National Migraine Awareness Month

I started getting headaches in the 3^rd grade. My teacher sent a note home stating my eyes should be checked. I was excited because I kind of wanted glasses. After my eyes were checked, and everything came out fine, I continued to suffer with bouts of headaches along with an occasional nose bleed.

As time went on, my headaches became more severe. By 19-years old, I was getting headaches and migraines at least three times a week. I went for a CT Scan, but they didn’t find anything wrong. So again, I just dealt with my headaches and migraines by taking over the counter medication. When I entered my 30’s, I decided to look into them again. I was put on different prescribed migraine medications, but if I didn’t take the medication at a precise moment, it wouldn’t work. I turned to Excedrin Migraine, which seemed to be the only thing that worked for a while.

I still haven’t found a cure to relieve me of migraines. Migraines are debilitating. When I was working, most of my sick days were reserved for my migraines, and there were times I was stuck working at the start of one. They cause nausea and vomiting, dizziness and lack of focus. I’ve tried so many things to decrease them, and they have decreased from three times a week to about two a month, but last longer in days. A big factor in my decreased migraines was when I quit smoking. I use a Neti Pot to help the pressure and I take Magnesium and Fish Oil supplements, which I read help decrease migraines.

I know my migraine triggers, which is a long list of triggers. I find I get migraines when it’s about to rain (when the rain hangs in the air too long before release), weather changes (cold to hot and vice versa), PMS, smoke and strong perfumes, high winds and allergies.

The reason I told you about my migraines is because June is National Migraine Awareness Month. Each day, approximately 430,000 people call in sick to work due to migraines a day, which results in 157 million lost days and $31 billion industry losses a year. Over 37 million people suffer from migraines in America, yet most people don’t understand them, it’s misdiagnosed, and it’s under-treated. Knowing which type of migraine you have is very important along with knowing what triggers them. “Migraine is a genetic Neurological disease.

In reading through the different types of migraines, I’ve come to the conclusion that I have Migraine without aura: Headache lasts 4-72 hours, one-sided, pulsating quality, moderate to severe intensity, aggravated by routine physical activity, associated with nausea and/or sensitivity to light and sound.

If you suffer from migraines, or you know of anyone who does, please spread the word about this disease and educate yourself about the types, triggers and different treatments.

For More information: http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/123/139873/national-awareness/

Migraines and Diseases,

Bea