Living with Invisible Pain: A Chronic Migraine Journey

Twenty-two days a month. That is how often I experience migraine attacks. Not headaches — migraines, with aura, nausea, light sensitivity so severe I have blackout curtains in every room of my house. People see me on my "good" days and assume I am fine. They do not see the other twenty-two days. The hardest part of chronic migraine is its invisibility. I look healthy. I can sometimes push through mild attacks to attend events or meetings. And because I can occasionally function, people assume my condition is not that serious. My own family questioned whether I was exaggerating until they witnessed a severe attack firsthand. Finding the right neurologist changed my trajectory. After trying seven preventive medications, we found a CGRP inhibitor that reduced my migraine days from twenty-two to twelve. It is not a cure, but those ten extra days each month gave me back enough of my life to finish my degree and start volunteering with migraine advocacy organizations.