In celebration of Mother’s Day, we want to introduce you to one mom we’re really thankful for: Andrea Gomez (Drea for short). Drea’s not just the head of our Customer Care team—she’s a lifelong migraine sufferer who also happens to be a Cove customer.
As Drea and so many other women know, parenting while working full-time is hard enough (especially in times like these) without migraine attacks constantly getting in the way. If you’re having trouble balancing the demands of parenting, work, and your health, we thought hearing Drea’s story might help you feel a little less alone. So we asked her a few questions about her migraine journey.
1. When did you start experiencing migraine attacks? How often do you have them now?
I had my first migraine around the age of 12. As a child, it was the worst thing in the world—even worse than the flu. I ended up having to quit participating in outdoor sports because the heat was a huge trigger for me.
It made me feel alone and left out because I wasn't able to be who I wanted to be. My migraines had a hold of my childhood. Now, I experience migraines 3-4 times a week and they linger for about a full day or two.
2. What do you want people to know about your personal migraine journey?
The hardest part of living with migraines all my life was always feeling like I had no control. It was so hard to do normal things like cooking, cleaning, and making time to play with my son. It was so painful to know that he didn’t understand why mom couldn’t handle his crying when he was hungry, tired, or just craved my attention.
Loud sounds give me a “nails on a chalkboard” feeling during a migraine. I just wanted to be able to take care of him, but migraines made me feel like the worst mom in the world.
3. Let’s talk more about parenting with migraine. What else do you want to tell us about the experience?
It’s so frustrating to know a migraine can hit at any moment and take my attention away from my son. As soon as an attack starts, it’s like I’m frozen in time and can’t see anything past the migraine. They don’t follow a predictable pattern, so I could just be playing with toys with my son and suddenly feel a migraine come on.
I know I need to take my medication immediately, but that means playtime is over until mom feels better again. Can you imagine telling a toddler that you can't play with them right now and seeing the confusion in their face? It’s heartbreaking!
4. What led you to try Cove?
I honestly thought there was no way that it would be that easy to get the medication I needed for my migraines. I've seen two neurologists and actively see my PCP for my migraine care and it was a lot of work just to get my first prescription. But I thought it was worth a try, so I completed the Cove consultation and my doctor made a recommendation. It took some time but my doctor and I were able to find the right treatment plan for me.
5. How does Cove’s approach compare to an in-person doctor visit?
My Cove doctor is amazing and very responsive. It’s a lot easier to log into my account and wait for a message than call my primary care doctor and wait for an appointment. Normally it takes my primary care doctor 24-48 hours to get back to me. Now, it's even longer and an in-person appointment just isn’t an option.
6. What do you want other migraine sufferers to know about Cove?
Before I knew about Cove, I was suffering in silence. I still get migraines often, but my medication is delivered to my door each month and starts working within an hour when I need to take it. This means that I get back to work, playing with my kid, or even just being able to eat without feeling nauseous.
Doing these simple little things with a migraine felt like a chore. Migraines will always be a part of my life, but I have more control with Cove.
7. And how does getting your medication delivered change your routine?
Even before social distancing started, the closest pharmacy to me always had 20+ people waiting in line to get their medications. Just being able to avoid that trip to the pharmacy and that wait in line makes me feel like I have so much time back. I’d always rather be spend that time (which could be up to an hour!) with my child.
8. What advice would you give new mothers who are struggling with migraine?
Don't give up on finding migraine treatment because spending time with your child is so precious. Every minute counts and you want to give your child 100% of your time, not just whatever’s left after a migraine passes. My life changed once I found treatment that works for me and I'll never go back.
No matter how you’re coping with the demands of parenting and migraines (not to mention the rest of your life), take a moment to acknowledge all of the hard work you do every day. Seriously, you deserve it.
And if you are looking for more relatable content? Check out our round-up of the best essays about parenting with migraine on the internet.
