So pretty soon after my first real big migraine when I was 15 it didn’t take long, maybe a couple of months when they would come once a month, they would morph into the famous chronic daily headaches.
So by around 16 and a bit I would have a headache every single day with a migraine sprinkled in not once a month, but by this time, about one a week, lasting three days. “Luckily” my Mom has had migraines for years so she recognized the issue and took me to the doctor soon enough. At first I was prescribed Imitrex, which did help, but hey, you can only take so many of them and it does nothing for the daily chronic stuff. So off to the neurologist I went…
I was completed checked out (at least that is what we thought at that time): EEG, ECG, Echo, MRI, CT and whatever else they have thought of. Everything was fine. Then I was started on preventives. And I joke you not I have tried them all, I don’t even need to list them here, just google migraine preventives and the lists you find on any website that is what I went through over a couple of years. Beta blockers were the only ones I have not tried because of history of asthma. We even gave chance to ergotamines, which are beyond difficult to take as the possible side effects are truly scary (growths around heart anyone?).
Nothing ever helped.
I was part of the Allergan’s Botox for migraine trial in Canada. Thanks to me and couple of other folks Canadians can enjoy Botox as migraine treatment, which I think is great. For sure beats popping a preventive every single day. I am a big fan of Botox, I think it is much simpler, easier way to prevent migraines. Much safer for you, whatever people say. I know it is made from a toxin, I studied this, I know all about it, I still say it poisons you much less than a daily preventive.I still do it whenever I get the chance (I love my doctor in Toronto and trust him only pretty much, so whenever I am there I do get it, although for me it does not stop the migraines it makes everything much more effective).
So by the time I was in university the chronic daily headaches and migraines have morphed into pretty much chronic daily migraines, it was hard to distinguish one from the other. I was photosensitive, smell-sensitive, sound-sensitive, seeing silver stars all the time. I would get two big migraines a week.
I remember some of them being so bad and so quick that I would be sitting on the subway going home from school thinking that I don’t know how to stand up and I have no idea I will get home. Should I just ride around till I figure it out? Should I ask someone? Can I even speak? There were many of them when time stood still….
Did I mentioned I was going to university?…..Migraineur at University
Dose Of Zen 