I
started getting headaches in the 3rd 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
