'I get blurred and then double vision'

Migraine case history: Eva Gaynor

Eva Gaynor (26) suffered from headaches as a child, which then developed into migraine when she reached her teens. "They were sporadic at first and I learned to work around them during my college years but when I started to work full time, they became more and more frequent," she says.

"My migraine attacks usually start as a dull pain over my left eye. At the same time, my stomach starts to bloat. I get blurred and then double vision. I'm sensitive to light and noise. I don't want anybody coming near me or touching me and my co-ordination and balance go.

"If I get an attack at work, I usually stay at my desk with my hand on my head, studying this one particular folder which I keep there. I take my medication and I put my phone on voicemail for 15 to 20 minutes. Even with the medication, I find I need to switch off for a while. I also have a fan on my desk because I need a lot of air."

Gaynor works in the Bank of Ireland, College Green, Dublin, where flexibility to leave one hour early and make up the time the next day helps if a migraine attack comes on later in the afternoon.

She also uses many strategies to help prevent attacks, such as meeting deadlines early to prevent stress and arriving at meetings early so she can sit near a window or close to the door.

She also carries food and drink with her, so she can have a snack or drink to stave off hunger or thirst.

"I got a few looks for eating wine gums in meetings but you lose your inhibitions when you are focused on preventing a migraine attack. You need such strategies for preventing and coping with attacks if you are going to work and do your best," says Gaynor.

Gaynor's migraine attacks became much more frequent about two years ago when she found herself getting several attacks a week.

"I went to a talk of the Migraine Association of Ireland and a doctor there said that if you get more than one attack a week, you are a chronic migraine sufferer. That was a wake-up call for me. I joined the support group. I started keeping a migraine diary and began taking preventative medication."

Gaynor found that standard migraine treatments, such as anti-depressants drugs and beta-blockers, didn't work for her. Since December, however, she has been on anti-epilepsy drugs, which have reduced her migraine attacks from several a week to once every three or four weeks.