Irish woman's rare migraine leaves her with the symptoms of stroke 

Niamh after being hit with a migraine attack. Pictures: Niamh Reid

An Irish woman who suffers from a rare form of migraine is left with stroke-like symptoms when an attack hits.

While the effects are temporary, for Niamh Reid they can last for hours, days, or even weeks.

One in 10 people in Ireland live with migraines. Despite this, the complex neurological condition is often considered to be just a 'bad headache'.

A study undertaken by the Global Burden of Disease found headache disorders among the most prevalent disabling conditions worldwide. In terms of the number of years lost due to disability, the study ranks migraine sixth.

Migraines vary 

There are seven different types of migraine. Niamh lives with a rare form called Hemiplegic Migraine.

"I don't always get the intense headache," she explains. 

My migraine symptoms mimic a stroke, leading to hours, days, or weeks with numbness, tingling, or weakness down one side of my body.

Niamh has been living with migraine for almost eight years, enduring periods of muscle weakness and vertigo. She also suffers "seizure-like events" and has even had her jaw dislocate in her sleep.

At one point, she was left housebound for a year, and had to relearn how to walk independently.

Niamh has chronic migraine, meaning she has more than 15 headache days per month.

The frequency of the attacks and the duration of the symptoms means that the migraines have a massive impact on all areas of her life.

Niamh has found sea swimming helps her. Here you can see her symptoms progressively improve.

It is important to Niamh to speak openly about her condition to help others understand the severity.

"This has helped in my relationships as my friends and family now understand if I need to cancel plans or leave early it is because I really need to," she said.

The travel blogger has tried and failed most of the medical treatments that are available in Ireland at the moment, including anticonvulsants, antidepressants, blood pressure medication, occipital nerve block, and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

She now favours a more holistic approach while also continuing to work with her neurologist.

After several failed treatments, I chose to stop waiting for a silver bullet and focused on controlling the controllables.

Migraine management is key and Niamh views it as being like a Jenga Tower where each block is an element of her lifestyle.

"Each time one shifts out of place, the tower gets a little more unstable. Too many bricks missing, the tower crashes down and a migraine attack begins."

The lifestyle habits that have helped Niamh include a good sleep routine, hydration, regular healthy meals and exercise, CBD oil, and sea swims.

Has this approach 'cured' my migraine? No. Has it made my life more manageable? Absolutely. Some days I climb a mountain, some days I climb under a blanket, and that is okay.

On any given day, over 13,000 people in Ireland suffer from migraine.

The Migraine Association of Ireland (MAI) is hoping to create widespread awareness so sufferers know they are not alone,  and so others can understand the condition is more than a headache.

According to the charity, the average person with migraines takes two days of sick leave per year but loses an additional four days in reduced productivity.

The association says that sick days from migraine cost the Irish economy an average of €252 million a year.

MAI believes that employers can reduce this by educating themselves on migraines and taking small steps to make the environment more migraine-friendly such as swapping out fluorescent lighting for LED lamps, allowing time off for medical appointments, or providing a darkened area or rest room.