Denying my own pain became a coping mechanism for a condition both invisible and misunderstood.
https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N8893.2417516WELLANDGOOD/B30668498.377120020;d[…]rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;ltd=;dc_tdv=1
Then, two things happened that changed my relationship with my migraines: First, I moved in with my partner during the pandemic lockdown, and as we spent nearly every waking hour together, he bore witness to my regular migraine attacks, pointing out that I seemed to have one nearly every other day. Then, soon after, I developed stomach pain from eating, which I would later learn from a gastroenterologist was a symptom of an ulcer likely triggered by my regular Advil habit.
Certainly, my dad’s intentions weren’t to invalidate my pain so much as to assuage my medical fears. “I didn’t want you to be worried about anything potentially life-threatening,” he says, noting that he didn’t suggest a neurologist consultation sooner because he was relatively sure I didn’t have a brain tumor or the like, given my lack of any other neurological symptoms. What he didn’t mean to imply was that I shouldn’t worryabout something affecting my quality of life, he says.
Especially in the context of a society that prizes hustling, productivity, and reliability, having to manage migraine symptoms—and take a break to do so—can come at a significant reputational cost. “When you’re struggling with this disease that is unpredictable and difficult to control, there are repercussions for what we call role responsibilities, or your ability to engage as an employee, as a parent, as a partner, as a friend, as a member of society,” says Dr. Seng.
“Neurological disorder” were the words that really stuck. I hadn’t conceptualized my migraines as a disorder of any sort, much less a brain condition. But that’s exactly how migraine is understood in the medical literature, Dr. Masters-Israelov told me. “TheWhile, yes, that part of the brain may overreact to certain lifestyle behaviors in folks with migraine, it’s also just more susceptible to plenty of other environmental shifts, as noted above.
In recent months, I’ve learned to embrace Dr. Masters-Israelov’s treatment plan: Now, when I feel the earliest twinge of migraine pain, I take my prescribed dose of sumatriptan , and every time the drug clears my symptoms, I feel that much more empowered. I no longer shy away from my daily preventative dose of propranolol, and my migraines are down from 15-plus a month to about five or six.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hershey at Lower Dauphin field hockey live stream on PennLive: Here’s how to watchCheck out two of the top Mid-Penn programs going head-to-head Monday night.
Read more »
How did he stay on his feet? Check out this wild 52-yard run nominated for the Play of the WeekWe have three great plays going head-to-head-to-head for this round of Play of the Week.
Read more »
Head of OPEC warns of a 'dangerous' lack of investment in oilThe head of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries — a group of the world’s major oil producers — told CNN Monday that a lack of investment in the oil industry posed a danger to global energy security and could send crude prices to $100 a barrel.
Read more »
Treasury yields head back toward multiyear highs after U.S. government averts shutdownTreasury yields resumed their climb back toward the highest levels in at least a dozen years Monday morning, days after the U.S. government managed to avoid...
Read more »
Beyoncé's ‘Renaissance’ movie will head to theatersA documentary chronicling Beyoncé‘s just-concluded 39-city Renaissance World Tour will premiere in North American theaters Dec. 1, AMC Theaters announced...
Read more »
Teen accidentally shot self in head while playing with unsecured gun in Conn. home: PDA teenager remains in critical condition after accidentally shooting himself in the head while playing with an unsecured gun while home alone in Watertown over the weekend. Officers responded to a home on Hadley Street around 12:30 p.m. Saturday after getting a report of a 14-year-old male who had fallen down a set of stairs and was bleeding from his…
Read more »