My Migraine Knowledge Journey
A few months ago, I read a Facebook comment about one of my WebMD articles. Betty had this to say: “That was no help! Yada, yada, yada.” You’re not wrong, Betty. I do repeat myself a lot in an attempt to convince others of the importance of knowledge and management in dealing with migraine disease. There are times it feels like a lot of yada, yada, yada to me, too.
Here’s the thing though. Not everyone is a seasoned migraine veteran like you and me. For the reader who has just begun their migraine knowledge journey, my words might be enlightening. What you and I have figured out already might be information leading them to answers. My words may not be of importance to you, but they could be important to someone.
I lived with migraines for 20 years before I found out “Tammy’s headaches” had a more official name. My diagnosis day in the early '90s was the beginning of my knowledge journey. I entered the doctor’s office with little information about my disease. I knew its name and the typical progression of symptoms of my attacks. That’s it.
I left the doctor’s office with an abortive tool called sumatriptan. It was expensive and only in the form of an injection, but my eyes saw it as nothing short of a miracle. I walked out of the facility wishing I had identified my illness earlier in life and wondering what else I didn’t know. I didn’t have the internet to help me search for answers to my questions. I gathered information from the medical community. My doctor told me to figure out my triggers and work on avoiding exposure to those triggers.
I acquired loads of information by attending a "lunch and learn" seminar put on by a local medical school. The lecture included documents detailing the stages of a migraine and a list of standard triggers. I visited those pages many times over the next few years as I paid more attention to what led up to each of my episodes. I began asking myself questions while the event was fresh in my mind.
What did I eat yesterday and today?
What are the weather patterns like this week?
Was I exposed to a strong odor recently?
What visual elements bothered my eyes earlier today?
I would then consult my migraine documents to see if my answers were listed as potential triggers. If so, I would make a mental note and see if it happened again. As patterns emerged, I began to see my version of migraine more clearly. Once I was able to see my adversary, I could figure out a way to fight it.
I didn’t wait for my doctor to tell me about advancements in migraine treatment. I asked if there was anything else available. As soon as the tablet version hit the market, I got a prescription. Also expensive, but at least it didn’t involve sticking a needle in my leg. I continued to discuss treatment options with my doctors over the next several decades. The introduction of a generic version of my abortive medicine was a relief to my head and to my wallet.
I plan to keep learning about my illness. Now, I have a lot more resources, like migraine groups on social media and articles here at WebMD. Sometimes it’s a lot of yada, yada, yada, but sometimes I learn something that seems like nothing short of a miracle. And Betty, I hope you trudge through the repetition and find a miracle or two as well.
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Originally published at WebMD.com on 6/19/23.
