Migraine

Age 10...I remember being hit against a wall at that age. It wasn't long afterward that I had a terrible headache. I remember falling off my bed in awful pain, holding my head and crying. I have had these terrible headaches for years following. It wasn't until my late 30s that a doctor gave them a name-migraine. There was no help back then. I was neurotic or stressed and it was my problem that I had sick headaches. I am nearly 60 now and I have about 15 headaches a month. I am always recovering from or having a migraine.

I recently went to the ED after my rescue med failed. I had a headache for four days. In the ED I was given Reglan, Ativan, Benadryl, Zofran, Toradol in IV, a CT scan to be sure I wasn't having a stroke or a hemorrhage, 2 bags of IV fluids for dehydration. It took three days to get over the sedative effects of the drugs. The headache came back on the other side of my head during that time. I have to say that treatment of migraine patients hasn't changed much over the years.

I still feel as though doctors think I am a drug seeker which is why I delay getting from the ED for as long as possible. I went to the doctor first before the ED. I was given Toradol at the office but three days later I was still in terrible terrible shape. Hence the ED visit. I wish that in my life time Migraine could be defined and treated as other disorders or diseases are.

Migraine affects all of my life. The impact is difficult to explain to those who tell me so often that it's just a headache. I just deal with migraine the best I can. I don't try to explain anything to doctors or to friends or to those who mean well with their advice. It is strange to find that the worst part of migraine is the sense of isolation it envelops you in and the defensiveness you feel when you do have to explain yourself.