The Migraine (a Poem and List of Surprising Facts)
The Migraine.
A kaleidoscope of colours
Crashing through my brain,
Like a million daggers,
Sharp and piercing pain.
I crush the pillow to my head
To suffocate the hurt.
A moan escapes my parched dry lips,
But I try to lie inert.
Maybe if I try to read?
No, that's a hopeless cause.
My head aches more, my eyes are fogged,
I drop the book and pause.
I can't lie still, I toss and turn,
Then stagger from my bed.
What the hell is wrong with me,
This throbbing in my head?
Possibly some soothing sounds
Will help to ease the pain.
Celtic Whispers starts to play
As I recline again.
My Florence Nightingale appears
With aspirin and green tea.
I close my eyes and drift away,
The pain replaced by dreams.
7 Surprising Facts about Migraines
- Migraines have been Linked to Suicide Risk: Studies have now linked migraines with an increased risk of attempted and even completed suicide.
- Your Medications Could be Making Migraines Worse: Too-frequent use of painkillers such as paracetamol can result in what's known as "medication-overuse headaches".
- Lightning and Migraine Can Strike Together: A study of migraine sufferers found that the risk of migraine increased significantly on days when there was lightning nearby.
- Migraines Can Lead to Other Serious Health Problems: People who get migraines have an increased risk of stroke and heart attack when compared with the general population.
- Sexual Activity Can Trigger Migraines: Intense physical exertion, including sexual activity, and sometimes even just arousal can actually cause a migraine.
- Migraines Can Be Worse on Windy Days: Researchers have found an increased risk of migraine on days preceding chinook winds and on days when the winds exceeded 23 miles an hour.
- A Drop in Stress Level Can Cause a Migraine: Research has found a 20% higher risk of migraines after someone's mood changed from sad or nervous to happy or relaxed due to a sudden drop in hormones.
12 Best Foods To Relieve Migraine
Some Interesting Articles about Migraines
- Migraine Triggers| Cause of Migraine
Migraines could start due to changes in one’s sleep patterns or sudden excessive bouts of exercise, which jolt the body’s mechanisms. Know their triggers. - Migraines link to refillable water bottles: 'Gender-bending' chemical in packaging may trigger the a
Bisphenol A (BPA) has already been linked to a range of heath problems including obesity, infertility and heart attacks.
Comments
Yikes, reading your words here, I believe I can relate to how my son has felt since this past weekend after having had an axe bounce off a zip line and hit him on the forehead! At least it was the blunt end or I believe he might be dead! Great poem and interesting facts as to migraines. Up and more and sharing. Off to bed I go ... Faith Reaper
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Wow Faith you got to this one quick. God must have been watching over your son to make sure it was only the blunt end of the axe, but I can only imagine what a headache he must have. Ok, off to bed and sleep well.
I have had these sorts of migraines and you can't even look at the words in a book without pain! Best solution is to drink soft drink with 2 headache capsules that are dissolvable. Otherwise, you're stuck for days with it. Good poem, certainly captures the feeling well! Voted useful and thanks for sharing the migraine facts too.
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Thanks for reading Suzanne. Yes they are debilitating, haven't tried the dissolvable tablets in soft drink, but if it works.....thanks for the advice, and vote up and share too.
I used to have migraines a while back the change in my lifestyle stopped those headaches more of a Mediterranean one.
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Ok DDE, thanks.
Wow, I have never had a migraine and after reading this, am thankful. Your poem was intense and the rhyming was really good..Enjoyed!
Jodah, very well done I like the whole concept.. and other articles we can look up on this subject.. you explode the hub with a fantastic poem.. and then ease us into it so smoothly :)
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Thank you always exploring, I'm glad you enjoyed the poem, but I hope you never have to experience a migraine.
Jodah,
Your imagery was so strong that I could feel the desperation of having a migraine. I hope that you find a solution.
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Thanks for reading Frank and your great comment. Glad you enjoyed this whole concept.
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Thanks Mklow, that's a great compliment that the poem made you feel what it was like to experience a migraine. I was successful in what I wanted to convey. Have a good day.
Great and useful information for people with migraines. I am always amazed at the poet's ability to paint something so painful in such a beautiful form of writing. Good job.
I've never had one and I'm crossing my fingers as I write those words. Well done buddy; you captured the pain quite well.
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Thank you MsDora, glad I succeeded in portraying the pain. Thanks for your kind comment.
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Thanks for reading Bill. Hope you never have to experience it...touch wood.
I did have a migraine a few times when my daughter was 14. lol It was horrible too. I could not stand for my feet to touch the floor, every step shot pain through my head. I went to the doctor though and brought home medicine that could kill me in an instant so I said "Hey girl you better heal thyself!" So I did. lol
Great info, very interesting. Always share and votes! (In case I ever forget to say)
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I am glad you haven't had them recently Jackie. How did you heal yourself? Thanks for your kind comment and always voting up and sharing, that's sweet.
My husband suffers from migraines... It it a pretty awful condition.
Great poem! My father suffered from bad migraines which sometimes lasted for days and made him feel sick. His were aggravated by cheese and tomatoes.
I've had a few but fortunately not many. I often have headaches when it's thundery and also when it's really windy so that reflects what you say above. I was scared when my first migraine had me seeing zig-zags and flashing colours when I was trying to concentrate on an English lesson at the age of 15. As with my hay-fever (also from Dad!), it seems to recede with age. Good to know that age does have some compensations!
Marvellous hub. Your poetry is spot-on and the info is great. Ann
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Thank you Ann, I am so glad you have grown out of your migraines. Maybe you just became aware of the triggers and now know how to avoid them. They are debilitating and can be caused by different things for different people as in your father's case with cheese and tomatoes. Thanks also for the kind comments about the poem.
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Monis, thanks for reading. Sorry to hear your husband suffers.
I discovered that my migraines have almost disappeared after using organic coconut cream oil in my coffee. I use 1-2 tablespoons daily. It is made by Tropical Traditions and purchased online by the jar!
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Thank you for that great advice starstream. Fellow migraine sufferers take note. Have a great day.
I had no idea they were worse on windy days! I also like how you used a poem to help give insight into the migraine experience - creative.
This hub contains an interesting poem and interesting facts about migraines, Jodah. The pictures are dramatic, too. I'm afraid that I am very familiar with the need to "lie inert" during a migraine attack!
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Thank you for reading Christy. The poem came to me first, then decided to expand on it with some facts about migraines.
Alicia, sorry to hear that you are a migraine sufferer. Glad you could relate though. Thanks for reading and your kind comments.
Excellent description, but fortunately I cannot relate in a personal way since I do not suffer from migraines. By your words, though, I can imagine what they might be like.
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Thanks for reading and commenting Shanmarie, don't apologise for not suffering migraines. Feel relieved, they aren't pleasant.
Hi Jodah, I'm please to say I don't get migraines but your poem and incredible images really brings it home. Nice work.
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Thanks Jo, I'm glad this hub worked to make people understand what it's like even if they don't suffer migraine.
Very good! I never would have thought of writing a poem about a headache!
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I am continually trying to think of something new to write poems about. This just popped into my head...excuse the pun. Thanks for reading and your kind comment Rebecca.
Excellent information. I use to suffer from migraines, but apparently one of the few perks of growing older is sometimes they go away. I like the poem and the information.
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Thanks Pamela. Yes a few people have said that you tend to grow out of migraines or they go away in time. That's good news I am sure for a lot of sufferers. Glad you found this enjoyable and interesting. Have a good day.
Summed up in a poem, well done Jodah and voted up.
I got so many migraines as youth, especially after swimming for some reason, and sometimes I just wanted to smash things because of the relentless pain. I never did, but I wanted to! It seemed that nothing or nobody could do anything to help, and it was just a case of waiting for it to pass in a darkened room.
Unfortunately, my migraines came with sessions of heavy vomiting. The doctor would say that if I'm lucky I would grow out of them. Fortunately I did, and migraines were replaced by bad headaches, but the difference was that a headache could be cured with over-the-counter pain killers, whereas nothing seemed to help with migraines.
I really feel for anyone who suffers from this truly awful condition.
Andy Aitch
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Hi Andy, great to see a new face visiting my hubs, so welcome and thanks for your comment and vote up. You are so right, migraines are much more than a headache and can involve nausea and vomiting, anger.....fortunately most do seem to grow out of it,
my sister in law developed migraine like symptoms when she was about 42 years old and it turned out to be a brain tumor, so we need to be careful. Cheers.
Thanks Johah. I don't get migraines but your poem and incredible images really helped me to realize what Robin sometimes goes trough. Thanks
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Thanks for reading Nadine. I tried to portray the pain that a migraine sufferer goes through. I'm glad that my words and images succeeded in doing that.
I have friends who suffer from migraines on occasion. It is not a pleasant condition to deal with any day. Your list of reasons is fascinating, I will have to pass this on to others.
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Thanks very much teaches. Yes it is important to know the triggers but I'm sure many aren't aware of some of the different causes mentioned here.
Good information. I have friends who have so much trouble with migraines. I will be sure to share this.
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Hi Mylindaelliott. I'm glad this hub was helpful and yes please feel free to share with friends.
I get these often--hate them--you described this so well--and I am sorry that you get them as well--I wrote a pc called A Theory About Migraines on my blog not too long ago---
My gosh -- this brings back memories of hours, sometimes days, of lying in bed immobilized in a darkened room, which was the only way I could get through horrible migraines. I wish I had known back then about the foods that could have helped me. Fortunately, I found that moving to the dry desert area where I am now has made a huge difference. I rarely have even minor headaches since I moved here in 1996. Great article and poem, Jodah.
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Sorry to hear that you suffer migraines Audrey. They are debilitating and some people think they are simply a headache! Thanks for your comment.
Phyllis, I am glad you found that moving to a dry desert area helped greatly. I wasn't aware of most of these things that can affect migraines until I researched this. Thanks for your kind comments.
Jodah, I used to have daily migraines for years. My life became a routine of just trying to get imitrex. I've had them since I was 10... so bad, I would dream of driving off a cliff. I climbed the walls. Finally they found out I had too much adrenaline going to my head. I started taking a beta blocker (Inderal ER) and I was migraine free for the first time in my life. I seldom ever get them now. What a curse they were. What a blessing to be free now.
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Beth, I am so glad that you found a cure. There seem to be so many levels of severity, but yours were obviously on the top of the scale as far as pain was concerned. There also seem to be multiple causes. What a blessing to be pain free. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I was searching for one of your other poems and found this one, and I'm glad I did. Only one who experiences migraines could express the torture so eloquently. Mine were caused by hormones and triggered by food allergies. My own body was allergic to itself and nothing, prescription or OTC, helped for very long. Fortunately the change of life remedied that. I relate to your Grand Rapids sculpture because I always felt like a train wreck. Twice I asked God to either relieve the migraines or take me out, so I also relate to your number 1 fact about migraines and suicides. Voted up and awesome!
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Wow, MizBejabbers, thanks you for your kind comment and vote up. I am glad you finally got over your migraines. They must have been horrendous to effect you so badly. They can be very debilitating. Which of my other poems were you looking for, and did you find it?
No, I haven't. It was your great analogy in a comment on Billybuc's hub about analogies. I think you said it was from a poem and I would love to read the rest. Thanks.
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Ok MizBejabbers, it is called Poems To Plant By: https://hubpages.com/literature/Poems-To-Plant-By
Great poem. Both I and my son suffer migraines. I read this to him and we both related well to your prose. Interesting that it is a lowering of stress levels that can trigger them, I knew it had something to do with stress, but always thought it was elevating levels, not declining. Voted up and useful
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Thanks parrster, sorry to hear that both you and your son are migraine sufferers. I was surprised to read during researching this that a decrease in stress levels could also lead to a migraine. Glad you found this useful, thanks for the vote up.
John, as a long-time sufferer of classical / ocular migraines, I've got to say your poem captures them! Those scintillating auras are my nemesis. I didn't realize we migraine sufferers were more prone to heart attack and stroke … as if the migraines aren't enough to contend with. I wonder what the correlation is -- perhaps it's not cause and effect, but perhaps what triggers the migraine is an unhealthy condition that contributes to cardiac and stroke issues? Things to ponder.
Best -- Mj
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Thanks for the kind words MJ. you are probably right tat it is most likely a condition that contributes to heart attack and stroke as well. Like people with gum and periodontal disease also have increased risk of heart attack and clogged arteries.
Hi Jodah I have not been to your pages lately. Sorry about that. Loved your poem on a migraine. Thank goodness I do not get them. I do get headaches but its all to do with food, I think. Robin gets a migraine ( 3 times a year) if he eats a large amount of Chocolate, so he says.
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It's all good Nadine. I have had trouble commenting on everyone's hubs recently too. Thanks for finding the time to read this one. I have heard that chocolate can cause them, better suggest to Robin that he gives up the chocolate...lol.
A brilliant description of a migraine. Perfect photos to accompany your poetic genius. Thanks so much Jodah! Sharing.
Hi Jodah - What a great description of a migraine and pictures to add to the pain. Many relatives and friends suffer, but I am surprised at the 1 in 8. I think my daughter's migraines are from stress. I read about a woman who started watching birds to take away her pain. Gradually, she began photographing them. You captured all the feelings of the suffering. Sharing your poetic genius. Blessings Audrey
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Thank you for reading this Audrey. Yes I think stress is a big factor in what causes migraines. Sorry to hear that your daughter suffers from them as well as other friends and relatives. I'm sure watching and photographing birds would be a good therapy too. Thanks for that interesting and kind comment also. Blessings.
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Hi vocalcoach, I'm glad you enjoyed this poem about migraines, and the pics. Thanks for reading and sharing and your kind words.
Been there, done that...found myself in addiction to prescription drugs as a result ( wrote about it here)....anyone who has had one 'gets' your poem
Well said Jodah
Angels are on the way ps
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Thanks for reading ps, glad you can relate to this but not that you had to suffer and become addicted to prescription drug because of it. Angels back at ya'.
Dear Mr Hansen,
I stumbled across your poem on Pinterest and recognized the photo from Meijer Gardens right away. The sculpture is one of my all time favorites, and I love the way you tied it in with your poem. I too am a migraine sufferer. Have been for all of my 48 years. Am fighting one now as a matter of fact. Do you live in the Grand Rapids area? I would love to converse with you. Please email me if you are interested in my story: csallore@gmail.com
Thanks!
Carousel
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Hello Carousel,
Thank you for reading this and for your comment. When I saw the photo of this sculpture I just had to use it with this poem. I thought it was perfect. Have you actually seen the sculpture at the Meijer Gardens? No, I am not in the Grand Rapids area, I live in Australia. But I would be happy to converse with you. email: jodahkamah@gmail.com
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