How My Migraines Began: Falling Off My Bike and Hitting My Head

I was 11 years old, and my friend and I were riding our bikes (back in the days long before helmets were even heard of) along a boulevard in a suburban area. We heard the sound of a truck approaching, I looked over my shoulder, and it looked very wide, so I tried to get up onto the sidewalk. As I did this, my front bike tire caught the edge of the concrete and slipped out from under me. The bike and I fell, and I must have been knocked out briefly, and when I opened my eyes, I just saw red...it was blood. I'd cut the side of my head. As I wore glasses, the arm of them broke, and the hinge cut into my skin, close to my temple.

It was not long after that when I began to have "bad" headaches...and had to be in a darkened room with no sound, etc. I am now 75, and after menopause, I thought I'd have fewer migraines, but they became chronic; I had 15+ attacks a month. I was taking 15-16 triptans per month, and I had Botox injections, which helped with the intensity but not so much the frequency. I had a CGRP infusion in February, and my migraines are now reduced by 50%. This has been the best couple of months I can remember!