For everyone out there who has had a migraine, here's a little bit about how I got to where I am today.
It was January 29, 2015. You may be wondering, how do I know the date? The short answer? I remember every detail about that day. And I remember it because if I hadn't gone to school that day, and if I hadn't gone to recess, and if I didn't catch a cold, then maybe I would have had a normal childhood. That day triggered a lifetime of pain. Fast forward about a month. I had been out of school and pretty much housebound. I had visited several doctors, and I finally had an initial diagnosis. My current (but working) diagnosis is Chronic Migraine Associated Vertigo, Chronic Migraine with Aura, and Chronic Migraine with Brainstem Aura (formerly known as basilar artery migraine). Translation: nearly every time I have a migraine, my body reacts like I have had a stroke with fully reversible symptoms. The thing about my disease is that the word "chronic" managed to find its way into my diagnosis. By definition, this meant I had a migraine 15 or more days per month and that my migraines could always develop and change how they appeared. In reality this meant I had a migraine every day all day. Fun right? What I needed? A really great doctor that was SUPER patient. Oh, and lots of meds.
If I were to ask random strangers what I migraine was they would, without doubt, tell me a migraine was a really bad headache. The combination of the lack of knowledge about my disease and the stigmas that come with being chronically ill made my being sick extremely difficult. Not to mention the fact that I'm a teenager. In my future blog posts, my hope is that I will be able to share some of the good and bad that come with chronic disease. I want to make readers aware that I'm very open about my migraines, so if you are someone who may be uncomfortable with some of the discussion, please be cautious when reading. My goal is not to make an awkward situation, but to help others who may be dealing with a similar situation. Living the life of the chronically ill is tough, but I have found that coping methods stem from experience, and maybe my experiences will prove helpful for someone else.