Pain at the Polls: Voting with Migraine
Picture this: you emerge from a restless sleep with your head pounding. Quickly assessing yourself head to toe you determine that yeah, this is a bad one. You're already at a 7. When you sit up a wave of nausea crashes over you; your skin feels tender and sore. The pain has increased just from moving to an upright position and the morning light shining in through your blinds hits you like daggers. Your thoughts move to what meds to take, what you have to do later... and then you remember. It's November 8, Election Day.
Polling sites on Election Day during a presidential year can be crowded. Often there is a line, and the buildings housing the voting tend to be places like schools and churches, which sometimes have fluorescent lighting. Being in close proximity to a lot of people can also cause exposure to perfumes and other odors. If there are children accompanying their parents, the noise of their high pitched laughter or whining or at worst, screaming and crying, would make the environment uncomfortable for anyone, but completely untenable for a person with migraine disease. Spending time in such a place could trigger an attack; entering when already in the throes of one? Impossible.
Yet, voting is so incredibly important, during presidential elections especially. Every four years we get to participate in the most important democratic process: choosing a person to lead our country, making our voices heard. For the chronically ill, there are a lot of issues at stake. The status of the Affordable Care Act and Social Security, particularly if you are on Disability. The CDC's new opioid guidelines, which have an effect on all pain patients. The Family Medical Leave Act, which has allowed many of us to have extended paid time off work. The cost of prescription drugs. The regulation of the Food and Drug Administration. All of these policies and programs impact our lives directly. How can we make sure we are actually able to cast our votes?

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