Stephanie*AH

As June and National Headache Month comes to a close, Elle Magazine has chosen to publish an article praising an Instagram trend coined the #migrainepose, where women post flattering photos with their hand at their temple, as though headache pain could be worn as a fashionable accessory. Now, I don’t technically have migraines. My diagnosis of New Daily Persistent Headache means that I have a constant, unremitting headache (with some migraine-like features) that does not respond to treatment or ever go away. It’s something most people, even most doctors, have never heard of because it’s very poorly understood and affects less than 1% of the population. But it is at times debilitating, and certainly life-altering, and it is not fashionable. So I’m posting my own headache pose today, while I lay in bed and rest as I am so often forced to do, because I want my fellow headache warriors, anyone with chronic pain or illness, to know that there is nothing stylish or trendy about our suffering. We are a strong and vibrant community trying to live our best lives in the midst of often constant pain, and we deserve better. I hope Elle and other publications will take this as an opportunity to learn that they can advocate for people in the chronic illness community and together we can bring about support and progress. Light and love to all. #headache #chronicillness @elleusa

As June and National Headache Month comes to a close, Elle Magazine has chosen to publish an article praising an Instagram trend coined the #migrainepose, where women post flattering photos with their hand at their temple, as though headache pain could be worn as a fashionable accessory. Now, I don’t technically have migraines. My diagnosis of New Daily Persistent Headache means that I have a constant, unremitting headache (with some migraine-like features) that does not respond to treatment or ever go away. It’s something most people, even most doctors, have never heard of because it’s very poorly understood and affects less than 1% of the population. But it is at times debilitating, and certainly life-altering, and it is not fashionable. So I’m posting my own headache pose today, while I lay in bed and rest as I am so often forced to do, because I want my fellow headache warriors, anyone with chronic pain or illness, to know that there is nothing stylish or trendy about our suffering. We are a strong and vibrant community trying to live our best lives in the midst of often constant pain, and we deserve better. I hope Elle and other publications will take this as an opportunity to learn that they can advocate for people in the chronic illness community and together we can bring about support and progress. Light and love to all. #headache #chronicillness @elleusa

June is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month. It’s fitting that I’m having a pain spike today and had to break out my ice hat. In the 4.5 years since I woke up with a headache that has never gone away, a lot has changed. I’ve been diagnosed with New Daily Persistent Headache. I’ve had a whole bunch of other symptoms crop up that sometimes overshadow the headache thing and I’m still searching for so many answers. The thing that hasn’t changed is that pain is a constant part of my life and has also become a part of who I am. But, as hard as it can be to remember sometimes, pain and chronic illness isn’t all that I am. And it never will be. There are a lot of us out there who struggle to feel like we are more than our illnesses but if I have learned anything through all of this, it’s that my capacity for love, for wonder, and for joy has only increased. There is always light and none of us are alone. #headache #chronicillness #thisisme