalence of
migraine among all patients with bipolar disorder was 39.8% (43.8% among women
and 31.4% among men).
I’ve
missed out on some very important events
in my life due to migraines. I harbor a lot of guilt because of that fact. As
far as treatment, I’ve tried many. None of them seem to work out for more than
a few months, if at all. I vomit nearly every time now, and the pain will travel from one side of my head to the other. I
have thrown up more in the last ten years of my life than in the entire rest of
my life.
Individuals who suffer from pain and are diagnosed with a
mental disorder, such as bipolar disorder, have been found to experience a worsening
of psychiatric symptoms. In addition, health care professionals may at
times fail to give complaints about physical health problems serious
consideration among patients with serious mental illness. (A point that
I touch on in my book, which several people told me was a lie) These patients
are also less likely to recognize or monitor their comorbid medical conditions
compared to the general population. In addition, they have an increased
likelihood of experiencing conditions that cause pain, and a lower probability
of receiving adequate care.
For example, people diagnosed with bipolar disorder have
an increased prevalence of depression, which has been linked to greater pain
sensitivity. Chronic pain in persons diagnosed with bipolar disorder is
associated with impaired recovery, greater functional incapacitation,
lower quality of life, and increased risk for suicide compared to
individuals without pain.
Thanks
to migraines, many people no longer like me, or they’re pissed off because I
missed an important event. I wish I could make people understand how a migraine
feels, just once.
Over
the last couple of years, we’ve been exploring food allergies. I
have
a gluten allergy, and I was doing so great with it, but I’ve never been very
good at taking care of myself. Gluten only knocks me on my butt when it feels
like it. It’s not a 100% of the time situation, and when it doesn’t, I guess I
start getting delusions of grandeur and keep eating it until I’m officially
sick.
I’m
writing this blog because I want people to gain some understanding of what I go
through on a regular basis. I’m not faking, and
I’m tired of being told that it’s all in my head. YES! It is…that’s the whole point! I live in constant fear that
something is going to set me off. Of course, I have superhero scent abilities. I can smell anything, and most of the
times, it’s not good. That leads
immediately to a headache.
For
now, I think I’ll go back to eating right and exercising
because this headache every single day thing just isn’t working out for me.
*Source
– Treatment Center of America
**Source
– PracticalPainManagement.com
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