Does your mood change totally.

I feel like two people. When the pain hits I can feel myself sink into "depression"
As soon as it improves I am another person.
Is this the same for everyone please?
I thank God for the ability to change, but I hate the Dr Jekyll Mr Hyde thing.

Absolutely - the massive crash in serotonin leaves my personality done for. Even when the pain isn't too severe I end up weeping like a child...

I can get quite angry as well as upset. Isnt it horrible. As if the pain wasnt bad enough.

I am totally a different person if I am getting a migraine. In fact, if something special is coming up where I will be meeting new people and want to give a good first impression, I will take an abortive as a preventative just to be sure I am migraine-free. Otherwise, they would be meeting someone that wasn't actually me.

How funny; I was just going to post on this subject.

Over the last couple of months I've felt like I've been sinking into a depressed state that I can't seem to pull out of. It's a never ending cycle of migraines and depression. Trying to explain it to someone who doesn't understand living with chronic pain is useless.

Yesterday and today have been good days and my staff is appreciating me being silly again.

I don't get angry when I'm having a M, but I get very quiet and withdrawn.

Yesterday I caught myself singing the theme song from the old cartoon "Super Chicken". Anyone else remember that? Man, I remembered most of the words. Misspent childhood.

Super Chicken Link

Charlotte

I think being angry and depressed are a natural way to respond to a migraine. I think part of it is the "unknown". If we knew when we got a migraine it would be gone at such a time and would not come back until such a time, it would be easy to wait it out. You never know if they are going to be changing for the worse though or know when you are going to have another one, etc. And it isn't just the pain, it is the disabling effect it has on us--a feeling of helplessness.

I'm much happier and nicer when I'm not hurting. Today I am in a total funk and wish I could get a head transplant.

Alli

Alli, when you find out how, let me know and we'll go together. Maybe get a 2 fer 1 discount!

I just get depressed. It takes more than head pain to get me angry. If I have two things going on at once, IE cramps and migraine, watch out..I'm a royal B*&$CH! When I have a migraine, I just get completely down. I think Estre is right...

I think part of it is the "unknown". If we knew when we got a migraine it would be gone at such a time and would not come back until such a time, it would be easy to wait it out. You never know if they are going to be changing for the worse though or know when you are going to have another one, etc. And it isn't just the pain, it is the disabling effect it has on us--a feeling of helplessness.

I feel hopeless and lost, like this is how my life is going to be forever. I will always be in pain, I won't shake this...nobody will ever understand and I don't know when the next one will strike again. Heck, I don't know when this one will end. It could very well be days from now and nobody can help me.

Thats why I live it up on my non-migranous days.

lovegia wrote:I feel hopeless and lost, like this is how my life is going to be forever. I will always be in pain, I won't shake this...nobody will ever understand and I don't know when the next one will strike again. Heck, I don't know when this one will end. It could very well be days from now and nobody can help me.

How scary, my exact mind set!

The commonalities between everyone here is amazing to me. I know my depression has increased. Some day's I just want to sleep and hope my head will settle down, but three or four hours later (and the pain is still there) makes me feel like I'm on a migraine hamster wheel.

Tearful, despondent, panicky, afraid to left on my own, feelings of fighting a loosing battle, blowing things out of proportion, complete exhaustion, fear that one day my poor husband will get fed up with me and move on, even though he is great and when i am migraine free we get on fine, guilt that my children are missing out again because i am spending another weekend or school holiday on the sofa or in bed, and like lovegia says, hopelessness and feeling like this is what the rest of my life will always be like, and not knowing when i will have to go through this all over again,

i can have a huge range of emotions and thoughts go through my mind during a migraine,

I get angry at myself. Perhaps frustrated is a better word. I get irritated though. My husband takes the brunt of it, I think.
Mind you after 39 years, he is irritating....

estre004 wrote:I think being angry and depressed are a natural way to respond to a migraine. I think part of it is the "unknown". If we knew when we got a migraine it would be gone at such a time and would not come back until such a time, it would be easy to wait it out. You never know if they are going to be changing for the worse though or know when you are going to have another one, etc. And it isn't just the pain, it is the disabling effect it has on us--a feeling of helplessness.

Linda you are right. I think it is the infinite helpless/hopelessness.
I feel so very alone. Like "somebody help me, I don't know how to help myself".
But there isn't anyone is there? I have said before, my friend Eleanor who has Parkinson's gets so much support from the system.
I get nothing. I am out of ideas, I dont know where to turn. This is it for the rest of my life and it is the pits.
Yes Linda the unknown, helplessness, is it any wonder it effects us like this.

Let's hope it isn't for the rest of our lives!!!!

I am in the quiet and withdrawn group with Charlotte. My mood doesn't change totally because I'm generally quiet and somewhat withdrawn anyway. It just gets more so when I have a migraine. You folks who get angry are in better shape than me! I don't have the energy to get angry. It's all I can do to figure out what I should do to help myself and continue to breathe.

Chris

estre004 wrote:Let's hope it isn't for the rest of our lives!!!!

Amen to that. But unless we can get a bit more empathy and support from "them".....

I have to say...I woke up one day with a migraine and then the next day and the next day...so on and so on. I have hope it will reverse itself, too. It would be great to speed up the process and find someone with a cure but maybe one day I will wake up pain free and that will continue for the rest of my life.

I really hope...

lovegia wrote:. I really hope...

I hope so too.

I am in the quiet and withdrawn group with Charlotte. My mood doesn't change totally because I'm generally quiet and somewhat withdrawn anyway.

It's very noticeable with me. I'm generally the one doing little dance steps, telling off-color jokes, heading off a new adventure...

I miss that woman.

Charlotte

Spooky, as only today I was thinking about the rollercoaster of emotions we go through.

On a good day anything's possible, I'm positive and can see light at the end of the tunnel. I even naievely think I may never have a migraine again Then when the dreaded M hits I'm in the quiet and withdrawn group and full of negativity. Occasionally I blow as I feel so frustrated and helpless and resentful at the effect of migraines on my life and that of my family. Poor OH listens patiently but doesn't know what to say. What can he say?

It would make an interesting graph!

Take care all
Liz

Interesting. We are all different, and our migraines apparently have multiple causes, and we take diverse medication.
When it comes to the impact on our emotions. Seems we are pretty much all the same....

pen wrote:Interesting. We are all different, and our migraines apparently have multiple causes, and we take diverse medication.
When it comes to the impact on our emotions. Seems we are pretty much all the same....

You Betcha! Migraine suck SUCK SUCK!

I like to stay quite and withdrawn. People dont get it so I stay away from them. If i do cross paths during

a M, I hide it and make the meet quick.

I too feel the depression when I'm suffering from a migraine..Lately..It's been a panicky anxious feeling too. i immediately start questioning my husband (married a month and a half) if he's mad at me for being in bed.

I think I feel he thinks I'm making it up. I don't think I felt like that with my parents anymore because well, they've been dealing with it with me for 21 years and I know they believe me.

Once the migraine has subsided, I feel silly for questioning my husband.

But yes, I start feeling depressed, panicky, anxious..and utterly alone.