Danielle started struggling with painful chronic migraines at the age of 10 — it was hard for her and her family as their options for pain management were limited. Danielle’s mom, Tamara, says the pain was so bad, they were frequenting the Emergency Department and often maxing out how much pain medication Danielle could take, with little relief.
Soon after, the family became involved with the Pediatric Headache Research Lab at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. This lab aims to better the lives of children and adolescents with headache disorders by creating new knowledge about why headaches happen and how best to treat them.
Danielle and Tamara were hopeful that through this lab they would be able to find pain relief for Danielle and help inform future care for others. That was the start of a five-year journey, still going to this day. Throughout that time, they have participated in research and the lab has taught Danielle how to manage her condition with a combination of the right medication as well as other strategies, including reducing stress and over-the-counter vitamins. The lab has also taught her at which point her migraines have escalated to a place where they can no longer be managed at home and she needs to seek help at the hospital. Tamara says along with the solutions the lab has helped them discover, it’s also comforting, reassuring and validating that the team truly understands and are experts in migraines, able to personalize care for each individual patient.
“They will write letters so her teachers understand,” Tamara says. “There’s a misunderstanding about migraines in the community — there’s so much stigma, because you can’t see it — that it’s just a headache. It’s misunderstood. We’re so grateful we can come to the lab and feel understood.”
As Danielle approaches adulthood, her team has also taught her what managing her condition in the future will look like. The lab has been such a big part of her life for the last five years that moving on will be difficult. While Danielle will eventually transition out of care at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, she and her family feel like they’ve been set up for success.
