Through the years, me and my migraines

My migraines and I have been together for over 30 years, longer than most marriages. Early on, in my mid twenties, I recall having headaches that I would treat with OTC meds. You name it, I tried it. Headache was a regular occurrence for me. Wasn't until close to 30 that a doctor told me I had migraines and that's when this whole new world opened up to me. Through my 30's and 40's while having and raising my children, I did not have the time, or the strength, to fully analyze my migraines. Now in my mid 50's, having accepted migraine as part of my life, I can see how different my migraines have been through the years.

During my regular visits to my neurologist as I filled out the forms and had to count forwards and backwards to answer the question of how many headaches I've had in the last three months and how many of those kept me from my regular activity and how many of those reduced my productivity my 50% but not to count those headaches I already counted in question one!!! Oh, for goodness sake, I would just slap down a number and let the doc figure it out, or leave it blank until he asked me so that then he could do the math. When I finally, really paid attention to my migraines, I noticed that they had changed, over the years. In my 30's, when I didn't track my migraines but had about a handful a month, I responded to oral meds and triptans worked fine.

In my 40's, as migraine frequency was just about daily, I graduated to injectable meds and all it took was one dose and I was good to go. Now, in my 50's, I've noticed that for the last couple of years my migraines have changed and how I manage them has had to change as well. Currently my migraines are slightly less frequent but considerably more severe. One dose of medication does not resolve the migraine and I have started using compazine or meclizine along with my triptans as a boost. I guess the moral of my story is that my relationship with migraine has been a living, changing thing. And like any relationship, you must give it attention and learn to accept the failures and victories that come with it. You will have good days and bad days, but at least your migraine won't forget to put down the toilet seat.