I can see the protest marches; public media hopping up and down; drug companies going bananas…familiar response to outrageous claims; like the time those nutjobs said the earth was round; or that the stork had nothing to do with babies.
But bear with me and I'll spill the beans.
First disclaimer: this is strictly my experience. That's why I said it's My Migraine. OK?
Second disclaimer: I'm not suggesting pain relievers aren't necessary. I'm not into suffering; I use a pain reliever when I need one; but only aspirin. Old-timer Bufferin, to be specific.
Third; I've been through the mill; the migraine torture chamber; from early childhood until now; not all at once but a random, syncopated never-ending series of assaults;
Headaches
Nightmares
Sleep-walking
Intestinal issues
Nausea
Déjà vu
Vertigo
TMJ
Anxiety
Visual distortions, light effects
Intermittent muscle and joint pain
Marginal Déjà vu
That should give you a general idea of what I'm talking about. I've got the credentials. Pretty much some of this and some of that and sometimes just a mob Let's-go-get-him-gang kind of assault that makes it a challenge to get out of bed in the morning.
Few days off and then—pow!—another assault; maybe a visit to a physician maybe not. But invariably—except for measles, mumps and that gang in my childhood and an appendectomy later on—a big zip. Nada. Nothing. Repeat performance or bolt out of the blue. no apparent cause was found for anything.
What was not seen by those physicians were my ongoing family issues; unpredictable; often explosive; touch of violence; not one of those storybook families I'd read about in the public library.
Through school; on to college; couple of years in the Army—not a war-zone; opposite part of the world— where I had absolutely none of my usual problems. Go figure.
Which I did when I was discharged and started seeing a psychotherapist off and on; and became aware of some relationship between a problem I was having—maybe a familiar one from my lifelong laundry list—and some disturbing event in just plain day-to-day living.
But—and here's the kicker folks—even after years of assaults and countless visits to physicians, not one ever considered the possibility that something else might be going on; and It wasn't until I was in my fifties when luck—if you can call the freak-out of freak-outs, luck—tapped me with something totally different; a true mind-blower; a déjà vu; which, if you've had one or two, you know exactly what I'm talking about and if you haven't had any, I sincerely hope you never have to find out.
...[Part 2 Coming Next Monday April 9, 2018)