Parenting With Migraine

I am so excited to share that I had an incredible opportunity to film a commercial for my migraine medication @nurtecodt with @ladygaga. 🪩🥰 I’m always shocked by this statistic - only 26% of people with episodic migraine and 5% of people with chronic migraine have consulted a healthcare professional and received a diagnosis! Migraine is a neurological disease, but it’s viewed by many as just a “headache.” There is such an enormous stigma when it comes to migraine. Many people do not realize they have migraine disease by thinking it’s normal to have frequent “headaches.” Many do not know migraine treatments are even available or don’t think doctors can help them. I hope that one day, everyone will feel comfortable enough to speak about their migraine disease. I hope that when we do choose to speak out, nobody will think we are exaggerating, nobody will treat us differently, and it will not affect our employment opportunities. But it’s not today. Today, the migraine stigma is still alive and kicking. So today, I’m incredibly grateful for a campaign like this to put migraine in the spotlight. So that more people do feel comfortable talking about migraine. So that more people choose to see a healthcare provider for their “headache,” which can actually be migraine disease. So that more people consider treating their migraine disease. This campaign continues the migraine advocacy work I’ve been doing for the last 7 years. I hope for many, it will be the beginning of their journey towards migraine diagnosis and treatment. I loved meeting and becoming friends with these migraine patients and influencers in the commercial whose experiences inspired and humbled me - @bbbuffaloe, @elleisalwayshere, @footlessjo, @dolvett, @ndeye.peinda. Special thanks to these fantastic sweet women @cassioneil and @samantha.merkin for getting me through this. ❤️ And thank you to the fantastic @pfizerinc and @fcbchi teams! Finally @inezandvinoodh, thank you for creating this incredible work and recognizing that migraine disease and migraine community is worth it. 💜 And @ladygaga, thank you for fighting with us against migraine stigma 💜

For thousands of years, women’s health complaints were often dismissed with a diagnosis of “female hysteria” and women’s inability to cope with stress. The prescribed cure? Marriage. How many of you have been cured by marriage? I personally became chronic after I got married and had kids. 🤔 Migraine affects 3x more women than men. But we know today that hormone fluctuations is a major reason why there are more women who live with migraine disease than men. Today, many people still act like women’s neurological complaints are exaggerated and caused by emotional issues. 😒 ️AD| This is why women’s migraine research is so important! 👏 And why I love participating in paid research opportunities through @theinsighters_ ! The Insighters matches you with paid research opportunities that are tailored to your insights. It allows you to 📣 share your story + experiences to expand healthcare research! 🔬 🎉 Join today at theinsighters.com to get paid to share your insights. Check my LINK IN BIO PSST… Anyone who signs up AND complets the poll will be entered to win 1 of 5 $25 gift cards! 🎉 #TheInsighters #ParentingWithMigraine #Migraine #ChronicMigraine #MigraineLife #MigraineAwareness #MigraineResearch #Migraines #PatientAdvocacy #ChronicIllness #migraineadvocate #migrainedisease #migraineheadache #notjustaheadache #migrainecommunity #migraineur #vestibularmigraine #chronicmigraine #migrainessuck #invisibleillness #chronicmigraines #migraineattacks #migrainesupport #sickmom #sickmommy #sickmomma #chronicillnessmom #chronicillnesslife #chronicillnesssupport #chronicpainlife

No he didn’t get in my video. But he did make it on Ring. 🤣 My husband has been working from home since the pandemic started. I work from home too. It’s been fun 😅 #parentingwithmigraine #migrainelife #migraineawareness #migrainessuck #migraine #migraines #migrainerelief #contentcreator #influencerlife #familyinfluencer #instainfluencer

1️⃣ Because you can do everything right and still get a migraine attack. And it’s not your fault. 2️⃣ Because migraine is a neurological disorder. 3️⃣ Because there’s no migraine cure yet. 4️⃣ Because migraine doesn’t play fair. Sometimes we work so hard to avoid our migraine triggers that it is so disappointing when a migraine attacks happens anyway. 😫 I know! I’ve been there. I AM there often. So I understand. Save this post and the 4 reminders above. We all need them 💜 So what do you do? Don’t stop. Keep trying. Work with your headache specialist that you trust to try everything. Understand that although there’s no cure, you can find ways to manage migraine disease and live a good life. 💜💜💜 Plus follow @parentingwithmigraine for migraine education, community and hope 💜 Join our Parenting with Migraine Facebook Support group, if you are parent with Migraine. DM me for link #parentingwithmigraine #migrainefighter #migraineadvocate #migrainedisease #migraineheadache #notjustaheadache #migrainecommunity #migraineur #vestibularmigraine #migrainelife #chronicmigraine #migrainessuck #migraines #migraineawareness #invisibleillness #chronicmigraines #migraineattacks #migrainesupport #sickmom #sickmommy #sickmomma #chronicillnessmom #chronicillnesslife #chronicillnesssupport #chronicillness #chronicpainlife

Having my whole family support my migraine journey + advocacy has been so heartwarming. My dad, mom and sister, and of course my husband and kids keep me going and fighting. Those of us with migraine need the support from our loved ones. Because living with migraine can be so lonely and discouraging. Migraine is hereditary and my 9 year old also has migraine. Although, he calls it “half migraine” because he only inherited from me and not dad. 🤣 Now my family who has a lot of practice, can support him too. And that’s where @migraineatschool comes in! Migraine at School helped me get him a migraine diagnosis, school accommodations and taught me about pediatric migraine (which is different from adult migraine). This is why I became a Migraine at School Ambassador. The younger generation needs our help. Become an Ambassador by taking a 30 minute online training! Being an ambassador looks different for everyone. You can talk to your child’s school to try to introduce the program. You can mention the program within your community. You can bring our materials to your kids’ schools. You can do as little or as much as your time/health allows. This month, I’ll be at the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization Spring Conference @mass_school_nurse_org sharing about the program with school nurses. That’s my dad helping me prepare for the conference 👆 Being a Migraine at School Ambassador has become a family affair. My kids especially love being involved and that makes me so proud. If you want to get involved, send me or @migraineatschool a message! #migraineatschool #parentingwithmigraine #migraineadvocate #migrainedisease #migraineheadache #notjustaheadache #migrainecommunity #migraineur #vestibularmigraine #migrainelife #chronicmigraine #jewishmom #migrainessuck #migraines #migraineawareness #invisibleillness #chronicmigraines #migraineattacks #migrainesupport #sickmom #sickmommy #sickmomma #chronicillnessmom #chronicillnesslife #chronicillnesssupport #chronicillness

I once apologized to my son for not being able to take him somewhere because my head was hurting. He responded with: “why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.” We are not born with feelings of guilt. We learn to feel guilt, whether it’s from our family or society. But did you know that guilt is also not good for migraine? Research shows that feelings of guilt and shame increase parents’ levels of depression, stress, and anxiety? 🤦🏻‍♀️ So it’s a vicious cycle where migraine can contribute to feelings of guilt, which then increases our anxiety and stress, which then increase our migraine symptoms. 🤯 The good news is that since guilt is a learned emotion, we can unlearn it. It’s time we started breaking down this complicated emotion. It’s time to change the narrative for our future generation. Let’s add “not feeling guilty” as part of our migraine treatment. Talk about it in therapy, discuss it with your partner or close friend. Whatever you do, do not lie in the dark room feeling guilty for something you have no control over. What do you feel guilty about? Follow @parentingwithmigraine for education, support, and hope. Comment JOIN to get a link to our FB group for parents with migraine. #parentingwithmigraine #momguilt #parentingadvice #migraine #chronicmigraine #migrainelife #parentingproblems #migraine

I complain and whine to my family at home when I’m having a migraine attack because I need support and compassion. But when I am out in public, I often pretend to be well. Why? Here are some reasons people with migraine may fake wellness: ❤️‍🩹 To avoid being disbelieved because it’s an invisible illness ❤️‍🩹 To avoid seeming weak ❤️‍🩹 To appear capable of what we are doing ❤️‍🩹 To avoid talking about migraine ❤️‍🩹 To avoid drawing attention to ourselves ❤️‍🩹 To avoid having negative conversations ❤️‍🩹 To avoid getting unsolicited advice ❤️‍🩹 To keep our jobs ❤️‍🩹 To get work done ❤️‍🩹 To be there for our friends/families And of course, there are days when we cannot pretend to be well. And that is okay, because we shouldn’t have to! Pretending to be well while sick can be exhausting. Make sure you have people in your life with whom you can be yourself. Either way, people with Migraine (or chronic illness in general) don’t exaggerate or fake migraine attacks. Who would want to fake this awful disease. If we fake anything, it’s wellness. ✨✨I’d love to know your thoughts.✨✨ Follow @parentingwithmigraine for education, support, and hope. Comment JOIN to get a link to our FB group for parents with migraine. Photograph by @boom43photography 🤩 #parentingwithmigraine #migrainefighter #migraineadvocate #migrainedisease #migraineheadache #notjustaheadache #migrainecommunity #migraineur #vestibularmigraine #migrainelife #chronicmigraine #migrainessuck #migraines #migraineawareness #invisibleillness #chronicmigraines #migraineattacks #migrainesupport #sickmom #sickmommy #sickmomma #chronicillnessmom #chronicillnesslife #chronicillnesssupport #chronicillness #chronicpainlife