Migraine Realities

Send a text Our guests today are participating on behalf of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Participants have been compensated for their time and appearance. This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. In this episode of Migraine Realities, pediatric and adult neurologist Dr. Jennifer McVige of DENT Neurologic Institute joins Lindsay Mang , a parent advocate, to talk about wha...

Send a text College is tough enough, but for Ben Estes, migraine, daily pain and his transition process made it even tougher. This is a raw and candid glimpse into his daily challenges and victories.

Send a text What does it mean to decide to have children when you live with migraine? Kelly Amspacher and her daughter, Shelby Amspacher, bring both sides of the migraine-and-motherhood experience to the mic. With honesty and humor, they share what they’ve learned about empathy, flexibility, and making the most of good days. It’s a testament to how openness and adaptability can carry families thro...

Send a text What does it mean to rebuild your life when chronic illness topples everything you once held steady? Sara Batchelder and I share our experiences of living with chronic migraine, the grief of losing old versions of ourselves, and the surprising gratitude we’ve found along the way. With Jenga as a powerful metaphor, Sara offers insight into the daily decisions, trade-offs, and small triu...

Send a text In this episode, Kim talks about what it’s really like when you’re not just dealing with your own migraine - you’re also trying to help your kid through it. She shares how hard it was to be taken seriously, the fight to get her child the care they needed, and what it’s like to be a parent in advocacy mode while living with chronic pain herself. It’s an honest and emotional conversation...

Send a text Ainslie Course, President of Clusterbusters, shares her personal journey with cluster headaches and how it led her to advocacy leadership. She shares what it’s like to live with cluster headaches, a condition often described as the most painful disease known to medicine. We talk about the urgent need for an accurate diagnosis and what it means to work with a doctor who truly listens. A...

Send a text Kelly Amspacher shares what it’s like to live with intractable migraine. The kind of migraine that doesn’t let up. She talks about losing her nursing career, grieving the life she thought she’d have, and slowly finding her footing again. Drawing from both her medical background and her personal journey, Kelly has become a powerful advocate for others living with migraine. We talk about...

Send a text Migraine can change how we see ourselves, but it doesn’t erase who we are. In this episode, Katie joins me for a deeply honest conversation about life with migraine: the treatments we try, the people we lean on, and the invisible weight we carry. We talk about how cognitive symptoms affected our ability to work and the painful decision to leave careers we once loved. Through it all, we...

Send a text Migraine treatment is not one-size-fits-all, and finding what helps can take time, patience, and a lot of trial and error. In this episode, I’m joined by my friend Sara Batchelder, who has lived with migraine for more than 30 years, including two decades of chronic daily migraine. Together, we explore the realities of living with migraine while navigating the maze of treatment options....