The story of a life changed forever by chronic migraines

This article was written by the spouse of a patient I treated for migraines with botulinum toxin, and it definitely helps to highlight the struggles associated with living with migraines.

The migraines my husband experiences have affected our family enormously. Many aspects of the lives of our two children, now in their late teens, and my husband and I continue to revolve around this disabling condition.

The most extreme move our family made was to support my husband in him giving up his job and accepting a \'role reversal,\' where he stays at home and I work full time.

His last job was as a senior manager, however the frequency of his migraines resulted in him not being able to perform at the level required.

This was very difficult for him to accept. However, over time, he realised by being at home he was able to treat a migraine and rest in an appropriate environment without worrying about the impact on his job.

It allowed me to work full time in order to support us as he was at home for the children. Even if he was in bed with a migraine, they knew he was in the house.

It is difficult to think of a treatment or measure that we have not taken to try to free my husband from this condition...I think the most memorable being Chinese medicine where the stench in the house from the brewing of various herbs came close to being the final straw!

Any driving which is required after dusk when cars have their headlights on has become my job as my husband feels that these are a definite trigger for bringing on a migraine.

We have changed lighting in the house and avoid places with fluorescent lighting as this can also be a factor.

It is so frustrating we are never 100% sure what is causing this condition, but we’re constantly looking for possibilities in order to make changes on the off chance that they will make a difference.

We have all joined my husband in making changes to our diet, whenever we hear that a particular omission or addition may help. We attend support groups in the hope we can learn from the experience of others.

We continue to encourage him to be positive and focus on the time in between the thre, four or five migraines a week, to enjoy our family life as much as possible.

The financial impact can’t be ignored though. There was an inevitable impact on us all when my husband gave up his job, however this has been outweighed by the benefit of being able to manage his migraines at home without the pressure of work.

We are constantly looking for new opportunities to explore in the hope that the next development may result in life free from migraine!

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