Facing
Forward is a series that shares the lives of people living with arthritis
and other invisible chronic illnesses. The goal of the series is to see how we
are similar and how we are different - and to remind us to keep moving forward
because we aren't alone!
Name: Elizabeth
Name: Elizabeth
Location: NW Ohio
Diagnoses: Chronic
Migraine Disease
Age at Diagnoses: 9 (Severe episodic)
Age at transition to chronic: 30
Age at transition to chronic: 30
How are you currently treating your conditions?
I’m involved in my second clinical trial of CGRP antagonist
preventive medications (first was Amgen, can't reveal the second company).
Primary pain symptoms significantly relieved without side effects. However,
still have secondary migraine symptoms of nausea, vomiting, anxiety,
depression, allodynia, tinnitus, cognitive dysfunction, and facial autonomic
symptoms that are frustrating to occasionally debilitating. Also: treat with
acute medications. Sumatriptan tablets and injections, tizanidine, zofran,
opioids for rescue, and occasional ER visits for intractable pain.
What are the biggest challenges you have faced since
your diagnosis?
Striving to still have a life while being told treating
every migraine attack will lead to medication overuse headache. Raising my
young girls. Losing my job and gradually being well enough to work from home
for migraine.com and a local online news
journal I helped found. A relationship with my partner and caregiver. Facing
each day. Managing to stay positive through very difficult conditions and
transitions.
What are your favorite tips and tricks for managing
everyday tasks?
Sleep when needed, whenever that may be. Eating lightly and
often and staying hydrated. Using mentholated Salonpas patches on my forehead,
and oddly, Highland's homepathic "Migraine" dissolvable tablets
(ordered on internet). Not pushing myself but also not giving up what is
important to me, like being part of my daughters' dance and theatre
productions.
How do you manage to keep facing forward every day?
I keep facing forward because the alternative is
unthinkable. I want my daughters to see strength despite adversity. And I must
always hang on to hope that things will get better. The CGRP trials certainly
help with that.
If you could go back to diagnosis day and tell your
past self one thing, what would it be?
I wish I could tell my child and teen self that yes, you
will face a life of hardship due to this disease, but you will not be alone.
Doctors may mistreat you, teachers may disbelieve you, but don't give up. Help
will be coming in more ways than you can possibly know.
Do you have a blog you would like to share?
I blog at ladymigraine.com
and have a beautiful graphic novel created with my partner about family life
with chronic migraine at migraine365.com.
I also am a patient advocate and moderator at migraine.com.
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