Migraine Mania!
Oh where to begin...such a long and detailed story to tell. I will do my best to be as accurate as possible because lately my brain feels like it is made of mush and I have no memory capacity. I am a 42 year old female who remembers my first migraine being at the young age of 9 at a softball game; had to be taken off the field by ambulance and to the hospital.
Unfortunately was not diagnosed with migraines till later in my teen years, roughly 14 years old. Since that time my migraines have increased in intensity, severity, and frequency. I was able to obtain my master's degree s a Cytologist and had a lucrative career for 15 years while dealing with the every changing migraines and pain. My first employer employed me for 14 years and I had to obtain an FMLA and was basically protected from being fired; my manager thought I was lazy and did not want to work; even though my statistics and workload accuracy spoke for itself. They finally got their break when the economy went down and they had to downsize my department....my name was the first on the chopping block. I was crushed..I had worked all my life to be independent and make a good living helping others in the medical field. I loved what I did.
I then obtained another job but that barely lasted a year because I missed too many days from work and was an unreliable employee. Since then I have not worked in almost two years. I filed a disability claim and was denied; of course; because migraines are not a true disease! Yeah Right! If only they felt our pain one day in their lives would they ever question our disease/disability again? I have had to obtain a lawyer and hopefully it won't take years to get approved as my financial situation is not getting any better. Well, in all those years I have consulted neurologists, PCP, chiropractors, therapists, herbal and non medicinal remedies and to no avail I now have intractable daily migraines.
My PCP and I agreed that it was time to involve a specialist after years of getting no where with treatment plans and numerous drugs I can't even keep track of how many and what they all were. I saw a migraine specialist neurologist that is also board certified in migraine specialities; so that sounded positive. He is located 1 1/2 hours from my home and we decided to be more aggressive and admit me to the hospital, detox me from all the meds I take daily now (dilaudid, stadol nasal spray, percocet, maxalt mlt, tigan, etc) and hopefully insurance will pay for botox injections. I am scared and not the least bit hopeful because of all the other failed attempts at controlling this disease/disability. I am trying to be positive but I now also suffer from severe depression and am being treated with meds from therapists and psychiatrists; mainly because my entire life was taken from me from this condition. I am an insomniac also and we all know that does not help a migraine sufferer. I have missed so much of my life and things that I can't do or attend.....I have two lovely granddaughters and a niece that I adore equally and cannot do the normal things with them....I try and push myself and then pay for it later. My last statement is one thing that I would like the would to hear loud and clear: A DUCK IN THE WATER APPEARS CALM AND SERENE BUT WHAT YOU DON'T SEE ARE HIS FEET STRUGGLING UNDER THE WATER TO KEEP HIM AFLOAT......JUST BECAUSE I LOOK NORMAL DOES NOT MEAN THAT I AM....I STRUGGLE EVERYDAY AND IF YOU KNOW THAT I SUFFER DON'T SAY STUPID STUFF LIKE TRY EXCEDRIN MIGRAINE! Okay enough ranting....I am that duck in the water and I am struggling and sinking.
Oh I forgot to mention they are going to do the DHE infusion treatments too. I have read equally good and bad about this treatment, but it is what scares me the most.
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