I can’t remember exactly when my migraines started.
I remember getting hit by blinding headaches after a difficult exam, a tough meeting with the boss, or presentation in front of a crowd. The headache after my driver’s license test was a real doozie.
After I moved to northern Alberta in 2002, the work days became much longer, the job much more stressful. The headaches would always start on the weekends, made worse by long drives to Edmonton (a surprisingly common practice when living in northern Alberta).
Just “weekend headaches,” I told myself, brought on by too much work, and not enough sleep.
I didn’t know they were migraines at the time, and it didn’t seem to matter. They would (thankfully) always clear after a few Advils, and a good night’s sleep.
I moved to Calgary in 2004, and the headaches got more intense, now more like a searing pain on the left side of my forehead. The triggers were numerous … the bright prairie sun, flying on an airplane, a tough cardio workout, an unpleasant conversation with the boss. The randomness of it all made it even more frustrating.
For some reason, the headaches felt very different this time. They didn’t clear easily, and sometimes lasted several days. The Advils didn’t help, and the intense pain in my head made it impossible to get any sleep.
I remember flying back from Mexico in the spring of 2006. The flight triggered a crippling headache that lasted several days — 72 hours to be exact. I couldn’t function in the office, couldn’t stare at the computer screen, couldn’t sit through a meeting. I remember sitting in my bedroom closet, crying, with the doors shut, trying to block out any light and noise.
My “headaches” were suddenly affecting my life, my work, and my sanity.
At a drop-in clinic, the doctor diagnosed me with migraines. “I get them too,” he said, as if that was supposed to make me feel better. “Had them since I was a kid. Not much you can do about them.”
He gave me a bunch of sample pills. Triptans — standard issue meds for all migraine sufferers. After testing different brands and dosages, I settled on MAXALT® tablets, by Merck (extra-strength, please). I’ve never been a fan of Big Pharma, but I remember being so thankful for those pills on some days.
The migraines persisted over the years, randomly and without warning. No discernible pattern, at least nothing I could see.
The triptans didn’t always work, at least not with one dose. They would help temporarily, releasing the tight grip on my skull, but the migraines would often return. And there’s a limit to how many triptans you can take.
For every effect, there is a definite cause. Despite being told repeatedly there is no cure for migraines, I was determined to find an answer. I couldn’t allow this to continue unresolved.
And that’s how it all started.