When Page Carlee, 35, was 19, she experienced her firstmigraineattack.
She didnt know it then, but migraine would soon become a constant companion in her life.
But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.
Hemiplegic migraine can cause stroke-like symptoms.
Whats more, these migraines are oftenmisdiagnosed as a stroke, at least initially.
This is her story, as told to health writer Katie Bowles.
I would soon be proven wrong.
My mom has epilepsy so I began seeing a neurologist immediately.
Then when I was 28, something completely different happened.
It hit without an aura, which was unusual for me, but not completely unheard of.
I knew based on the pain that I needed to head home.
I immediately fell to the floor.
My coworker saw and tried to help me up, but I couldnt get my left leg to cooperate.
I tried to say, Well, thats new, but the words came out a slurred mess.
By then a pretty large crowd had formed around me.
And then Ithrew up.
So, I gave up and laid down in a dark conference room until the ambulance showed up.
I assumed it was just a very big, very bad migraine attack.
While Im in the pain phase, I cant think straight and forget that my legs might not work.
Migraine attacks are incredibly painful and scary, but hemiplegic attacks are next-level terrifying.
I lose the ability to communicate and sometimes my memory skips, and I forget exactly what happened.
Not knowing has really affected my ability to work.
When my migraine attacks became chronic, though, they affected my livelihood.
I was actually fired in 2015 because my attacks made it difficult for me to be in the office.
It was devastating to lose my ability to support myselfsomething Id been doing since I was 17.
I knew it would be a challenge.
They allowed me to have the flexibility I needed and trusted me to deliver on whatever they gave me.
I accepted less money but was able to rebuild my confidence.
I started to feel like I was worth something again.
Even so, I still cant maintain an entirely normal schedule.
I credit my husband for helping me get through it.
But he is the most patient and understanding person in the whole world.
Migraine is a complexneurological conditionthat I may never fully understand, and thats okay.
I just started crying tears of relief, because someone finally understood.
