Tag: migraine.com

News & Research

Tips for Getting Onto the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace

Kerrie Smyres

After years of eagerly awaiting the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplace, technical glitches weren’t going to deter me from finding out which plans would be available to me next year and how much they’ll cost. Tips for Accessing HealthCare.gov’s Federal Insurance Marketplace on Migraine.com outlines how I finally succeeded in reviewing health insurance plans after literally spending hours each day last week trying to access HealthCare.gov.

The most important tip? Use Internet Explorer! Despite trying Firefox, Chrome and Safari, Internet Explorer is the only browser that allowed me to access and complete the application and review health insurance plans.

If you’re chomping at the bit to learn what your health coverage might look like next year, check out all my suggestions on Migraine.com.

Chronic Migraine, Doctors, News & Research, Reader Stories, Treatment

Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Migraine

Kerrie Smyres

Thinking about trying a nerve stimulator to treat chronic migraine? Ask tons of questions beforehand to help ensure you’re making the most informed decision possible. I’ve brainstormed questions to ask your doctor, other patients, and even yourself in Nerve Stimulation: Questions to Ask, my latest post on Migraine.com.

You can learn about my experience with occipital nerve stimulation and what the research says in my posts on Migraine.com from earlier this summer. If you’re curious what I had to say when I still thought mine worked, check out the archive of my nerve simulation posts on The Daily Headache.

Chronic Migraine, Coping

Migraine Losses and Seattle as “Home”

Kerrie Smyres

Being in Seattle this summer has brought emotional turmoil. I love it here and am grateful to get to spend time away from the Phoenix storms. But, I love it here and am angry that migraine is the reason I don’t live here. The grief from not being able to live in the city that feels like my home is immense.

In My Favorite City, Another Migraine Loss, published today on Migraine.com, I wrote about my immense grief and the anger it triggered after I visited my old neighborhood:

“The tears flowed, not out of nostalgia for the times I had here, but grief for how much I love this place I do not live and that migraine is the reason I do not live here. … I’m also angry that migraine has made this choice, and so many others, for me. I didn’t invite migraine into my life, and yet it weighs in on every single decision I make.”

I wrote that post a few weeks ago and my emotions have settled down a bit. The grief is no longer acute and I don’t feel quite as connected to the city as I once did. Perhaps that’s because Seattle has changed a lot in the last four years; perhaps because Hart just visited for a week and I realized that, more than any particular location, he is my home. Or maybe it’s just the ebb and flow of grief.

Chronic Migraine, News & Research, Treatment

Reviewing the Research on Nerve Stimulation

Kerrie Smyres

Curious about nerve stimulation for chronic migraine and what the research has to say? For Nerve Stimulation Research, my latest post on Migraine.com, I pored over all the published research, hoping to summarize it neatly, but the findings are too ambiguous to do so. Instead, I explain some of the reasons why older published studies aren’t generalizable and summarize findings from recent large-scale studies with control groups.