5/29/2014

Hi Everyone!

So, it’s been a while since my last post but I have some good news! I was accepted into Pharmacy School at Purdue University! After two long years of working my butt off I am so happy to be starting this wonderful chapter of my life in the fall.  I am doing so well and I absolutely love life.  I’m doing things I never thought I would ever be able to do.  In the last two years I’ve gone away to college, joined a sorority, and even went skydiving! There’s nothing that can hold me back from living my life now.

This summer will mark 3 years since my first surgery and 2.5 years since my second surgery. Since the surgeries I have gotten increasingly better and my headaches are pretty much under control now.  I still have triggers that give me headaches every once in a while.  Dairy foods like cheese and milk
seem to affect me along with atmospheric pressure.  In that respect, living in Indiana is not the best for my headaches but my family makes it worth it.  While I’m at school I try to work out or run at least 4 times a week.  I find this really helps with my stress level and in turn helps ward off my headaches.  I also started doing yoga even though I’m extremely uncoordinated and usually fall down, but its fun and who doesn’t want to be like YogaGirl ;).  Other than that I haven’t found any medication that will make a headache go away or get better.  Usually I just go straight to bed if I get a bad one and it’s gone when I wake up.  Thankfully my headaches are under control now and I haven’t had to file anything with Purdue saying I had any disability, which is something we thought about doing when I started school two years ago.  I am so thankful for everything my surgeries have allowed me to accomplish.  If it wasn’t for Dr. Ducic I definitely wouldn’t be going to college or pretending I was good at yoga.  Although having chronic headaches has been one of the worst things I’ve ever gone through, I’m still incredibly thankful for the opportunities I have been given that have stemmed from headaches.  My headaches are what prompted me to go into Pharmacy and this website has allowed me to help many people who are suffering from the same things I was.

My one piece of advice to anyone suffering from headaches is to NEVER give up.  I spoke to a countless number of doctors when I was looking for treatment.  My parents and I were always asking the doctors to treat the cause of my headaches, not their effects; we were interested in the root of the
problem, not medicating me.  The persevering attitude we adopted is what lead us to a course of action so quickly.  Surgery was the answer for me,
but it may not be the answer for everyone.  Everyone’s body works differently and responds to treatments differently. I hope everyone currently suffering from chronic headaches is able to find something that allows them to have a normal life again.  Don’t stop looking for answers! As always, if you have any question about my treatment or anything else please contact me! I would love to hear from you!

Here are some updated pictures of me from the past year.  As I said, I am loving life!