What it’s like to get a migraine in public

If you’ve ever experienced a migraine before, you know that the pain can be completely debilitating. Sometimes, your body gets a warning that the hurt is on its way, but there are times when a migraine takes you by surprise during work or school or (the worst) a child’s birthday party. Migraines don’t care where you are; migraines are the honey badger of ailments — they don’t give a f*ck.

There’s a moment where you’re like, “Oh. Crap. It’s. Happening.” And there’s nowhere to hide.

Getting a migraine in public sucks. Mostly because turning off all the lights in your office and curling into fetal position under your desk isn’t exactly socially acceptable behavior.

You don’t want to tell anyone that you’re in pain for fear of being labeled a “drama queen” …

… So you decide to power through meetings and conversations, even though you’re having trouble seeing and might upchuck at any second.

You silently review your morning, trying to find a clue about why this migraine is happening. Did you get enough sleep? Did you eat something triggering? Did you upset an evil spirit in a past life?

“What did I do to deserve this?!” you think (very quietly).

You find yourself bartering with the powers that be: Please make this the shortest migraine in the history of discomfort. Please do not let me throw up on my boss and/or baby cousin.

And just in case that doesn’t work, you keep your eyes peeled for an emergency exit so you can toss your cookies in private.

Weirdly, it feels like everyone around you can sense you’re barely holding it together, so you make an effort to do normal people things and hope no one notices that you’re a little … off.

“Uh, yeah, I always wear sunglasses to look at my computer screen. You don’t?”

When you confide in a co-worker that you’re not feeling so hot, they say something like, “Did you try taking an Advil?”

Of course, they mean well. So you don’t tell them about the gallon of Excedrin and Imitrex you always carry in your purse. Not that those pills will save you now.

Sure, you spend the entire day feeling personally victimized by your own brain.

But you are strong!

And once you finally make it home (where it’s totally cool to curl up into fetal position wherever you darn well choose), bed is going to feel absolutely amazing. You. Earned. It.

(Images via XL Recordings, Paramount Pictures, Disney, NBC, DreamWorks, NBC, Fox, DiC, 20th Century Fox, ABC, Comedy Central, Warner Bros, YouTube, and Disney.)