Pre-Migraine alert - would it be REALLY valuable?
I was wondering what people in this forum think about an app that would provide personalized alerts prior to a migraine episode?
The app would take data points / signals from one's smart watch and mesh other external data points and provide an alert which is customed to you.
I know that in the past there were attempts to build one, but I haven't seen it become successful, so was wondering.
Great question! I know many folks with migraine find apps a useful tool to have in their migraine management regime. There are a few apps out there, I'm not sure one targets exactly what you are looking for. The app N1-Headache tracks triggers and helps us become more familiar with protective factors. You can read more about that here; https://migraine.com/living-migraine/n1-headache-app.
Is that what you had in mind?
Looking forward to hearing from you, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com TeamThank you Nancy for your feedback. The idea I have in mind is for personalized passive monitoring of signals which doesn't require on-going inputs from the user beyond a short setup period. A key question is whether or not knowing in advance an episode is coming would be highly valuable or just 'nice to have'. If the former, then what would be the profile of those people who'd put a high value to it
Thank you! I'm sure others will be along soon to share their input as well. Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator Migraine.com Team
Such an interesting question. Thanks so much for posing it and I will be interested to see the feedback from our community. I have some questions about how such a thing could be designed as every person with migraine has a unique set of triggers that often evolve and change with time. Also how would the app track the multiple symptoms we experience without someone having to proactively enter them as they are unfolding. We talk a lot here about how prodromes are frequently difficult to track as they are happening (like brain fog, irritability, forgetfulness) so they can be easy to miss and easier to be seen in retrospect. BUT- if the questions about how it could be done could be answered, I think having a signal that a migraine attack is pending before it hits would certainly be helpful as treating an attack in its infancy increases its chances of stopping it in its tracks. Thanks for the question! Warmly, Holly (migraine.com team). 
This is certainly an interesting thought! Do you have app building experience? Curious to hear about what inspired you to consider this idea. In my opinion, there is no better era to have a chronic illness because of all the technology we now have access to. Previous generations would only be able to conceive things like this in their wildest dreams! -Melissa, migraine.com team
