Today is the first day of Migraine Awareness Month. My mission is to report a different aspect of migraine each day of the month. I was hesitant to do this because of the stigma associated with migraine. A blog is such a public space, and I wasn't sure if I really wanted the world to know about my struggle with this disease. But part of the problem with stigma is that people feel ashamed and closeted. When people don't discuss their struggles, myths and misconceptions are perpetuated. I decided to forge ahead, hoping that in some small way I would help erase some of that stigma and feel less shame about my own struggles with migraine.
The topic of this post is "my first migraine."
I have always been a headachey person. I just thought that everyone had a lot of headaches. I have since discovered that is not true. I don't remember having a MIGRAINE until I was about 32 years old. I was struggling with a rare disease called Chronic Erythema Multiforme (CEM). This was a blistering disease that affected my skin, lungs, mouth and stomach. Medical professionals weren't really sure what caused this disease, but I was on prednisone each time I had a flare-up, which was about 3 times a month.
What I remember is having what I called a "three-day headache" prior to a flare-up of the CEM. I told my doctor and he did the requisite MRI, but did not call it a migraine. He probably thought it was related to the Erythema Multiforme. I remember being very frightened during this time of my life, not knowing if I had lupus, lymphoma or some other fatal disease. The head pain only added to this anxiety. Because I was already so sick from the CEM, the details of my very first migraine are sketchy. I do remember the head pain as very different from previous headaches; not only the duration, but the intensity and location of the pain, which was on only one side of my head and throbbing in nature. Tylenol didn't touch the pain. After the pain was gone, I felt hung over, off-balance, and would run into walls.
I was taking an antiviral at that time to see if it would help the CEM. I thought the head pain was a side effect from that drug, so I stopped the drug, but the episodes of head pain continued irregularly from every couple of months to a couple times a month. That's when I decided it was more than just a headache.
Having a rare chronic disease is a very isolating feeling. Having TWO chronic diseases is down right scary.
National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger’s Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.
The topic of this post is "my first migraine."
I have always been a headachey person. I just thought that everyone had a lot of headaches. I have since discovered that is not true. I don't remember having a MIGRAINE until I was about 32 years old. I was struggling with a rare disease called Chronic Erythema Multiforme (CEM). This was a blistering disease that affected my skin, lungs, mouth and stomach. Medical professionals weren't really sure what caused this disease, but I was on prednisone each time I had a flare-up, which was about 3 times a month.
What I remember is having what I called a "three-day headache" prior to a flare-up of the CEM. I told my doctor and he did the requisite MRI, but did not call it a migraine. He probably thought it was related to the Erythema Multiforme. I remember being very frightened during this time of my life, not knowing if I had lupus, lymphoma or some other fatal disease. The head pain only added to this anxiety. Because I was already so sick from the CEM, the details of my very first migraine are sketchy. I do remember the head pain as very different from previous headaches; not only the duration, but the intensity and location of the pain, which was on only one side of my head and throbbing in nature. Tylenol didn't touch the pain. After the pain was gone, I felt hung over, off-balance, and would run into walls. I was taking an antiviral at that time to see if it would help the CEM. I thought the head pain was a side effect from that drug, so I stopped the drug, but the episodes of head pain continued irregularly from every couple of months to a couple times a month. That's when I decided it was more than just a headache.
Having a rare chronic disease is a very isolating feeling. Having TWO chronic diseases is down right scary.
Artwork from http://pain-topics.org/gallery.php
Title: Migraine Pain
Artist: Jennifer Dochod (Grand Rapids, MI)
National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger’s Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.
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