'The Walton Centre helped me to start a family by managing my chronic migraines'

Date: 15 January 2025

JP family pic web

Since the age of 14, Jo Price from Ruthin North Wales has lived with migraines. When an episode strikes, Jo becomes immobile, unable to move her head without intense stabbing pains, they can affect her speech and can make her vomit. By her 20s, Jo was being struck down regularly with migraine attacks, taking days to recover each time, and be looked after by others.

Jo, now 38, said: “I missed so many key events in my life because of migraines and struggled to hold down a job at times. The fear of losing employment due to my condition became a huge worry for me, creating a vicious cycle of stress and regular migraines.”

Ten years ago, Jo was researching further support for her chronic condition and discovered The Walton Centre’s headache service – one of the biggest in the UK.

She said: “Finding The Walton Centre was like finding a lifeline. The experience I have here is like a breath of fresh air! It’s become a game-changer. The clinicians truly understood what I was going through in a way I’d never experienced before. I appreciated my GP’s efforts, but general knowledge of migraines only goes so far. At The Walton Centre, I finally felt heard, validated, and supported by experts who knew how to help me take control of my condition.”

Initially, Jo’s migraines were being treated with nerve blocks and Botox medication. But when Jo decided to try to start a family, the treatments which improve her migraines would have to change. The Trust’s dedicated headache team worked with Jo to safely adjust her medication and create a plan that balanced managing the episodes of migraine with her goal of becoming a mother.

Jo continued: “I felt empowered by the team that I could manage my medication and try to start a family safely. I knew that some of my medication could work against my efforts to start a family, so having expert guidance and reviewing my treatment was excellent. I’ll never forget the moment I found out I was pregnant – I was overjoyed. Thanks to The Walton Centre’s expert guidance, something that once felt impossible became a reality.”  

Since then, the team have supported Jo with further treatment. Thanks to monthly Ajovy injections to further reduce instances of migraine, Jo was able to launch her own behaviour consultancy business, working with neurodiverse children and their families.

Jo said: “I took the plunge and became self-employed. It was nerve-wracking, but I’m so glad I did. I can manage my workload effectively, and because of the outstanding support from The Walton Centre, I’m able to do more, and pursue the career and family life that I want.

“Living with chronic migraines is more than just dealing with intense pain. It’s a lifelong disability that affects every aspect of life—your relationships, your career, your mental health. Society still doesn’t fully understand the toll it takes, and that needs to change.

“If there’s one thing I hope my story can show others, it’s that there is hope. At my lowest points, I couldn’t see a way out. But with expert care and perseverance, things can improve. Chronic migraines may always be part of my life, but I now know they don’t have to control it.”

Find out more about our headache service here: https://www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk/departments-and-services/headache-service/415522 

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Notes to editors

Further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact the Communications Team at The Walton Centre on 0151 556 3397 or wcft.communications@nhs.net

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust is the only hospital trust in the UK specialising in neurology, neurosurgery and pain services. Although the majority of patients come from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, Lancashire and the Isle of Man, for some specialist treatments of complex disorders we see patients from all parts of the country, referred by their GPs or other neurologists, neurosurgeons and pain clinicians.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust was rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission. The independent regulator of all health and social care services in England published its rating on Friday 21 October 2016, following announced and unannounced inspection visits to the Trust in April 2016.

For more information please visit: www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk or follow the Trust on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7LJ
0151 525 3611

  • Summary:

    Since the age of 14, Jo Price from Ruthin North Wales has lived with migraines. When an episode strikes, Jo becomes immobile, unable to move her head without intense stabbing pains, they can affect her speech and can make her vomit. By her 20s, Jo was being struck down regularly with migraine attacks, taking days to recover each time, and be looked after by others.