Kristin Chenoweth Shares What Helps Her Manage Diagnosis Of 'Chronic Migraine'

There was a time Emmy and Tony award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth thought she might have to retire from a career she loved due to debilitating Chronic Migraine.

Thankfully, she was able to find a treatment plan with her doctor that worked for her, and she now shares her experience in the hopes of helping others to not feel alone.

"It was adult onset. I was 25," she told The Blast. "I was singing a solo concert with the Virginia Symphony and all of a sudden, I started getting this aura of flashing lights, and I couldn't really understand what was going on."

She continued to explain that she suddenly felt nauseous during her performance and when intermission came and the curtain went down, she ended up throwing up. She was sick for about three days after.

"My mom had had really bad headaches growing up, and I thought this must be what that is, but after a few years of dealing with it, and then finally getting diagnosed by my doctor, I came to understand that it's migraine," she continued.

"I tried different medicines, different pills, I tried a shot. Problem is, there was nothing preventative for me."

Then she tried BOTOX, which she said at least in her situation helps prevents the migraines from happening. And for the soon-to-be bride who's getting married in a few weeks, making sure there's no migraine in sight to put a damper on her big day, as well as her daily life, is extremely important.

"Once I found what was really helping, it was like a new day for me. I was facing retirement. I didn't think I could continue. The night I won an Emmy, I left in an ambulance," she told The Blast. "I'm getting married soon. We're so ready. There's not going to be a migraine anywhere in sight."

Chenoweth said that getting ahead of the migraines is important. She does her treatment every 12 weeks, and can actually tell when it's getting close to that time. In addition to her BOTOX treatments, she has a treatment plan that includes also watching her salt and alcohol intake, and getting enough rest.

Another thing she has found that helps is being open and honest with people about what she's dealing with.

"I have found one thing that really helps me a lot is I share with the people I'm working with that hey, this may happen. And there's been a lot more understanding than not understanding," she explained.

"I find that when you share your story and you tell people what you deal with, it's an invisible disease, so if I wore an arm brace, you'd know I was hurt. Well, this is a different thing but it's inside."

The actress also said it helps to not feel so alone by sharing her story.

"You feel like you're alone on an island for so long but when you start talking about it and sharing it, you find other people have it too," she said. "And it makes you not feel so bad, so alone."

Dr. Larry Charleston, Director of Headache & Facial Pain, Director of Faculty Development at Michigan State University and Professor, shared more information about the use of BOTOX for people who suffer from Chronic Migraine.

"There are so many people with Chronic Migraine, about 3.3 million people," he told The Blast. "One of the things that's really important is that people really need to start with a diagnosis first. Some people may think, oh, it's just a headache, but migraine is so much more than that."

Dr. Charleston explained that Chronic Migraine criteria includes 15 or more headache days a month with symptoms that last more than four hours each time, for more than a three-month period of time.

"It affects people in their everyday life. It affects people with their lives. It may affect them in different ways. It may affect them socially, it may affect their work, it may affect the way they interact with people. It manifests in so many different ways," he explained.

"We don't have a cure, but we can be more in control with these different tools and comprehensive approach."

In addition to sharing her Chronic Migraine story, Chenoweth has also partnered with AbbVie on the "Center Stage with Chronic Migraine" program.

According to their website, the program "aims to help and empower other people living with Chronic Migraine to talk to their doctor about how to manage their disease."

The website also shares a statement given by Chenoweth. "I want to share what I've learned with others who may be struggling with Chronic Migraine to help give them encouragement and motivation to take control of this debilitating disease."

For more information on BOTOX for Chronic Migraine and the "Center Stage with Chronic Migraine" program, visit their website.