Everyone suffers a headache from time to time but you can usually continue to function, almost normally until the pain subsides. However if you’ve ever suffered from migraine, you will appreciate how debilitating it can be. Over the years, I have been a sufferer. Although mine were fairly rare, when they arrived they often lasted up to four days, with no amount of painkillers having any effect.

I am fortunate that mine were infrequent and I was able to manage the trigger.

Medical advice offers three main ways to manage symptoms:

Firstly try to ascertain what triggers the migraine, and avoid those triggers. In my case it seemed to be stress. This is not so easy to avoid, when you are under immense pressure at work, however I taught myself on the whole to manage my stress levels by telling myself I only had one pair of hands and could only do one thing at a time, if I wanted to do things properly.

Secondly, being aware of the start of a migraine and take medication early in an attack

and

Thirdly for severe cases, pharmacological intervention, where medication is prescribe, specifically for you and your condition.

I never now complain of a banging headache, as in comparison to my daughter’s, mine are irrelevant.

Unfortunately my daughter has inherited the migraine problem, but hers are extremely debilitating. I have often thought that maybe hers were triggered by her cigarette habit and (sorry my sweet), she carries a little extra weight.

She has, however discovered that too much chocolate and cheese, two of her favourite things can trigger a migraine as can dehydration and stress. She tries very hard to avoid these foods and drinks copious amounts of tea to try to keep hydrated. They can be also triggered by hunger, thirst and even not washing her hair regularly, or having it tied up for too long.

Bright lights, a lot of noise, and strong smells such as nail polish can all irritate a bad head, once it has arrived. If she is at home, laying in a cold, dark room can help calm them together with drinking lots of water. However she can often feel nauseous and water can cause her to vomit. Although vomiting can initially increase the pain, it can also release some of the pressure in her head. She then has a short window where she can eat, drink lots and take medication to try to relieve the head.

I hadn’t appreciated how much she suffered until early last year when she had been trying to clear cluster headaches for more than a week and she was admitted to hospital for tests. She had had a pretty stressful time at work, so much so she was in the process of moving to a new employer.

The pain was so prolonged she was becoming sensitive to lights. She had numerous blood tests and had to undergo a lumbar puncture and a CT scan to check for a bleed on the brain. Fortunately this was ruled out. She was told it was her normal cluster headaches and sent home to take pain killers.

After a visit to a GP, who was himself a sufferer, she was prescribed some strong medication, which do clear the pain if she can catch a migraine early enough. She has learnt to spot the signs, such as a twitchy eye, a neck ache and aversion to light. If she can take a tablet as soon as she spots the signs she can prevent a full blown migraine occurring, and can work through the niggling pain. These mild ones cause minimal disturbance to her life. However sometimes they hit her full on without any warning and can cause the nausea, vomiting, being unable to lift her head from the pillow, without getting pain searing through her head, and overheating.

She still also suffers with the cluster headaches, which are centred more behind the eye, describing them as like someone trying to push your eye out of its socket. She is able to release some of the pressure by holding her finger in her eye socket and takes the same medication.

If all this wasn’t enough, she has recently started feeling pain and muscle weakness down her left arm and leg. At a further visit to the doctors she saw someone new, who suggested she may have hemiplegic migraines. The symptoms mimic a stroke, hence the weakness. Although these are the rarest form of migraine they are worryingly the most serious. However, despite this, she has still been waiting for a hospital appointment to meet with a specialist!

She decided to meet with a Dr earlier this week to chase, who although he could seen the discussion in respect of hemiplegic migraines, could not find the referral to the hospital. They did have a thorough discussion. She has been advised to give up smoking 👏👏👏, to stop eating chocolate, cheese and drinking fizzy drinks. She is going to have to find some other vices & drink her Bacardi neat 🤣. Joking aside he has also changed her meds which she is now to take twice daily to try to prevent headaches occurring and has now definitely made the referral so hopefully help is on the way.

I was prompted to write about her heads as for years she’s been fobbed off & told to take pain killers. It was only after her hospitalisation that she persisted with the Drs & has fortunately found a few who have been more sympathetic. Although the medical profession do a wonderful job, I think we do need to push & persist, if we know that what we’re experiencing isn’t right and needs more investigation.

Whilst she waits for her appointment she is having to vary her choice of treats, continue to pop the pills and try as best as she can to control the “head banging” in order to maintain as normal a life as possible.