A Painful But Enlightening Journey
Hello everyone!
My name is Trey- I’m new to Migraine.com, just sharing a little about me and how migraines have impacted my life. I’m 44, native Texan living in Texas. Howdy, y’all!
I was officially diagnosed with chronic migraine last year, though I should have checked myself into the doctors much earlier. My first encounter with a migraine was during my high school years, dealing with episodic migraines after. About seven or eight years ago, my migraines became a lot more frequent and my symptoms became more unusual, and frightening.
These unusual symptoms led me to my doc, then a neurologist, as the neurologist ran many tests on me. Though my tests were ‘mostly’ normal, I was officially diagnosed with Chronic Migraine. It was here that I learned that Chronic Migraine is more than just a headache- it’s a chronic condition.
The impact has been high as I’ve had to make lifestyle changes. I was a very active person- always playing sports and doing multiple activities whether at home or work. When anyone needed my help, I’d volunteer! But when a migraine would hit, my day would take a ‘complete 180’.
When the migraines and headaches started to surface more than half a month, I started calling-in to work more frequently. My tolerance for stress was noticeably lower. I exhibited unusual symptoms, like visual disturbances (aura and blind spots), ice-pick-to-one-side-of-the-head sensations, muscle stiffness in my face and neck, debilitating dizziness, and numbness/tingling all over. On a dizzy or aura day, I won’t get behind the wheel at all. Extreme temperatures and weather changes are something that I have to take great caution about. Putting this all together, coping with chronic migraines has been quite the journey.
So far, with some great advice from my doc along with Faith in God, I’m learning to deal with it. Some days are better than others and some or worse. But I’m ever thankful, as migraines have taught me to appreciate the value of life!
Blessings!
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