Megan Chapman suffers from migraine on more than 15 days a month.
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The debilitating condition has left her unable to work or study.
"It's been life changing," Ms Chapman, 29, said.
The Cameron Park resident was an avid traveller and adrenaline junkie.
"I was a completely different person. I used to have endless energy," she said.
"I used to party and be very outgoing. I was an extrovert. Then boom, I was the opposite and became an introvert."
Ms Chapman spoke to the Newcastle Herald ahead of Migraine and Headache Awareness Week, which runs from September 4.
She previously suffered frequent headaches and occasional migraines for almost a decade.
In the last three years, her migraines became more common.
"I get sensory overload. My hearing gets heightened like a dog. It goes through the roof. Any form of light is blinding and painful," she said.
"Nausea is the biggest one. Basically I can't hold down food or drink. I get so crook, I can barely even move."
The migraines also affect her speech.
"It impacts your entire functioning. The muscles in my neck and back tighten up. That's how I know it's going to turn into a migraine," she said.
"My spinal cord gets compromised, therefore I lose the ability to walk as a side effect. I get extreme symptoms."
She has been diagnosed with FND [functional neurological disorder], a chronic illness that affects how the nervous system and body send and receive signals.
"My mind and body are not co-operating," she said.
Ms Chapman said stress was a big trigger for the illness.
"I'm trying to change my relationship with stress. I feel like it will be a never-ending journey," she said.
Three years ago, she collapsed and ended up in a wheelchair and bedbound.
"I kept pushing through and dismissed it for a long time. And then the collapse happened," she said.
"I couldn't talk or move. It was pretty scary. Everything shut down," she said.
"I never pull sickies. I was addicted to working. But I went downhill so bad that I had to stay in bed for two weeks, which is not like me."
She had to give up working in the disability sector and stop a double degree in psychological science and criminology.
Migraine and Headache Australia director Carl Cincinnato said changes were needed to "keep women living with migraine in the workforce".
He said migraine was a neurological disorder that affects 4.9 million Australians, with three quarters being women.
Research showed four out of five managers don't think migraine is a serious enough reason to take time off work.
"Many people with migraine are forced to hide their symptoms because they fear discrimination and stigma," Mr Cincinnato said.
"This has an immense impact on not just the lives of people living with migraine, but on workplace productivity, female workforce participation and the Australian economy."
Mr Cincinnato said there were "steps that workplaces can take to support staff who suffer from migraine that allow them to better manage their condition".
"Unfortunately, the vast majority of workplaces are not taking these steps and migraine in the workplace remains almost entirely unaddressed."
