I figure the best place to start this blog is at the beginning, as loath as I am to relive it. So, without further ado, here it is - my story (part one!):
When I was 13, I started suffering from migraines (I still remember my first migraine ever, and I recall thinking that I never wanted to experience anything like it again - HA!). So my mom took me to my then PCP. First order of business was allergy testing. Turned out, I was allergic to everything. So that was a good call. Unfortunately, the allergy meds didn't stop my migraines. So, the next step was checking my eyes (I happen to be near sighted and wear glasses). Again, probably a good call. My eyes were fine and I wore my glasses all the time, so, not the cause. That's when things started to get sketchy. "Maybe she's depressed" (I'll admit, years later, I was diagnosed with depression - but it was most likely a result of living with my condition, not the cause) followed by my favorite of all: "She's making it up" (SERIOUSLY).
That's when we decided to find a specialist. My mom was currently seeing a local neurologist for other reasons, so she took me to see her too (Dr. S). Without running any tests or scans, she diagnosed me with chronic migraines (which I suppose is kind of true). She put me on Topamax which cut down on the frequency of the migraines and she told us that was the best we could hope for. I continued to see her until she scared the crap out of my mom with a misdiagnosis. My mom found a new doctor and my migraines were tolerable on medication, and we didn't expect anything to change.
(Coming soon - Part 2: Where my brain tries to kill me, I get a new diagnosis, and I go blind!)
When I was 13, I started suffering from migraines (I still remember my first migraine ever, and I recall thinking that I never wanted to experience anything like it again - HA!). So my mom took me to my then PCP. First order of business was allergy testing. Turned out, I was allergic to everything. So that was a good call. Unfortunately, the allergy meds didn't stop my migraines. So, the next step was checking my eyes (I happen to be near sighted and wear glasses). Again, probably a good call. My eyes were fine and I wore my glasses all the time, so, not the cause. That's when things started to get sketchy. "Maybe she's depressed" (I'll admit, years later, I was diagnosed with depression - but it was most likely a result of living with my condition, not the cause) followed by my favorite of all: "She's making it up" (SERIOUSLY).
That's when we decided to find a specialist. My mom was currently seeing a local neurologist for other reasons, so she took me to see her too (Dr. S). Without running any tests or scans, she diagnosed me with chronic migraines (which I suppose is kind of true). She put me on Topamax which cut down on the frequency of the migraines and she told us that was the best we could hope for. I continued to see her until she scared the crap out of my mom with a misdiagnosis. My mom found a new doctor and my migraines were tolerable on medication, and we didn't expect anything to change.
(Coming soon - Part 2: Where my brain tries to kill me, I get a new diagnosis, and I go blind!)
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