Finding Hope

Sometimes I have no idea where to begin, and today is one of those days. It seems like I have been on the merry-go-round of headache and migraine for so long.

I have never been one to reach out for help. I always believed that I could handle anything on my own. I was used to having a slight headache every day. It was no big deal. After all, I'm not stranger to pain. So what if that slight headache got worse and lasted for days to a week at a time. I would just pop about six Advil and go about my day. It wasn't migraines like my Nanna kept saying.

Severe symptoms

Then one day I couldn't even lay my head on my pillow. I had trouble driving home from work. My ears were ringing with pain. I was vomiting and my vision was foggy in my left eye. I messaged my doctor. He made an immediate appointment for me and billed my co-pay.

I came away from that appointment with Topamax. It didn't help, but I had hope. Maybe it was just me. Over time we added Verapamil and upped the Topamax to 100mg twice a day. Then we added an antidepressant. For four years we did this and it got worse. Then came the day my doctor looked at me and said he was referring me to a neurologist and that Botox was probably next. I was terrified.

Seeing a neurologist for migraine

The neurologist's office called and we made my first appointment. I went, not really expecting much. I googled what to expect from a neurologist visit and came across so many stories. I was well familiar with the stigma that came with migraine and no one seemed to believe that I always had a headache of some level. I had even had a cashier asked me what I was on, so I really didn't expect much. Then I met Dr. Chris.

Finding a good doctor

She listened to me. She asked me questions. She was the one to ask me if I had a headache that never went away. I didn't have to tell her. By the next visit, she had an answer for me. I had low pressure in my brain. She showed me the MRI scan my PCP had done. It looked really cool! She pointed out the space between my brain and my skull. I was scared, but we had an answer.

She said a blood patch could fix it. I held off because of my fear. She understood and we decided to test her theory. For six weeks I wore an abdominal binder, and I improved. When I took it off, I was worse than before. I was now off of Topamax and supplementing my B12 and there wasn't any change. Now I was having to get injections of Toradol and Zofran. She said I needed the procedure and I agreed.

April 19 I went to Dallas and had the procedure done. I had a migraine that day, and it lasted for a couple of days afterward. For 24 hours, I had to be flat on my back. The drive home was spent with me laying down in the passenger seat. My time off work was spent lounging in bed or on the couch.

Relief from migraine symptoms

What amazed me was the difference! Within a couple of weeks, I noticed it. A couple more weeks and the change was drastic. The back pain had gone away and the everyday headache was gone!

I still get migraines and I'm still chronic. My neurologist says I have a migraine brain and I will always have them. Now we can focus on getting my medications right and hopefully moving away from chronic.

I had lost my hope years ago in this battle. I had listened to all the "suggestions" and the rude comments and I just knew that no one would understand. Now I have that hope again.