Migraine sufferers across Cumbria and the Borders call for better understanding of the condition
Migraine sufferers across Cumbria and the Borders are calling for a better understanding of the condition they say is ruining their lives.
ITV Border viewers have been getting in touch during Migraine Awareness Week, to reveal how crippling the condition can be and to help reduce the stigma surrounding it.
In certain cases it has led to people losing their jobs or having no other choice but to quit.
Deborah Dixon’s 28-year-old daughter, Samantha, has lived with migraines since the age of nine:
It is the third most common disease in the world with an estimated one in seven people suffering from migraines globally.
There are currently 190,000 attacks happening every day in the UK alone.
Often referred to as a bad headache, the understanding and awareness of migraines still remains very low.
Yvonne Mills from Lockerbie started having migraines last year:
Helen Franks from Carlisle, has been suffering from migraines for thirty years and said:
It always strikes me as a joke, you quite often see people on Facebook saying I’ve got a migraine and you know full well they haven’t because there is no way you could even be looking at the internet if you’ve got a migraine because you can’t even function.”
Migraines exist in many forms and vary from person to person.
Symptoms include nausea, sensitivity to light, sound and smells, disturbed vision and even vomiting.