Uncovering How Migraine Began in Our Family

Migraine disease runs deep in our family. As a child, I remember my mother, sister, and grandmother having 'bad headaches' that caused them to seek shelter in a darkened room. I never gave it a second thought until I met my wife in my early teens. She had the same type of 'headaches' I've witnessed all my life. Several people in her family also had similar experiences. The difference with her is that she referred to them as migraines. Migraines were definitely more than 'bad headaches.' I've loved my wife from the first time I was introduced to her, and when she was hurting, I tried to help make her feel better.

What did my wife's attacks look like?

I was a novice when it came to understanding the depth and impact migraine disease had on a person. I understood pain, but pain that caused my future wife to vomit and lose the ability to move around unassisted was scary. I often carried her to her parent's car from the nurse's office in school. I held her hair as she got sick, and I supported her as we walked to the nurse or to find a quiet place to rest during an attack. She was fortunate that her attacks were episodic. She took medication for an attack, but more often than not, it didn't work. She rode the attack out, sipping Coke and downing a Benadryl. Sleep was her best bet.

When did my migraine start?

In my late teens and early twenties, I began having recurring headaches. I treated them with Tylenol and Advil and continued with life. They escalated while I was in college, and despite my wife telling me they looked like migraines to her, I brushed it off. Foolishly, I assumed that it was nothing since I didn't fit her exact symptoms. I was very wrong. She was persistent and cared for me during my attacks. I cared for her during her attacks. It was a marriage made in heaven, lol. As she got older, had children, and her body regulated her hormones, her attacks changed. She had fewer severe attacks with more extended interictal periods. It was a blessing.

How did they impact my life?

I stubbornly limped along for several years. I pushed through my rapidly increasing attacks to pursue my career and live my life. I was miserable for many days, but as I learned, migraine sufferers put on a happy face mask. Masking only goes so far, and then reality comes crashing down. In 2012, I was hospitalized after a weeks-long ferocious attack cycle. This began my profound journey into the depths of migraine disease. I endured dozens of tests, gave pints of blood, and had all sorts of scans, spinal taps, and nerve tests. They found nothing.

What are our triggers?

When you hope that there is that 'one thing' that caused your attacks, it makes the disappointment of hearing "your tests were normal" a horrible echo indoor head. The specialist determined my wife's attacks were triggered by hormones and some food sensitivities. I have several structural issues in my spine, which "probably" play a part in my attacks. I track my attacks meticulously, but that offers very minimal clues. My triggers are stress/overstimulation, weather changes, and lighting fluctuations. These are not the easiest triggers to manage, as they don't always trigger attacks.

Do our children have migraine?

My wife and I have four daughters. Three of them live with episodic migraine. Each of them has a unique pattern for their attacks. It is different than my wife's or mine as well. At this point in our lives, we've learned so much about this constantly changing disease. We have suitable tools and resources to help treat and manage it. Our family support system has been built thoughtfully over the past 40+ years. This makes living with this disease more manageable, but make no mistake, it is still challenging. We now have six grandkids. We pray that migraine will skip that generation, but we are prepared to support and care for them if that's not the case. We treat migraine disease as a family unit. We share our knowledge, support, and resources, giving us the best chance for a productive life. Have you noticed others in your family line with migraine disease? Tracking health conditions can be like solving a mystery with many twists and turns!