Tammy Hader

My migraines started in my childhood in the late 1960s. I experienced a couple of “Tammy’s headaches” a year as a child. Not frequently enough to cause a great deal of concern, but often enough for my parents to take me to the doctor at a young age. The doctor misdiagnosed the problem as an allergic reaction to something. I learned how to treat the condition by sleeping it off in a quiet, dark room, and life went on. By the time I entered college, the frequency of my episodes increased to about four a year. I didn’t even notice the increase in episodes happening at the... Continue Reading

To understand a migraine warrior’s knowledge, picture an iceberg. The tip of the knowledge iceberg contains the basic facts of being a migraine warrior, visible to anyone who takes the time to see. I usually do not hide my sensitivity to light, sound, and smell from the people around me. The effects of head pain and nausea are obvious to others as the episode escalates.  Television ads and social media posts share the familiar symptoms of migraine and provide information about preventative and abortive treatments for all to see. I talk openly with my doctor about the... Continue Reading

Migraine disease requires certain behaviors from me. More accurately, migraine prevention dictates many aspects of my life. One of the best ways to prevent an attack is to limit exposure to my known triggers. To do this, there are certain things that I will not do. Outdoor events: As much as I would like to go to outdoor concerts, Riverfest activities, and Ketch’s Burger Battle in the park, the risk surpasses the reward. All it takes is one cigarette smoker combined with the Kansas wind to trigger a migraine attack and ruin my day. Outdoor seating at a restaurant carries... Continue Reading

Spring was in the air when my husband and I walked into our investment agent’s office for our annual financial review. Considering the state of the markets these days, I wasn’t expecting the office on the other side of the door to hold a pleasant, heartwarming surprise. I was really not expecting that surprise to be related to my migraine disease. After the standard greetings and discussion of how everyone had been doing over the last year, our agent asked me if his office smelled OK for me. His words didn’t register for a moment, as was evident by the puzzled expression... Continue Reading

Migraine is a fact of life for millions of people, including me. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines migraine illness as: “A type of headache characterized by recurrent attacks of moderate to severe throbbing and pulsating pain on one side of the head. The pain is caused by the activation of nerve fibers within the wall of brain blood vessels traveling inside the meninges (three layers of membranes protecting the brain and spinal cord). How can any rational person expect me to apologize for conditions generated by the internal reaction between... Continue Reading

That’s easy. I’d ask for a cure for all migraines so there would no longer be such a thing as migraine warriors. Since I would be able to eat anything without worrying about triggering a migraine, I would also need to wish for the metabolism of a teenager. Then, of course, I’m going to need large sums of cash to celebrate all the things I would be able to do without the hindrance of migraine. Since those three wishes make for a very short article, let’s see what I’d wish for if a straight-up migraine cure was off the table. What three wishes could improve the quality... Continue Reading

Have your migraines changed as you’ve grown older? Mine, too. My migraine story is nothing special. I have arrived in my postmenopausal years with my migraine disease having evolved alongside the rest of my body in what I describe as a textbook example of life with migraines. In the late 60s, all the 70s, and most of the 80s, I didn’t know my headache problem was anything more than bad headaches. My illness struck only a few times during the year and played out the same each time. The typical order of things was as follows: I squinted at household lights and winced at... Continue Reading

When I was growing up, my mom often told me, “You need to be able to take care of yourself no matter what life sends your way.” I took her words to heart and developed into an educated career woman who was quite capable of living her own life. Migraine disease has other ideas about how I should live my life and insists on getting in the way from time to time. Like any good story’s villain, migraine desires control over its victim. Most of the time, I’m able to fight my own battles against my illness with assistance from medication and other treatment techniques. Seldom... Continue Reading

I’m 59 years old. Aging with migraines isn’t all bad. My menstrual cycle-related migraines are long gone, and I’ve acquired the migraine wisdom necessary to develop a working management plan for my illness. I do miss a few things from my youth like metabolism, energy, and the ability to sleep anytime I needed to sleep. From the time I was a toddler until somewhere in my mid to late 20s, sleeping off a migraine was a major player in how I treated an attack. Everything evolves, I suppose. Sleep is harder to come by these days, what with hot flashes, a snoring partner, and... Continue Reading

My husband and I have been attending Hops Club once a month for at least 10 years. We gather with fellow craft beer lovers at a local brewery and sample all kinds of different beers. I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t alcohol a well-known migraine trigger? The short answer is yes, it can be. Every migraine warrior has a different set of major and minor triggers. For some people, any amount of alcohol will set off an episode. For me, it depends on the type of alcohol, the quantity of alcohol, and the amount of water I drink along with it. I am a complicated woman. When the... Continue Reading