A mother who suffered with "six-week hangovers" due to her migraine attacks had to lock herself in the dark away from her children for days because the pain was so bad.
Kerry Spalding has been suffering with chronic migraines for the last 30 years - since she was just 21 - after first collapsing from a "horrific" pain in her head.
Since her diagnosis, Kerry would have bouts of attacks - sometimes leaving her bedbound for six weeks at a time - and the woman occasionally lose her vision and feel nauseous.
She also experiences photophobia - an extreme fear of light - due to the pain.
Kerry, 51, said: "If anyone talks it's like a stabbing needle going through my head. It's terrible.
"It's very depressing and isolating."
The hair stylist, of Hinckley, Leicestershire, would at times have to spend days in the dark without anyone talking to her including her children - Harvey, 17, and Amelia, six - and her husband, Richard, 52, an engineer.
The mum is now treated with anti CGRP, an antibody medication, and she receives oestrogen and nerve blocking injections which has reduced her migraine attacks from 25 days a month to five.
"I experience extreme photophobia. I spent three days being in the dark without anyone talking to me," Kerry added.
"You can't even sit in the garden. It's not just a headache."
Kerry first had an attack at a step class when she was 21.
She said: "I collapsed and had to be carried out.
"I had no idea what was going on. I felt a horrific pain at the top of my head like I was on a rollercoaster upside down."
Kerry was seen by a doctor and immediately diagnosed with chronic migraines - a condition where a person suffers from headaches at least 15 days per month and eight of these with migraine symptoms.
Kerry suffered with menstrual migraines to start off with which coincided with her cycle, as well as vestibular migraine which effects vertigo and made Kerry dizzy and nauseated.
She also experiences abdominal migraine - which made her vomit.
Her symptoms meant she had to give up her hair salon and can now only work once a week as a stylist.
She said: "They can last as long as six weeks.
"I have acute vertigo daily. Just walking can be difficult.
"Now if I suffer vision loss it is not full blindness. My vision is like looking through a looking glass."
Kerry says there are three phases of a migraine attack - the premonitory stage where she will get food cravings for carbs, sugar and fatty foods - the attack phase where she will experiences all her symptoms and the hangover phase.
She said: "Sometimes the hangover phase is the most frustrating.
"It's mild levels of pain and you become homebound. Everything will still be a huge trigger so you have to rest to reduce symptoms."
In the last two years Kerry has been able to find treatments that have finally eased her attacks.
She "begged" to be given anti CGRP - which reduced her migraine from 25 days a month to 10, bed bound.
Now with a combination of oestrogen and nerve block injections they have reduced to five days a month and have eased her vertigo symptoms - allowing her to get out and about more.
Kerry said: "I'm feeling marvellous after 31 years."
Kerry said she feels "blessed" to have the support of her family and husband who is also a care partner to her.
Next year she hopes to be well enough to run the London Marathon for the Migraine Trust - a charity supporting those affected my migraine.
Kerry said: "I wouldn't be here without them."
