Khloé Kardashian Was Told Her Migraines Were ‘Just’ a Headache
What happened: Khloé Kardashian spoke to Prevention about her struggle with migraines. She began experiencing the debilitating condition in sixth grade and was encouraged by friends and family to push through it. Kardashian finally sought out treatment at the age of 16 from a neurologist, when she was diagnosed with migraine.
I vividly remember how I felt, but mainly I remember how everyone told me that I wasn’t feeling what I felt. People would always say, ‘Oh, it’s just a headache.’ That’s the stigma with migraines, that it’s just a headache. And being 12 years old, and at that time no one in my family experienced migraines, I was embarrassed to say when I [had] one. — Khloé Kardashian, Prevention
The “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star and Good American mogul described the intensity of her pain as erratic and sometimes completely unbearable. She also said that the isolation and stress from the coronavirus pandemic has made it more difficult to manage her condition, especially as a parent navigating new motherhood.
The Frontlines: Migraine is not “just” a “bad headache,” but a serious, debilitating condition that can have multiple symptoms.
- Migraine is the third most widespread illness in the world and the sixth most disabling illness in the world, according to the Migraine Research Foundation
- In many cases of migraine, other debilitating symptoms can occur with or without the head pain, such as sensitivity to light, smell or sound, vision issues or light flashes, and nausea or vomiting
- Every 10 seconds, someone in the U.S. goes to the emergency room for head pain, and approximately 1.2 million visits are for acute migraine attacks
A Mighty Voice: Our contributor, Marina Medved-Lentini, shared her difficulty adjusting to motherhood as someone with chronic migraines. “As I was being sucked deeper into this illness, my pain days gradually increased to where I was experiencing pain 24/7. I was homebound, unable to work even part-time, and failing at being the type of mother I wanted to be. … Finding the right treatment plan took patience and time until I found what worked for me.” You can submit your first-person story, too.
From Our Community:
Other things to know: Are you living with chronic migraine? Delve into these articles to learn more about your condition:
- 21 Celebrities Who Live With Migraine
- 15 Migraine Symptoms That Aren’t ‘Just a Headache’
- Finding the Cause of My Chronic Migraine Headaches
How to take action: To learn more about chronic migraine and get adequate support for your condition, check out these resources below:
Header image via Khloé Kardashian/Instagram
Samantha Mannis is a comedic writer and patient advocate. Her first book, "Friends Guide to Adulting,” comes out in September 2020. She lives with her rescue poodle in Los Angeles.
samantha-mannis