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Dr. William B. Young- Migraine gets lousy press. Sure, we get a lot of articles in women’s magazines on “holiday headache,” “foods to avoid,” and “sex and headache.” Unfortunately, these types of articles encourage the notion that migraine is a nuisance disease, lead to misunderstanding for the journey of people with serious and disabling migraine, and ultimately restrict funding for the research that will lead to meaningful treatments for people who really need them... Read more
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Migraine in America 2015
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Tammy Rome- My mother used to tell me, “Don’t let yourself get so stressed out. You’ll give yourself a migraine.” In her defense, our family doctor told her that stress caused migraines. Plus, she was trying to describe my stress behaviors, not my frame of mind. Those behaviors were (and still are) migraine triggers. She knew me well enough to recognize the things I did when I was feeling stressed. Her mistake was in believing that my feelings caused behaviors of which I was unaware and could not control. Well guess what? I did learn to recognize my personal stress behavior patterns.... Read more
Katie Golden- I’ve realized recently that my Migraines make me look like a ditzy, forgetful, dumb, drug addict and alcoholic. I am none of those things. I suffer from Aphasia. Let’s break it down: Alcoholic– yes, I drink occasionally and it doesn’t affect my Migraines in small quantities. From the outside though, I could easily be portrayed as being drunk occasionally. Stumbling, talking to myself and not making any sense are all classic characteristics of a drunk party girl. In reality, my balance is awful. I’m working on some exercises to get that back in order. I have so many bruises from... Read more
Anna Eidt- Most of us with migraine have been there: you tell a friend you have to cancel and they make a big deal out of it. Maybe they don’t do anything so misunderstanding as accuse you of being unreliable or selfish (if they do, perhaps they are not such a good friend), but perhaps they make a point of how much it sucks, how much you’ll be missed, or how disappointed they are. In some situations, this could be an appropriate response, but at least for me, because I have to cancel and reschedule so often, the response I most appreciate... Read more
Katie Golden- Last year, I started to notice that as I was falling asleep, my body would contract, twitch or move on its own. It was not just limited to my legs. I could be stretched out and then suddenly I would contract into a ball. My boyfriend would be in bed reading as I feel asleep and confirmed these actions. He even said once I was asleep that sometimes I would have tremor-like movements. I hadn’t started a new medication and I double checked all of my regular meds to make sure this wasn’t listed as a potential and rare side... Read more
The Migraine Girl- Y’all. I was so proud of myself yesterday. While I travel a lot for both work and pleasure, I don’t always have my ducks in a row in advance and end up scrambling and frantic as I’m rushing to leave for the airport. Right now I’m in Denver, Colorado, in town for my favorite book conference of the year (it’s a conference for independent booksellers called Winter Institute, and we call it heaven). With only one exception in the last many years, I get at least one migraine attack—if not several days’ worth—every time I attend a conference. Long hours,... Read more
Tammy Rome- Ask fifteen migraineurs to tell you about their triggers and you will get 15 unique answers. None of us share the same ones. Triggers are so variable that they change from one attack to another even for a single patient. For example, weather changes are my strongest, most predictable, and least avoidable trigger. Yet sometimes, I am the only one in the house NOT to get an attack during the latest storm. I can safely eat sweet relish in my tuna, but a single sweet pickle will set off an attack within minutes. Chinese food is okay, but canned soups... Read more
Lisa Benson- Katie Janquart knows firsthand how migraines can affect someone. She remembers having headaches her whole life, but when she was a teen they turned into a daily event. She finally was diagnosed with migraine. Her doctor prescribed a treatment that made her feel sicker, so she opted out of treatment for years. Living in a small town in Idaho, she felt like she was the only one going through this. “I kind of just played that I was OK for quite awhile.” In college Janquart again sought medical care for her migraines, and though she suffered side effects from her treatment,... Read more
hollybee- It’s my nature to look at life’s glass as half full, and yet with migraines, it’s easy to get stuck looking at the negatives. There are so many negatives, after all. It is for this reason that I’m grateful for the rare moments when I gain a refreshing perspective on the potential positives related to migraine. A colleague recently asked me to describe how migraines work. I explained how the nervous systems of migraineurs are more tightly wound than others: lights are brighter, sounds are louder, and smells are more fragrant. I was describing this in a fairly negative tone-... Read more
Tammy Rome- Whenever someone says “I don’t know how you do it,” my head is full of things I want to say but don’t. In my fantasies, I imagine a very one-sided conversation that goes something like this… You always say that. I usually respond by shrugging it off and changing the subject when what I really want to do is shake you hard and scream, “IT’S NOT LIKE I HAVE A FREAKING CHOICE, NOW, DO I?!?!” When I talk about living with migraine and cluster headaches, there is a disconnection between the words I use to describe my experience (very accurate)... Read more
The Migraine Girl- Once, many years ago, I decided that I was an adult and deserved a really nice, comfortable, and supportive bed. I did research before heading to the mattress store, determined to buy myself a queen bed (an upgrade from my full-sized one) that was well-reviewed by not only average consumers but those with chronic pain conditions. I knew very well all the reasons why a nice bed is worth the price: you spend about a third of your life in bed (maybe more if you’re sick a lot); more comfortable sleep is more restorative, which can help your energy and... Read more
Katie Golden- On February 8-9 the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA) gathered for its 9th Annual “Headache on the Hill,” (HOH). This is a chance for patients, advocates and even doctors to talk to legislator representing their respective states about the importance of Migraine research. Having had an amazing experience last time, I was really looking forward to this event. Our group of about 60 advocates from 30 states to lobby Congress for this cause. At an informational session the night before, the group was prepped on the discussion topics to be focused on this year. NIH Should Account for Disease Burden... Read more
Joanna Bodner- You’ve commented and we’ve listened! We asked both our Facebook and Migraine.com community to respond after reading the article titled, “A List & Call for Creature Comforts”, what have you discovered that helps ease, address and get you through a migraine? Check out a summary of their responses below. Additionally, we would LOVE to hear more from you! Please be sure to comment at the end if there are any other ways that you pacify the pain, ease nausea or pass the dreaded time during a migraine. How you sooth the pain: Hot/Cold Therapy: I pack the migraine side of my... Read more
hollybee- Getting and keeping the body moving is only growing in importance for me these days. As I continue aging and navigating the challenges of chronic daily migraines, I notice my body trending toward curling up, slowing down, and away from physical activity. And yet I have learned after years of doing just that (sitting nearly frozen in fear with the knowledge that movement would exacerbate pain), there is such goodness to be gained in pushing against that inclination; goodness in embracing health and striving for wellness. Exercising is one of the few proactive steps I can take in response to having... Read more
Editorial Team- When living with Migraine, difficulty concentrating and brain fog can be common symptoms for many Migraineurs. Here are some suggestions on ways to manage and compensate for them. Read the original post here. next Read more
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I grew up an athlete – a competitive swimmer, captain of my high school swim team, then to aerobics, hiking, yoga and boxing. I took pride in pushing myself to my limits. I loved always being in shape and having toned arms Though I’ve had migraines since I was twelve, in the past eight years they’ve really ramped up in frequency and intensity. One of my triggers is exercise. While I used to be the only one climbing the stairs, I now take the escalator. “What if I trigger a migraine?” “how does my head feel?” And, just like that,... Read more
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