Discover the profound impact of migraine through Susan and Nick’s journey—a testament to resilience, understanding, and unwavering support. Beyond the misconceptions of “just a headache,” Susan vividly describes the complexities of living with vestibular migraine, from debilitating symptoms to the challenges it poses in daily life. Joined by Nick’s steadfast advocacy and care, they navigate a path marked by diagnosis, adjustment, and hope. Their story underscores the need for greater awareness and empathy towards chronic migraine sufferers, shedding light on a condition that affects countless lives. Join us as we delve into their journey and glean insights into managing migraine with compassion and perseverance.
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0:01 when i’m suffering from a migraine
0:03 attack i don’t get to participate in
0:06 those small
0:07 activities that we take for granted
0:09 whether that be cooking a meal for the
0:11 two of us or walking our dogs at the end
0:13 of the day
0:15 but when i’m unable to do those things
0:18 nick does a lot to pick up the slack
0:21 [Music]
0:26 we’ve been married since 2006. there’s
0:28 no one else on this planet that i’m this
0:30 close with that knows me this well
0:33 i can’t imagine life without her
0:36 people don’t really know what migraine
0:38 is
0:39 so they think it’s this really bad
0:41 headache
0:42 but
0:43 migraine has so many different symptoms
0:45 they happen in attacks
0:47 they can have a huge impact on someone’s
0:50 social life and economic life all of
0:52 these different domains of life
0:55 chronic migraine is migraine where the
0:59 sufferer experiences more than 15
1:01 headache days a month
1:03 and in my case i have vestibular
1:05 migraine it sometimes appears in the
1:08 absence of headache but is more
1:10 characterized by vertigo nausea ringing
1:13 in the ear visual aura among other
1:15 symptoms
1:17 migraine attack for me can be
1:20 half an hour or it can be days
1:24 my migraine symptoms started about a
1:27 year before we got married
1:29 we just moved to toronto we had a place
1:32 of our own for the first time it was
1:33 really tough for both of us because i
1:35 didn’t know what was going on and i was
1:36 just trying to figure out ways to help
1:38 her
1:39 eventually
1:40 after doing some research i advocated to
1:43 see a neurologist who finally confirmed
1:45 my diagnosis
1:48 [Music]
1:50 after susan was diagnosed it really
1:52 seemed like the fear of getting an
1:54 attack was
1:56 the biggest barrier
1:58 everything triggered my migraines at the
2:00 beginning
2:02 lots of food being in very busy
2:05 environments lighting could be a huge
2:07 trigger movement was a big trigger
2:10 going to work every day on the subway so
2:13 it was very difficult to manage and
2:14 navigate on a daily basis
2:17 the anxiety and the panic would keep me
2:20 from doing certain activities like going
2:22 to the grocery store going to the movies
2:27 you know there are some days where the
2:29 responsibilities that i would normally
2:31 do later in the day or in the evening
2:33 like help him walk the dogs or other
2:35 things to do around the house
2:37 that would fall on him
2:40 it’s really hard to work migraine in
2:41 with other people
2:43 because other people can’t see what’s
2:44 going on and if we’re going someplace an
2:46 attack starts i’ve had to stop and turn
2:49 around and go home and we just have to
2:50 manage it until it stops
2:53 i don’t know how
2:54 i would have pulled through that if i
2:56 didn’t have my best friend by my side
2:59 [Music]
3:02 i think when we moved and sue had the
3:06 opportunity to kind of slow down and
3:08 take care of herself a bit better made a
3:10 big difference i have been fortunate
3:12 that my migraines have
3:15 come under control
3:17 i take medication i try to keep my
3:19 stress levels down i exercise i do yoga
3:24 susan’s migraines have brought us closer
3:26 together i’ve learned to provide that
3:29 support to build a life together where
3:32 you take care of each other
3:35 i think chronic migraine awareness is
3:36 really important because it impacts so
3:38 many different realms of life if we had
3:41 more awareness that this was a
3:42 neurological disorder that affects so
3:44 many people we could help people in
3:46 terms of offering better support
3:49 just having that little extra bit of
3:50 empathy i think it can help so many
3:53 people
3:55 i think i’d like other patients to know
3:57 that there is always hope and that
4:00 things always change you do have a
4:03 certain amount of control
4:07 migraine it’s always in the background
4:10 it’s always something that’s going to
4:13 wreak havoc or cause issues at times but
4:17 despite that we’ve managed to build a
4:20 home to enjoy life together
4:23 to thrive in our careers to cope with
4:26 anything that comes at us
