5 Tips for Dating Someone With Hemiplegic Migraines
I’ll just jump right in:
1. There is a 100-percent chance that at some point when we are hanging out I will get triggered, and I will get a migraine. It’s not your fault, so don’t throw any pity parties about it.
2. Try not to let the appearance scare/intimidate you. As implied, when I get these migraines my entire left side goes weak/paralyzed. So I’m not looking too hot when they hit me. Just remember I’m still me underneath that storm of neurological chaos.
3. Stay with me. Even if you think there’s nothing you can do and I’ll just be laying there anyway, stay. Sometimes I can’t communicate what I want because my brain isn’t working enough for me to get the right words out, but if I could tell you to stay I would. It’s a possible undertaking when I have a hand to hold.
4. Celebrate little victories with me. Get a little excited with me when I take my first few steps without my walker in eight months. Cheer me on when I can finally walk unassisted after using a wheelchair due to hemiplegia for almost a year. It’s even more special to have someone by your side through all of it.
5. Never stop pushing me to get better. Always encourage me to work harder and do the best I can.
There are a few more, but I’ll leave it at that for now.
Image via Thinkstock.
Erika R. is 22 years old and lives in Texas. She has multiple chronic illnesses including gastroparesis, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux, hemiplegic migraines, nephrocalcinosis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and more. She has had asthma since she was born, and the other problems started around age 10. She has been wanting to write about her story for a while now and is just now getting to it! Her Instagram is @erikanicoleruss if you’d like to follow her story there.
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