Don’ t Go It
By Matt Alderton
Alone
Migraine may be an invisible disease, but that doesn’ t mean you have to suffer in silence. Here’ s how to seek and find support among sympathizers and skeptics alike.
Most teenage girls are a little boy crazy: Did he notice me? Does he like me? Will he ask me to the prom? These questions are a bottomless pit of adolescent angst that can cause anxiety, acne and even depression. For Karen Jerabek, however, it caused migraines.
“ The migraines started during my senior year in high school,” says Jerabek, now 35.“ When I was under stress, especially stress from dating, I would have a series of bad migraines.”
When Jerabek, a writer and single mother of 3-yearold twins, got divorced in her
20s, her condition worsened, resulting in chronic, daily migraines. But— as is the case with many migraineurs— Jerabek’ s relationships haven’ t only caused migraines; they’ ve also been casualties of them.
The ancillary effects that typically accompany migraines— from missing appointments to fatigue and irritability— can cause friction with co-workers, bosses, romantic partners and family members. And with chronic migraines, these negative effects aren’ t just a fluke; they can happen several times a month, which means they are constantly impacting others. For many migraineurs, the social symptoms of migraines can be just as devastating as the physical ones.“ It’ s frustrating,” says Judy Brown, a Nashua, N. H., resident who has suffered from chronic migraines and cluster headaches for more than 30 years.“ I had my best friend tell me,‘ You’ ve got to stop worrying about it, Judy. It’ s all in your head.’ That really hurt.”
These types of situations can cause migraine sufferers to feel very isolated— like no one truly understands what they are going through. That’ s why building a strong
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