Migraines: My Severe Chronic Pain for 9530 Days Straight
Since May 1995, I have had an intractable migraine EVERYDAY. That makes 9530 days consecutively. I have 3 main triggers: getting overheated, stress, and a drop in barometric pressure (rain or snow).
Work and family relationships
Because of my migraine, I can’t keep a job, even on FMLA, most of my family thinks I’m faking it for attention, and nobody can understand the pain and all the bodily issues related to migraine unless they too have severe intractable migraine. My kids thought I was faking migraines to sleep and not have to play with them. That’s so sad. I put a brave face on and face the world every day. I don’t remember what it is like to not be in severe pain. Because I’ve been this way medically for so many many years, I still try to laugh and joke so others mistake that for feeling fine, which I don’t.
Therapies and/or medications I've tried
* Acupressure
* Acupuncture
* Allergist (did blood work and tested for several hundred allergies – not really allergic to anything)
* Biofeedback
* Blood Work
* Botox Injections (200cc’s)
* Chiropractor
* Cleveland Clinic – Neurologist put me on muscle relaxers (helps minimally) and an MAOI
* Cranial Manipulation
* Daith piercings on both sides (for 3 yrs now)
* DHE (3-day hospital stay)
* Eye exams
* Holistic Therapies and diet
* Medical Marijuana
* MRI’s & CT’s (with and without contrast)
* Neurologist(s) – most recent is the Head of the National Headache Foundation
* Occipital Nerve Block
* Orthodontist – had my jaw and head muscles put in a most relaxed state. A custom mouth guard was created to align my jaw
* Pain Medicine (opiates and non-opiates)
* Pharmaceuticals (approximately 120-125 different drugs over the last 25+ years)
* Physical Therapy
* Psychologist – visual pain therapy
* Sinus Surgery
* Spinal Tap x3 (I requested)
* Suboxone for Chronic Pain
* Trigger Point Injections
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