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In their words LIVINGWITH MIGRAINE Anastasia Papadakis has endured migraines since she was a child. The donor development manager at the University of Auckland shares her story. “I’ve experienced migraines since I was a child – firstly as an abdominal migraine and then, as I hit my teenage years, they changed to just my head. I tend to get one in the evening a few days beforemy period – starting with a tell-tale strain at the back of my neck. If I don’t take pain meds in time, the pain spreads up my neck and around my head, settling in behind my eyes. Then the nausea hits and I have to get myself into a dark room and move as little as possible. I’m lucky that my migraines tend to hit in the afternoon/ evening and most of the time a good sleep knocks it on the head. Sometimes I’m bed bound for a few days, and I feel fragile in the days afterwards. I’ve only had an ocular migraine a few times and it was terrifying – I feel immense sympathy for people who have to deal with those on a regular basis. Taking ibuprofen at the earliest twinge helps, and I take anti-nausea meds, but I worry about what the long-term, regular use of these might be, particularly on my stomach. When I was younger, I think too much chocolate would cause my migraines, but more recently they are linked to my menstrual cycle or stress. I was very fortunate to have a GP who diagnosed me as a young child, so I’ve felt quite supported by the medical community. But I know for colleagues and friends, there’s sometimes a lack of appreciation of how debilitating it really is. If an effective new medication was made available, I’d sign up straight away.” Anastasia Papadakis will be bed-bound for days during a migraine attack. Emily Sherpa, a 45-year-old teacher and mum of two boys, has suffered from migraines for 17 years. “I hate having migraines – they make me miss out on weekends with my family, watching the boys play sport, going out with friends and enjoying life. I have anxiety about when I will get my next migraine. They last for about two to three days and I’ll have one, or more recently two, each hormonal cycle. At the onset I feel exhausted, and thenmy headache begins. It makes me feel physically sick, throbbing on one side of my head. Sometimes I vomit. Any kind of movement exacerbates the headache and the banging inmy eardrums. Whenmy migraine finishes, my body feels fatigued. I feel tired walking up stairs to go to bed – and I’m a fit 45-year-old! Luckily, I have an incredibly understanding husband, who is amazing at helping out when I am feeling awful. My boys have both grown up knowing that I am sometimes 'unavailable' with migraines. I believe my migraines are inherited. My mum and sister both have migraine with aura and my cousin has been having migraines since she was a teenager. My current doctor is very understanding and a migraine medication called sumatriptan has helped. I just wish more of these medications were funded and made available in New Zealand. People are becoming more aware about migraines and just how common they are – and yet there are still no simple answers to affordable migraine treatment available in New Zealand. I do feel so grateful to know that there are knowledgeable advocates in New Zealand doing their bit to promote migraine awareness and educate people with the latest research. ” Headlines 9 Emily Sherpa (far right) says the support from her family has been ‘amazing’ as she battles through migraine every few weeks.