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"Demystifying Migraine" AMF Video

One would really need to be in my "homeless" predicament, to appreciate how disappointing this video is. In order to "demystify" the notion that migraine is more than a headache, the AMF inadvertently , shoots it's own "awareness" cause in the foot.

Migraine is not a headache. A patient can have debilitating symptoms of migraine without the symptom of headache. In fact, a patient must have other neurological symptoms without a headache, for a diagnosis to even be an accurate migraine diagnosis.

I have lived a lifetime with migraine disease and I rarely experience the headache symptom. Just as persons may not report their headache symptom, many clinicians overlook the diagnosis all because the headache symptom is absent.

Migraine is more than a headache, is stating that it must be a headache with other symptoms. It is the complete opposite and believe me, I am homeless as a directly because this "myth" continues it's life in the very associations leading to change it.

I can't advocate for myself , if I'm directing people to resources like this. It may be a "Primary Headache " classification, but what again, is the myth ? It is not a headache, regardless of the ICH. It is not "more than a headache". It is a list of disabling symptoms and you might get a headache with this condition.

Try entering into the government system (needing SSI) without the headache symptom and explaining how trigger avoidance and social stigma made you penniless. They are not prepared to accept my physical condition into any shelter (I am chronic complex migraine with aura) . They are only prepared to take my phone away and assess me for a mental reasoning of homeless or an addiction reasoning for homeless. The ignorant myth of one symptom plagues my physical ability to receive educated social workers and shelter programs.

The video teaches that additional symptoms accompany the headache. I could use a real video in my "intake" sessions today. What must I do now? Go to a shelter/lighting,sleeping etc.. with my chronic symptom list?? and let these uneducated persons "assess" from the typical assessment procedures for mental illness or substance abuse ??? Would any migraineur want to be "assessed" in a homeless shelter under a government staff of untrained professionals???

What if you didn't have the headache symptom and had to explain to government that such impairment was bullied by invasive stubborn family until you became penniless??

I support the ACHE and AMF, MAGNUM, Migraine.com. I applaud their wonderful efforts and articles, but one symptom must not continue "owning" a condition that doesn't need to exist all together.

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