Migraines

I remember my first migraine. I was probably about 8 years old, and I woke up with a headache. I had a book for school with stories in it, and I had done my homework the night before, but I wanted to read some of the other stories. We were supposed to read fifteen minutes a day, and I wanted to get mine over with so I could play after school. My brother and sister and I usually watched the Disney channel before we had to head off to school, but I had already seen the Mickey Mouse Club episode three times in the past month, so I picked up my reader. I asked mom how long I had been reading, and she said 60 minutes! I knew this was exponentially larger than the assigned reading time (it was early in my third grade year). Mom told me to pack my book bag for school, it was time to go. I looked up, outside the window, and felt a searing pain behind my eyeballs. I told my mom that I had a headache and I didn't think I could go to school. I was sent on my way; headaches were not a valid excuse for missing school in the Allen household. That is all I remember about that day. I probably came home and put a pillow over my head.


I had headaches 2-3 times a week as a child. This was usually explained by having braces. And then as an adolescent, it was PMS. In college, it was stress. As a working professional, it was TMJ disorder. So I got braces again, and was referred to an Orthodontic Surgeon at UNC. The surgeon I met with was very matter-of-fact. I qualified for the jaw-breaking-then-wiring surgery, but it would most likely not be covered by insurance. He went ahead and gave me a price estimate for just the surgery, considering no complications or need for extra hospital care. While he was wiring my jaw, he would be able to do some reconstructive surgery, some liposuction on the cheeks and chin. Overall, the estimate was about the same amount as the loan on my car. Another option offered was to see a neurologist, just to make sure I wasn't suffering from migraines. Many of the symptoms overlap. I figured I would check out this neurology thing, since it was cheaper and less humiliating than being told you need liposuction. Then, a miracle happened. I was given a preventative medication and another to take at the first sign of a migraine. And for the first time since I could remember, I didn't have this dull stabbing sense going through my brain.

This week, I have had a constant migraine in getting the semester completed. Medication isn't helping, nor are those two beers I had. Tomorrow I can get a refill on my awesome pills. But I'm still suffering.

I'm posting this because I have seen and heard many people make excuses about why they don't want to get help for chronic headaches. There are all kinds of theories as to why people get migraines. I had a list of questions ready for the neurologist: were my headaches a result of the head injury I sustained when I was 3? A: maybe. Q: is there a brain scan to tell if there's something wrong with the brain? A: yes, but only in the most serious and debilitating of cases (I think this is when they started realizing my hypochondria) Q: When I die and donate my body to science, and the med students start slicing my brain apart, is there a chance that they can correlate the cause of my migraines back to my head injury? A: no (I stopped here, saving my further questions for WebMD). There are alternative treatments, too. My mom tells me there's an acupuncturist in Greensboro that works miracles in migraines. I haven't had a problem since I began treating with medication, besides the side-effects of the treatment medication.

We all have to advocate for ourselves. It took me 18 years to realize I had a problem with treatment. And take care of yourself!