"I'd also try all of the available medications for migraines despite their side-effects and begin avoiding bright lights, loud noises and a long list of foods that other chronic migraineurs told me could worsen my pain including gluten, tomatoes, dairy, bananas, certain varieties of onions, lemons, olive oil and anything aged including leftovers. Early on, I visited one of the country's top-ranked neurology practices, looking for answers."
"My MRI, CT scan and bloodwork were all normal, yet clearly something was wrong. But the neurologist insisted this was the end of the road. You're thinking of migraine like a virus, or a broken bone, he said, but it's actually a Pandora's box. And you've, unfortunately, already opened it. By this he meant that my chronic migraine disorder, now unleashed, couldn't be reversed. This doctor's opinion was, I would soon discover, the prevailing one within the American medical establishment."
A first migraine at 27 progressed into persistent, weeks-long attacks and frequent stabbing icepick headaches, producing chronic pain and repeated hospitalizations. Work ended due to light sensitivity and screen intolerance, leading to long-term disability. Multiple available migraine medications were tried despite side effects, alongside strict avoidance of bright lights, loud noises and many foods reported as triggers. Neurological imaging and bloodwork returned normal results, yet a neurologist characterized the condition as an irreversible 'Pandora's box,' reflecting a prevailing medical view that chronic migraine, unlike many episodic cases, cannot be reversed.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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