As someone who suffers/lives with Chronic Intractable Migraines I am excited to share that i am raising funds for The Headache Alliance's mission to raise awareness and demand action for the over 40 million Americans living with migraine and other headache disorders. 

My Migraine Journey:

I first started experiencing severe headaches and was diagnosed with Migraine 12 years ago, at the age of 28, right when I was graduating from my Masters in Social Work program. Once I was diagnosed, I started a journey of trying dozens and dozens of different medications and treatments - however, none of them proved to be effective for me in preventing the migraines.

While working as a child and adolescent therapist, I started to reach a breaking point in 2017 when the migraines were starting to severely impact my ability to work - and then reached a devastating turning point when i became pregnant. From the moment I became pregnant until now, I started getting daily/non-stop migraines and was officially diagnosed with Chronic Migraine. When I say I had a migraine 24 hours a day, I literally mean that I was in some level of pain (usually moderate to moderately severe) EVERY SINGLE DAY for the last almost 6 years. While I have finally found (12 YEARS later) a preventative medication that has reduced the frequency and intensity of my migraines significantly (and I am eternally grateful every day for that), I still struggle with mild to moderate pain most days and and continue to experience often debilitating fatigue and brain fog.

Migraine/chronic pain has, in almost all ways, upended my life and has had a profoundly negative impact on my quality of life and my mental health. It has stolen more things from me than I can list, but some of the things include: 

- My plans and goals for the future

- My ability to make plans/any sense of predictability in my day to day life

- My career/ability to work/income

- My ability to socialize/make plans/leave the house

- Being able to participate in the things that I love like horseback riding, snowboarding, reading, outdoor adventures, and traveling

- My joyful spirit and love of life in general 

- And hands down the MOST difficult of all, my ability at times to take care of/be the parent he deserves to my magical little boy. 

Migraine is NOT just a bad headache. It is a complex neurological disease that causes CRIPPLING headaches and includes dozens of other symptoms. While it effects everyone differently, for me those other symptoms include Fatigue, Brain Fog (an inability to think clearly, concentrate, speak clearly, remember words, process information, track during conversations, and much more), Nausea/vomiting, Sensitivity to Smells, concerning and frequent short term Memory issues/loss, Neck Pain, and Facial Pain.

For a condition that affects MILLIONS of people, there is an unacceptable and profound lack of awareness in general regarding this debilitating disease. 

Me and My Migraines Thank You :)

Nathalie