Of the 129 contest entries, the randomly chosen winner is: 30 Things About My Headache Disorder. (Winner, check your email for instructions on how to claim your prize!) Thank you all for participating. Reading your responses and getting to know you has been a pleasure during a particularly difficult month for me.
Some responses from the winning entry that caught my attention:
The most frustrating part about having a headache disorder is: There is no cure for me right now. I have to wait for science to catch up. My doctors assure me I’ll be a wonderful, active grandmother.
Having a headache disorder causes me to worry about: Not being a good enough mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend; that my best is not good enough
My best coping tools are: Staying connected to my people. I isolated myself for years. Now I know that loving and being loved is the best medicine. Also, pushing myself to go out and keep my connections alive even when I just want to be safe in bed, very still, watching terrible tv to keep my mind off the pain.
I find comfort in: People that know me, warts and all, and still love me. People that believe me/in me. Fellow sufferers. Doctors that are pissed that they haven’t been able to help me yet and are never going to give up on me.
18. I get angry when people say: Judgemental things about people that have chronic headaches or migraines, or any chronic condition that is hard to understand, and as if they know what that person is going through. I’ve found that chronic pain from cancer is the only pain that people seem to accept as real. But Morrissey said it best: “It’s easy to laugh. It’s easy to hate. It takes guts to be gentle and kind.”
The best thing a doctor has ever said to me about having a headache disorder is: Make an appointment for a hug if you need to. We’ve maxed out what’s available now, but I’ll always have time to comfort and cry with you.
The hardest thing to accept about having a headache disorder is: Mourning the life your thought you would have. Accepting your new limitations. Having to re-evaluate your purpose in life.
Having a headache disorder has taught me: That I don’t know everything. I was quite judgemental before, didn’t realize how much because I thought I wasn’t, about so many things. I had it so physically easy, I couldn’t imagine that having a headache everyday, all day was even possible, that losing weight could be hard, that there are some things doctors can’t fix. I’ve been humbled, thankfully. For this I’m grateful beyond belief.
The thing I most wish people understood about headache disorders is: No one wants it. It’s not fun to not work when you can’t. I may go to the pool or beach, but I force myself every damn time because I can’t let my kids see me in bed all day, which is honestly where I always want to be. It worries them. You will never see me without a headache and if I’m out, it took A LOT to get there. My fellow headpain people push themselves like you wouldn’t believe! We are Sisyphean. Every day, we are pushing that boulder, but for us, we wake up never knowing how big that boulder is going to be.
Hope this helps all of you.
A quote that I wrote:
“The hardest thing about life is accepting your limitations, work with what you have and don’t worry about what you don’t have.”
David, thanks for the encouragement.
Take care,
Kerrie