Ashley Judd Says Her ‘Epic Headaches’ Were Misdiagnosed for 8 Years: ‘All That Suffering Unnecessarily'

Judd shared an Instagram post on Wednesday, Oct. 9 about her health journey

Ashley Judd is sharing details about her health journey as she searched for the cause of her chronic headaches.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, ahead of Mental Health Day (Oct.10), Judd, 56, posted a lengthy letter on Instagram about how she had finally received treatment for her headaches, which had been misdiagnosed for eight years.

“As we mark #WorldMentalHealthDay this week, I wanted to share an update with you all on my own health journey. Xx,” Judd’s caption read.

“What happened was that I discovered, through an auspicious friendship, that my headaches had been misdiagnosed for eight years,” the actress’ post read. “Which meant that for those eight miserable years I had been treated, at some of our finest medical institutions, with medications for a type of headache that I do not have.”

She continued, “What a staggering revelation! To know that I had gone through all that suffering unnecessarily because all the solutions prescribed were doomed to fail, has been profoundly disillusioning.”

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"But I am now being cared for by headache scientists with a far better approach,” Judd said. “Since September 14th, my body has felt well — the ‘pain burden’ has lifted.”

The Double Jeopardy star added, “Head pain is intermittent these days. My hope is renewed.”

Related: Anderson Cooper and Ashley Judd Break Down Talking About Grief and Suicide of Loved Ones

Judd went on to express her gratitude for her support system, including her sister Wynonna Judd, her aunt and “those deep in the wisdom of body arts and, my partner.”

“Sometimes all we did was cry. Sometimes we sang a mindfulness song,” she added. “Sometimes we held each other and slept.”

Judd then advised anyone who had been suffering from chronic pain to “ask for help while supporting yourself and meeting your own needs.”

“Every day, I return to my values and consider how I can live them, even in the smallest ways - Citizenship. Faith. Being in Nature. Relationships. Learning. And so much more,” she wrote.

Judd then concluded her write-up with the Bible verses of Psalms 116: 5-8.

The star went on to share a clip of herself sitting by a fire and singing “Breathing In, Breathing Out” by Plum Village, as well as a snapshot of the book Prayers of Honoring by Pixie Lighthorse.

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