Out of the dark and into the light: Life after successful treatment of post-traumatic headache

In this episode, we hear from an anonymous Veteran about her struggle with light sensitivity and headache after a traumatic brain injury during Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq. She describes how she suffered daily headaches from 2013 until her first dose of a new anti-migraine drug in December 2018 which changed her life. During that period from 2013-2018, she experienced excruciating light-sensitivity that she had to wear sunglasses even indoors. Additionally, she experienced constant debilitating pain that significantly impacted her life. She recounts that after her first dose of this new anti-migraine drug, she sat on her bed in amazement as it was the first headache free period of time in 6 years. She goes on to tell us how this treatment has impacted her life.
We also hear from an expert in the field of migraine and post-traumatic headache, Dr. Andrew Russo. Dr. Russo is a professor of physiology at the University of Iowa and director of animal research at the Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Visual Loss. He shares how he became interested in research, how he perceives migraine to work, and the role of a peptide in migraine known as CGRP. Finally, Dr. Russo highlights what research at the VA means to him.

Show Notes

In this episode, we hear from an anonymous Veteran about her struggle with light sensitivity and headache after a traumatic brain injury during Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq.  She describes how she suffered daily headaches from 2013 until her first dose of a new anti-migraine drug in December 2018 which changed her life. During that period from 2013-2018, she experienced such severe light sensitivity that she had to wear sunglasses even indoors. Additionally, she experienced constant debilitating pain that significantly impacted her life.  She recounts that after her first dose of this new anti-migraine drug, she sat on her bed in amazement. This was her first headache free period of time in 6 years. She goes on to tell us how this treatment has impacted her life henceforth. A visual presentation of traumatic brain injury can be found here.

In this episode, we also hear from an expert in the field of migraine and post-traumatic headache, Dr. Andrew Russo, a professor of physiology at the University of Iowa and director of animal research at the VA Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Visual Loss. 

In a roundabout way, Dr. Russo became interested in migraine by being interested in how plants grow. Early in life weeding his grandmother’s garden, he learned how plants respond to light and their environment and became curious how other organisms respond.  Dr. Russo views migraine as our brain responding too much to a stimulus like light, sound, touch, etc. Primarily, his studies focusing on a peptide in migraine known as CGRP and its actions has helped Dr. Russo contribute to a new class of anti-migraine drugs that have shown success in treating migraine.

Dr. Russo’s father served in the Navy and received his primary care through the VA healthcare system.  He was impressed with the VA’s commitment to treat Veterans not only in the hospital setting but in all walks of life.  He branched into researching traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic headache because the similarities to migraine as well as a moral obligation to support Veterans.  

What is Vets First Podcast?

The Vets First podcast is a research-based podcast that focuses on the VA healthcare system and its patients. Instead of being just another research podcast, the Vets First podcast was created with a primary focus on the Veterans and their stories. The hosts, Levi Sowers PhD, and Brandon Rea work to bridge the gap between the state-of-the-art research being performed at Veterans Affairs and the Veterans themselves in an easy-to-understand manner. Importantly, Levi and Brandon want to assist researchers around the country to better understand the needs of Veterans. In this podcast you will hear interviews from Veterans with specific conditions and then hear from VA funded researchers who are studying those very topics as well as other highlighted services the VA provides.

The Department of Veterans Affairs does not endorse or officially sanction any entities that may be discussed in this podcast, nor any media, products or services they may provide.