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A Walking Barometer

My Name is Jess, I have had migraines since I was in high school but we weren't able to find the true trigger until I was in College because it was hiding behind another diagnosis, a chronic stress disorder. Growing up I lived in a valley and would get a migraine everytime I would travel, but we thought it was just that travelling stressed me out. Then I noticed whenever there was a thunderstorm I got a migraine, again stress was blamed because perhaps I truly was unconsciously scared of thunder. Stress seemed to be ruining my life.

Then I went to college, and noticed I would get a migraine only when I would go into the valley, or if there was a rain or snow storm. Finally someone pointed out that it was whenever a cold front would arrive I would be incapacitated by the pain and when I spoke to my doctor She mentioned that the drop in elevation when I got to the valley probably was a trigger, but that I'd missed the storm migraines for so long due to the strange way the weather in the valley operated.

Now I am a walking barometer and can tell down to the second when a cold front hits so I stalk the weather network like nobody's business and soon as I see that there is something on the way I start taking whatever headache medication I have in reach, hoping to avoid the searing pain that announces the arrival. I'm usually successful but if not I'm down for days. I can only hope one day my life won't be run by the weather, the one variable I have no control over.

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