Let's face it, headaches are a common nuisance for everyone. Especially when you have the luck-of-the-draw gene that makes you have a headache or the insufferable migraine, every day for the rest of your life. Unfortunately for me, I fall under this category as of this year.
I can't explain how I suddenly had the beautiful chance of acquiring this little gift, but I got it with a magnificent punch to the face. To go into further detail, it all went downhill after I began traveling with my college's softball team. I don't blame those long bus rides or the games themselves, I'm rather disappointed and sad that I can't travel with them due to my chronic migraines.
In any case, I began to have severe headaches after a return trip from Arkansas. The charter bus was practically silent and given that I am a student first, I was catching up on homework on the way back. Out of nowhere, my head feels like hundreds of knives are being shoved directly into my skull and I feel so nauseous that I had to quickly move all my papers and laptop off to the side. I think I might've bumped and knocked into everyone sleeping with their legs off the seats on my way to the bathroom, but I could barely stop to apologize. I made it to the bathroom and nearly hurled into the toilet. I stayed there for a few minutes until I thought I wouldn't vomit all over the place.
When I got back to my seat, I slowly packed my things back into my backpack and laid down. My head was literally pounding and every passing car's headlights sent another piercing pain through my head. I remember lying down thinking that I wanted to just die and end this agony. I texted my mom and told her what was going on, but there was nothing really she could do since I was on a bus and she was at home.
After that, I had that same migraine for five weeks. At the time, I had no idea what was causing it or why I was having a headache every day and all day with no relief except when I finally fell asleep. Ibuprofen, Tylenol, and Aleve did absolutely nothing for me. I was so desperate for answers that I went to the Ruleville After Hours Clinic probably four different times. I eventually got a CAT scan which showed that there was no tumors or any other possible problems to my brain, which was an absolute blessing.
However, nothing that the doctor at the clinic prescribed worked. Sure, some of it was able to knock me out quicker, but during the day, there was no relief. I was so sensitive to light sometimes that I couldn't even open my eyes. Thankfully, my sensitivity to sound remained remotely the same. How that is a blessing, I don't think anyone, but people with migraines can fully understand.
In essence, that same doctor who was with me throughout the whole five-week long period suggested we head to a neurologist. He contacted a nearby neurologist clinic not far from Cleveland, and my mother and I headed to see him as soon as we were able.
That's when I found out that I had chronic migraines.
Just knowing there was a name to what was wrong and that there was medicine strong enough to counteract it made me nearly cry with joy. I couldn't handle being slowed down by these migraines anymore. I've always hated being sick because I wanted to move around and go about my day like normal. With these intense migraines that never seemed to end and continued on to the next with no relief, I felt so unlike myself and helpless.
I was prescribed a migraine medicine that is one of the top three drugs used to treat chronic migraine patients. I had to work my way up to two pills a night, but once I've gotten there—I have never been so grateful to take horse pills in my life.
Now, these pills may help in preventing me from having nonstop migraines every day, but I will still have them. Even now, I tend to have headaches all the time, but they're either low on the pain scale or can easily by treated with Ibuprofen. I keep a migraine journal for my neurologist doctor so he knows how I'm doing on a day-to-day basis for our four or so month check-ins.
Living with chronic migraines is difficult and there will always be days where I can't get out of bed, but I just roll with the punches and keep moving. It's all any of us can do nowadays.
