Written by Writinglegend
Regarding Migraine Awareness Month and my Chronic Migraines
June is Migraine Awareness month and this is a month that is near and dear to my heart, along with other individuals faced with the social ostracization of the debilitating condition. Migraines yield a severe throbbing recurring pain, usually on one side of the head. Attacks are often accompanied by one or more disabling symptoms: visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, extreme sensitivity to sound, light, touch and smell, and tingling or numbness in the extremities or face. Migraine is the 6th most disabling illness in the world. Every 10 seconds, someone in the U.S. goes to the emergency room complaining of head pain, and approximately 1.2 million visits are for acute migraine attacks. Migraines are anything but a joke. They are disabling, painful, and serious.
Personally, I get a plethora of migraines and am faced with the same misconceptions and stigmas as others (this month I had twelve migraine days and seven headache days). For some background, when I young I was diagnosed with chronic migraines. Most of my family deals with migraines in some form, so it is assumed that the condition was passed genetically. Chronic migraine is a distinct and relatively recently defined subtype of Chronic Daily Headache. It yields more than fifteen headache days per month over a three month period of which more than eight are migrainous, in the absence of medication overuse. My symptoms include extreme light headedness, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, a combination of throbbing and pounding pain, sensitivity to light, and a distinct ringing of the ears. My prodrome, what usually develops first and gives me knowledge of when a migraine is coming, is a ringing within the ears that is distinct and static-y. From my personal experience with this prodrome, it is absolutely dreadful. I can be in the middle of an activity and begin hearing a small static ring within the ear on the side the migraine will develop, which grabs my attention. There is no pain associated with such a ringing, but much like hearing any sound for a constant time period, it becomes an annoying scratch you just wish to rip out.
My diagnosis of chronic migraines was due to Advil and pain-killer overuse in an attempt to fight out episodic migraines -- the other defined sub-type of Chronic Daily Headache. Since then, I have been given a numerous amount of treatment options, most of which have yielded no substantial removal of my symptoms. These include an enormous amount of Triptans, which are the most common forms of migraine pain relief. When I was first diagnosed I was given general sumatriptan, which needed a thigh injection once I felt a migraine coming on. I have also taken oral Imitrex and Maxalt (my current medication), all of which have not seen a significant reduction in my migraine amounts. Ironically, if I had to recommend a medication to anyone, it would be high CBD marijuana.
Let it be known there is currently no known cure of chronic migraine or other migraine pain outside of pain relief. This is mainly due to the diverse, wide-ranging nature of triggers that spawn migrainous activity. We have come a long way, however, these past fifty years regarding our knowledge of migraines. It is helpful to know men and women are busting their ass day in and day out to find a cure. Such exemplifications of their hard work are better understanding CGRP and how to block the substance released during migraines.
Often times, when not treated with pain relief, I find myself laying on the bathroom floor with intense nausea and head pain than participating in daily, social activities. I cannot repeat how debilitating migraines are. Not only is it an atrocious physical pain, but it’s also a mental and emotional pain to not be able to normally function within society. This has led to me dealing with other emotional issues such a depression and anxiety. Have plans to hang out with friends? That may get disrupted by a migraine. Going to a party later tonight? That may get disrupted by a migraine. Is there a family event this afternoon? That may get disrupted by a migraine. Migraines do not discriminate based on your activities for the day or week. They are simply triggered. It's a frustrating condition.
Migraine is an extremely incapacitating collection of neurological symptoms. Being incapacitated for over half the month with such debilitating neurological symptoms sometimes means that people are unable to work at all, with individuals claiming disability living allowance to survive within society. Unfortunately, in many cases, current therapies are not enough to prevent or reduce the impact that chronic migraine has on people’s lives. This can lead to sufferers frequently becoming depressed and unable to cope. Migraine Awareness Month is in place to not only raise money for the research of the condition, but to provide financial support for those suffering.
Misconceptions are often labeled at migraine sufferers that they are simply experiencing headaches. Even some healthcare facilities jumble what is a migraine and what is a headache. They are two completely different issues and by corroborating the two pains they are only hurting the migraine sufferer. Headaches do not feature the neurological symptoms of migraines, such a an aura, dizziness, or light/odor sensitivity. Headaches are much less severe than migraines, and are often from tension or sinus sources (although there are other forms such as cluster which can be much more severe). Within society, the first thing we think of when someone says a “headache” is pain in the head. At least, that is what you get when dissecting the word. So, of course, when thinking of headaches you think of migraines. This has led to an inartful corroboration of the two terms. Such a miscalculation can lead to false treatment and more suffering. It is already dangerous enough that over 70% of chronic migraine and other migraine sufferers overuse medication, however, a misdiagnosis can be just as damaging.
Despite migraines affecting one in four families, it is still stigmatized and poorly understood by the public. June Migraine Awareness Month is in place to build donations, raise awareness, and promote proper care for the neurological issue that are migraines. Many find it hard to sympathize or fully comprehend someone's migraines, because it's an unseen pain. Without experiencing it, it's hard to realize how life disrupting it can be. I implore you all, during the next few weeks, to attempt to learn more about migraines. The Migraine Trust, Migraine Research Foundation, and American Migraine Foundation are three excellent sources to learn more about the issue. It is very likely that someone you know is currently struggling with migraines, thus knowing more about this very prominent issue can lead to more awareness on how to assist these individuals. Together, we can make a change one step, one person, one diagnosis at a time.
Sidebar, thanks to HEM for allowing me to publish this piece through his paper. Due to June being Migraine Awareness Month, I was hoping to build a higher level of awareness within this community by telling my story.
