Catherine Charrett-Dykes, Long Island, NY — Living with migraine for more than 40 years

BY LINDSAY BOSSLETT

Don’t give up!
“In 2013 I was hopelessly depressed after trying so many treatments that didn’t work. But after finding a pain management specialist that specifically treated migraine I was able to get the pain to a manageable level. I now take a nerve pain medication and get regular injections of a preventive medication, but I am off all other meds. A migraine specialist is so important!”

Do your own research.
“You have to educate yourself about your own body! I started Chronic Migraine Awareness Inc in 2012 to help other people find out what they need to empower themselves to take control of their health and lives. There are only 527 certified migraine specialists for the 40 million people afflicted, so any help you can provide will go a long way!”

Let it give you purpose.
“I decided that if migraine was going to have me, I was going to get it right back! I also have a daughter, and her first migraine was at 12—I can’t leave her this life. So I joined the Chronic Migraine Association and in 2017 was invited to join the Coalition of Headache and Migraine Patients (CHAMP). Together we went to Washington, DC, as part of ‘Headache on the Hill’ where we lobbied Congress for research into pain relief treatments other than opioids.”

PHOTO BY LEANNE VERITY