3 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Migraines

Hindsight is 20/20. I don’t know who coined this phrase, but it is annoyingly true. I’ve lived with migraine disease for over half a century. I don’t know how many times I’ve looked back at my migraine history through the lens of current knowledge and said, “I wish I would have known about this back then.”

Sometimes these moments of hindsight are because of brand new developments from the hardworking scientists who study migraine disease. Other times it’s because I didn’t know the right questions to ask, the people who had the answers didn’t tell me, or it was before the internet era of easily accessible information.

Family History

My paternal grandmother had migraine. No one told me until I was in my 40s, long after Grandma passed away. I was visiting with one of my aunts and I shared that I had woke up with a migraine. She casually told me how her older siblings took care of her when Grandma had bad headaches that would keep her in bed all day. I was stunned by this new-to-me information.

Either my family never made the connection between Grandma’s illness and mine or they didn’t think it was worth mentioning. It would have been nice to know I wasn’t alone in my problem. Had we shared our experiences, I might have gone to the doctor for a diagnosis earlier than I did. When I think about the episodes I could have treated with medication or avoided altogether. If only I had known sooner.

Workplace Rights

Early in my career, in the 1990s, I worked through a lot of migraine episodes. I wish I had known about migraine inclusion in the ADA laws back then. This information would have added credibility to my need to leave work early or come in late because of an episode.

I could have educated my employers about migraine disease for myself and other employees. Lack of information often escalated workplace situations. If I had known I had rights and I had known how important it was to educate others about migraine disease, who knows how different my career would have looked?

No Apologies

Migraine warriors do not need to apologize for their illness. I wish someone would have told me this a long time ago. For years, I thought of myself as weak and incapable because I couldn’t function through a headache like “normal” people. That sentence is wrong on so many levels.

No one told me not to apologize for migraines, but I figured it out anyway. We all have our crosses to bear, and migraine is one of mine. I’m learning about my illness and doing the best I can to mitigate its effects on my life and the lives of the people around me. Anyone who thinks I should be sorry for that owes me an apology.

Hindsight Is 20/20

There’s nothing I can do to change the past. Poor communication delayed my diagnosis, I didn’t stand up for myself in the workplace as soon as I should have, and I have apologized for my illness too many times. The important thing is that I’ve learned something from what I wish someone had told me about migraines.

That’s why I share my experiences here with all of you. I want you to be able to say, “I’m glad someone told me.”

Originally published at WebMD.com on 8-12-24.