On July 4, my husband handed me the front page of the New Haven Register and said, "You could have written this." It contained the article concerning the hidden challenges of suffering from migraine.
Read more of this letter to the editor from the New Haven Register.
Some wore shades, others "showed purple." But advocates across the board used June's Migraine & Headache Awareness Month to draw attention to a condition whose patients face debilitating symptoms and far too few treatment options.
Their efforts revealed several common themes.
In the past few months, I've had so many wonderful opportunities to be part of events or have discussions about the trials and tribulations of those who have migraine or cluster disease. The word patient advocate kept coming up and I've been asked how I became a voice in our community.
When I became chronic, I didn't start out thinking that a big part of the energy that I do have would be in patient advocacy. I just needed a purpose and I found it in writing. That opened up some doors for me to become even more engaged. I think I've also been in the right place at the right time. When I lived in DC, several events and conferences were held there, so it was easier for me to attend. Now I look forward to those events each year and try to travel to attend.
Balanced pain management offers an opportunity to better manage pain, control rising costs and reduce the potential for opioid abuse, explains a new white paper from the Alliance for Balanced Pain Management. But realizing the benefits of a balanced approach requires policymakers and insurers to first expand access to more personalized, comprehensive treatments.