 Pain surges through my body, starting in my lower back, reaching up through my neck before crashing over my head. I can't feel my legs and I'm shaking uncontrollably, clutching a bowl in case I'm sick. The whole room is spinning and I sob at how terrible I feel. Yet, this isn't a stroke, or a medical emergency. Nor have I had one drink too many. Instead, I'm going through a particularly brutal vestibular migraine, or migraine with vertigo. It's a condition that I started experiencing just before my 30th birthday, and that caused me to be signed off from work, remain in bed for weeks on end and has changed my life completely. It began when I'd read a book by a leading women's health practitioner about the power of natural periods and menstrual cycles. I found it empowering, and it inspired me to come off birth control and start having mine again. The book mentioned menstrual migraines, but the information was limited. I had no idea that for some people, birth control is essential to regulate attacks. At that point, I had no idea I had migraine. What I also didn't know was that migraines are more common in women, because of hormonal influences. Within a few weeks of coming off my contraception, I began experiencing vertigo, nausea, dizziness and headaches. I'd go into the office, only to develop a pounding headache when looking at the screen and for the ground underneath me to feel unsteady, and I'd be sent home again. I'd love to write a novel, or run another half marathon, but I have to take a slow and steady approach to these dreams (Picture: Sarah Holland) This lasted for three weeks, and I had never experienced prolonged sickness like it. I had an idea that my hormones were to blame, but the book had reassured me it was possible to get on top of them, and I felt determined to ride it out. But it only got wor){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Pain surges through my body, starting in my lower back, reaching up through my neck before crashing over my head.
I can’t feel my legs and I’m shaking uncontrollably, clutching a bowl in case I’m sick. The whole room is spinning and I sob at how terrible I feel.
Yet, this isn’t a stroke, or a medical emergency. Nor have I had one drink too many. Instead, I’m going through a particularly brutal vestibular migraine, or migraine with vertigo.
It’s a condition that I started experiencing just before my 30th birthday, and that caused me to be signed off from work, remain in bed for weeks on end and has changed my life completely.