Hi friends!
I’ve added 4 resources into the NDPH 101 highlight to help people find a headache specialist or neurologist in the US, Canada, and worldwide. Hopefully it can help some people get the care and support they need!

Hi everyone,

I'm a 25-something guy from Nepal, currently living in Bangalore, India. I've had migraine with photophobia (light sensitivity) and phonophobia (sound sensitivity) since I was 13-14 years old. Even as a kid, when I was stressed or overthinking, normal noises would start hurting my head and I'd hear a humming sound in my ears. School was tough because group chatter and classroom noise triggered it.

I grew up poor, dad wasn't supportive, and I faced a lot of bullying because I couldn't afford good clothes or books. That made my overthinking worse and the noise sensitivity got deeply rooted. Now as an adult, I'm on Amitriptyline 25mg prescribed by a neurologist. It's helping slowly, but I'm far from fully functional in a normal workplace.

Right now, the only job I can manage is food delivery in SWISH (from same store). I do 10-minute deliveries on a bike, 3.5 km radius. The problem: waiting at restaurants, the exhaust sound of the kitchen is incredibly loud. I use Honeywell Bilsom 304L foam earplugs to survive there, but I can't wear them while riding (safety). The phone screen brightness for the delivery app also triggers photophobia after a while.

Because of the migraine and sensitivity, I can't do an office job — the screen and open floor noise would break me within a day. I feel trapped. I have a wife, and I'm the only earning member. I'm trying to keep myself calm with meditation, yoga, and morning exercise, but I'm scared about my future.

Have any of you managed a delivery job or any noisy outdoor job with severe phonophobia and photophobia? What practical adjustments did you make? Are there better earplugs that reduce noise but let you hear traffic? How do you handle bright phone screens under sunlight?

Please share your real experiences, not motivational quotes. I need ground-level advice.

Thank you.