Why migraines are more than ‘just a bad headache’

Lorna had her first migraine when she was 17. She was in the car with her sister when her vision went blurry. Twenty minutes later, she was hit with the most intense headache she’s ever experienced. The whole experience, Lorna says, was terrifying.

Since then, the now 24-year-old nurse has experienced more migraines than she can count. Along with the “typical” migraine, she also experiences vestibular migraine, which causes loss of balance, dizziness, nausea and vertigo as well as searing head pain.

When Lorna has a migraine, she’s completely incapacitated. She struggles to speak or even move. The only thing she can do is lie down in a quiet, dark room, take pain medication and wait for it to subside. Sometimes, that can take hours, even days.

Lorna also struggles with how poorly her condition is understood by others. “The really hard thing is when I tell people I have a migraine, there’s a presumption it’s just like an everyday headache,” she says. “It’s incredibly frustrating.”

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Kirsty shares that frustration. The 49-year-old accountant had her first migraine almost three decades ago and has been suffering monthly ever since. The pain is excruciating. “It’s like a sledgehammer going through the top of my skull behind my left eye,” she says.

Yet many people often assume she will be able to go about her usual activities. “I think that’s the biggest misconception, how debilitating they are,” Kirsty says. Once the pain passes, brain fog persists. “It takes probably another half a day before I feel totally human.”

“I think that’s the biggest misconception, how debilitating they are.”

Unfortunately, Kirsty’s and Lorna’s experiences are relatively common, says Associate Professor Karl Ng from Sydney North Neurology practice. He says there are many misconceptions around migraines, the main one being that they’re just “a bad headache”.