Do you track your migraines? If so, feel free to share your experiences here!
Migraine tracking is a valuable tool that we can all use to communicate with our medial team. Details like what symptoms we have, how long the symptoms last, and potential triggers can all be documented.
Do you personally track your migraines? If so, what have you found the most helpful?
Do you feel like your healthcare team takes into consideration your migraine log when discussing treatment?
Where do you keep your notes? Is it in an app, on pen and paper, or somewhere else?
Please feel free to share any and all experiences related to this topic.
I know for me, I did a lot of migraine tracking before my diagnosis. Each time I started to feel migraine symptoms start, I wrote down the time, where I was, what I was doing, and the potential triggers. For example, one entry might read " 3pm, filling up my car with gas, potential triggers: bright light, smell of gas, head pain on left temple". I also remember feeling a bit disappointed that my neurologist didn't take my migraine log very seriously. I took a lot of time and effort to notice what may be impacting my migraines, but it didn't seem too important to him. As with anything, your mileage may vary!
Years ago when my migraine attacks went from episodic to chronic I did track my attacks, the food I ate, my sleep patterns, etc. Once I determined my triggers I stopped tracking them diligently. So it was very beneficial in the beginning. Living with Chronic Migraine Disease it’s almost easier to point out the days that I don’t have an attack, even if it’s a mild one.
I can absolutely resonate with what you've said,
. I took a similar approach. In the beginning I was focused on identifying my triggers, and then once I knew, I tried to focus on when my migraines weren't happening, rather than living in fear that something might trigger them. It's a slight difference in perspective, because I did find that if I was "looking" for triggers, that sometimes I would respond more strongly than if I just let it go and accept it for what it is. I can imagine it had something to do with stress. The more stressed I felt about a trigger, the more likely it was to bother me.
Also, since we're talking about triggers, I'll share this article on environmental triggers. Hopefully it will be helpful for anyone who jumps in on the conversation: https://migraine.com/migraine-triggers/environment.
Wishing you well, - Cody (Team Member)
Thanks Cody, I appreciate the article. Weather definitely plays a huge factor in my migraine attacks.
Hope you have a great weekend! Amy
weather can be a challenging factor, as it's not one that we have much control over. Have you found ways to best protect yourself against an attack when the weather changes?
Best
Alene, Migraine.com Team Member
Hi Alene
Aside from multiple weather apps I use WeatherX & their app. They’re earplugs that you use proactively when there is going to be large barometric changes, which is a big trigger for me. Please share if you have any tips!!!
I'm so glad to hear that you've found the weatherX app and earplugs helpful. I have heard other people in the community mention them before. For additional tips and insights, I encourage you to check out this video if you haven't already: https://migraine.com/living-migraine/unavoidable-weather-trigger. There are many, many comments (nearly 90) below the video discussing this issue. I hope that it's informative for you. - Cody (Team Member)
Thanks once again Cody with great info!!!
