True Stories of Living with Migraines

True Stories of Living with Migraines

The Family Headache

At a very young age, Jimmy recalls his father, Tommy who suffered from "sick headaches"--Tommy's migraines made him feel sick and resulted in vomiting and making him feel sick in bed for a few days. At the age of 45, Jimmy began having these headaches too. "It's among the most unpleasant experiences you can have in your life. The pressure build-up will get to the point that it's almost as if your head is about to explode."

Similar to Jimmy's father Jimmy who is now age 58 suffers from nausea, dizziness, sensitivity to light, and nausea when it is a migraine. He has to remain in a dark space to ease his photophobia. There are a variety of over-the-counter painkillers to lessen the pain, but he won't feel any relief until he is capable of throwing up. "It's really the only thing that works for me, but the headache will still linger for a few hours more even then."

Jimmy's son William who was a junior at college, was struck by his first migraine at 13. "I had never really had a headache before that point, so I wasn't entirely sure what I was experiencing," William admits. He explained his symptoms (blurry vision and sensitivity to light and pain in the eye) to his family, who instantly realized the similarity between his symptoms of William and his father's. They brought him to the doctor at home who prescribed naproxen. Then, as William's symptoms got worse, his doctor recommended Maxalt, which he took whenever he experiences an attack of migraine that starts. As of age 21, He has an average of one migraine each year.

"I started having migraines at a much earlier age than my dad, but I know what to be aware of for my own children," William states. "It's within my DNA and will be in their genes. I'd like them to seek treatment as soon as my parents did for me in the event that they have issues."

The Importance of Knowing Your Triggers

"I hate drinking because I know it gives me headaches," says Katelyn who is 22 years old. She is a Public Relations Account Manager. "When I wake up hungover or with a wine headache, I feel awful because I just gave myself [a migraine], and it could have been avoided."

Katelyn who's aunts and grandmothers also suffer from frequent migraine headaches. She discovered that alcohol is the trigger for migraine headaches. She was diligently keeping track of her symptoms, food choices as well as the drinks she consumed and the medications (Fioricet) she was taking, and so on. "My goal was to avoid preventative medication," she declares. "I didn't want to be taking medication every day."

By analyzing her migraine logs Katelyn and her medical team have concluded that her headaches could be due to the birth control pills she takes. "It's been nearly four years since to recognize that estrogen could be a major trigger for my migraines. I'm currently on a birth control pill that does not contain estrogen. The hormone in this pill] is called progesterone which has been able to balance my hormones and the headaches I suffer from," the woman says. "I still get headaches, but now I can treat them with over-the-counter Excedrin."

Finding the triggers behind headaches and knowing how to stay clear of them will help to live a more balanced and pain-free lifestyle, Katelyn states. "I ensure that I have the same meal times each day. I am still prone to getting migraines when I don't eat breakfast or do not eat a balanced diet that contains sufficient protein. It's vital to care for your health," she says.

The Importance of Seeking Help

Michelle an elementary school teacher recalls vividly the first time she experienced a migraine. "I was eight years old. I was a carpooler from school with my neighborhood buddies to a house that was empty. My mother was late from work and I had to stand at the steps of my front and suffer the sensation of having a headache that was about the result in my eye popping out in the middle," she recalls. "As shortly as my mother arrived home, I raced to the bathroom and vomited. Everything else was unremembered."

When Michelle was 21, her headaches were constant with frequent "frustrating." By 23 the headaches were severe and painful. She is now 29 and is still suffering from headaches for longer than 7 months. The headaches don't last the entire day, they typically last for a couple of hours.

Michelle's attempts to alleviate her migraines have been largely ineffective to date. According to her own experience, the initial efforts failed because the doctor (a family physician) didn't know what to do about her headaches. "He instructed that I should take Aleve. After a few more migraine attacks, I went back to receive another drug, Maxalt, which did absolutely nothing," she says. "After returning for the third time I was then given naproxen as a prescribed dosage that can be described as two doses of Aleve. The dosage did nothing."

She visited a neurologist for the very first time at the age of 24 years old and was able to find the first significant relief for her migraines ever since they started. "He was amazing and gave me medicines that made me feel much better. He was attentive to me, understood my struggles, and helped me feel better," she claims. The relief was not long-lasting, however, as Michelle quickly moved through the medications that worked until she was at the maximum dose she could tolerate. In order to avoid suffering for the rest of her life and being in constant pain, she sought out a second neurologist who was working on the latest migraine treatment techniques that include Botox injections. While many of them have not had much success, Michelle and her doctor aren't giving up on hope.

"The most important thing is to find a doctor who believes and understands you," she adds. "And locate a person who is supportive of you. A lot of people won't understand but some will want to support you."