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Stesha’s Story, March 2025 

As told to: Diego Colón

Diagnosis received: Migraine, schizophrenia

Symptoms: Pain in the back of the head, sensitivity to light, vomiting, sensitivity to smell

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While serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Stesha began experiencing intense head pain she initially tried to ignore, believing it was just something to push through. By self-medicating with over-the-counter medications, she endured worsening symptoms. It wasn’t until the pain became unmanageable that she sought medical attention and was formally diagnosed with migraine.  

Even after service, Stesha faced ongoing challenges navigating the healthcare system, often met with dismissive attitudes—especially as a woman veteran. Now, working in higher education supporting fellow veterans, she continues to manage debilitating attacks while preparing for motherhood and advocating for more compassionate care. 

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Q: Can you tell us about your military background? 

I served in the [U.S.] Marine Corps from 2006-2010. I got out as a Lance Corporal, so I did 4 years [of service]. Now I work with veterans in higher education. I’m the Director of Veteran Services for a University in Texas.

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Q: How did your headache or migraine journey begin?

I started getting migraines while on active duty, and they had me on some medication, but it seemed to make them [the attacks] worse… I [initially] started getting them in boot camp, but I just suffered through them. I didn’t complain about them then, but they just got progressively worse, and by the time I got to my duty station in 2008, I was seen at [a] medical [center] for them and put on medication. I’ve been seen by specialists, [and] they’ve done brain scans. There’s no reason why I should be getting migraines.

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Q: What does your migraine treatment/care consist of and is it effective? 

Unfortunately, right now I am not on any meds because my husband and I are trying to have a kid, and my doctors don’t want me on medication because once I get pregnant, I have to get off that medication. So, it’s more detrimental to my health to be on it and then stop. I just have to suffer through them.

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Q: Are your migraine attacks service-related and when were you diagnosed?

I was diagnosed [while serving] in the Marine Corps. I was on a sumatriptan (imitrex) for a few years, but that made the situation worse. I [would] take it, and then the back of my head starts aching. It’s like I’m in pain in one part of my body, and now I’m just trading up for another pain. Then, of course, it knocks me out so I can’t take it in the middle of the day… But on the flip side, if I don’t take something, then I’ve got to sleep for the rest of the day anyway.

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Q: What do you wish more people understood about migraine disease?

I wish more people would understand that it’s not just a headache… it will go away quickly, but if I don’t catch it early enough, it can become this debilitating thing where I’m having to lie down. I think they call it prostrating migraine*. I can’t get over it. Sometimes I can’t push through it. Thankfully, I have a boss who understands that, but I’ve had bosses in the past who are like, ‘Just work through it. Come to work.’ I wish some people would understand that it’s so severe that simply rolling over in bed, I’m having to throw up.  

One time… it always seemed to happen that my migraines would hit on a Sunday, and they would last until Monday, and I’d have to call in. So, I got accused of drinking all weekend because it was a hangover.

As a woman, I’ve tried tracking migraine [looking] into triggers, and it seems that I have a whole bunch of triggers, [like] weirdly scented things. Thankfully, light doesn’t really trigger them. If I’m in [the middle of] a migraine [attack], I want the lights off… Other times it’s my period… weather changes. Obviously, in the spring I have more [attacks] because of allergies…

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Q: Can you recall the first time you experienced a headache or migraine, and what was that experience like?

I had a lot of headaches when I was a kid. They never got to the level of migraine, but I remember one time I didn’t get to go to recess… I had a headache, and my teacher just let me lie in the classroom with the lights off, and we discovered that those headaches were because I needed glasses. They weren’t migraines, but it never occurred to me that kids didn’t have headaches until right before I joined the Marine Corps. 

I was a nanny one summer, and I’m like, ‘OK, now, where is the pain reliever in case the girls get a headache?’ and my boss is like, ‘What do you mean? They’ve never had headaches.’ What?! There are people that go throughout life without headaches? Without migraines?

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Q: How did that experience help shape your own understanding of your migraine disease?

When I was diagnosed in the Marine Corps with migraines, it helped me accept that a lot quicker. It wasn’t just [telling myself I have got to] push through it. I needed to go to [a] medical [center] because the headaches that I was getting were now turning into a lot worse situation, and I was still calling them headaches.

The doctor was like, ‘No, these are called migraines.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, well that’s a new definition, a new term that I had to put in my vocabulary, but it was those moments where I realized other people didn’t experience these things that allowed me to go to medical and seek treatment. I’m glad I did because if I didn’t, then I wouldn’t be able to claim it on my disability.

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Q: What has it been like for you to have a healthcare provider who truly works collaboratively on your care? Specifically, how has it felt to have someone who supports your efforts to reduce or avoid medications that could potentially trigger your migraine attacks? 

It’s definitely a [difficult] decision [since I want] to become a mom. The other option is [to] go on medication and just not become a mom the traditional way, [and consider] adoption. I have to also navigate my mental health because I got diagnosed with schizophrenia a few years ago. It’s navigating my medication with my doctors to find the safest possible combination so that I can have a healthy pregnancy…

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Q: What were some challenges you faced navigating the medical space, not just as someone who lives with migraine, but as a woman veteran? 

I was misinformed when I got out of active duty… I was told that you had to have a disability rating to use the VA. I spent several years without insurance because I’m a college student and [was] self-medicating with acetaminophen and ibuprofen… Then I finally got insurance, and it took a while to bring them up…  

Some doctors have been receptive. The current one I have she understands… That’s why I’m not on a medication other than acetaminophen because I’m trying to have a kid… There’s nothing on the market that is approved for pregnant women. My current doctor is onboard with my treatment plan, but I’ve had other doctors who are just really dismissive. I was still pretty young, straight out of the Marine Corps… I was just accepting what they said and kept moving forward… 

I’m not saying this [to be] against male doctors at all, but the male doctors that I’ve had have been very dismissive. The doctor I have now is a woman, and she seems to be a lot more understanding and receptive. She also isn’t all just about medications. She introduces lifestyle changes and things like that into her diagnosis. [With previous healthcare providers,] it was sort of like, let’s throw more medication at it, rather than try to find the root of the problem. Right now, we’re trying to navigate the root of the problem. The VA thinks it’s sleep apnea because I’m waking up with them. 

The problem with the VA is that they’re so backlogged. I am scheduled for a sleep apnea test in August. That was as soon as the sleep center at the VA could see me.  

My husband, unfortunately, lost his first wife to brain cancer, so he’s the one who pushed me to go and try to seek a second opinion on migraines because my doctor was like ‘It’s migraines. Here’s some medication.’ The medication’s not really helping so I’m just going to wing it. He pushed me to go see a neurologist, and that’s when I had brain scans [performed]. The neurologist was like, ‘I don’t see anything here that would explain it.’

* The VA defines prostrating migraine as a severe migraine that causes a person extreme pain, weakness, and exhaustion, thus finding themselves needing to lie down in a dark and quiet room.