LIVING WITH MIGRAINES
A doctor once told me that the only thing worse than suffering from a migraine is being burnt alive. I believe him. As a mother of four children who has gone through four natural childbirths, I would rather give birth to four children simultaneously than suffer from a migraine. Unfortunately, I suffer from 3 to 4 a month and when the onslaught of pain hits me I brace myself for excruciating pain and vomiting. The longest migraine I had to endure lasted for a period of 5 days. On the third day I was hospitalized. On day four I was advised to have an abortion (I was 4 months pregnant) as the physician’s efforts to relieve me of the pain had failed. I refused to have an abortion. On day five the migraine ended.
A migraine sufferer usually has their first attack between the ages of 19 and 30. I was 14 when I experienced my first migraine and my daughter and son were both 14 too when they began suffering migraine attacks. Approximately 90% of migraines sufferers have a family history of migraines. If one or both of your parents have migraines then there is a very good likelihood that you will too.
Migraines are 4 times more endemic in women than men and this is thought to be due to hormonal fluctuations.
Symptoms of a migraine
It is difficult to explain the immense pain one goes through to someone who has never suffered from a migraine. The best way to describe it is an intense, throbbing pain in one area of the head, on one side, and it is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting and acute sensitivity to sound and light. The migraine can last from hours to days. It is totally debilitating and in my case I cannot go about my usual daily activities until the migraine is over. I have to lie down in a dark, quiet room. The pain usually begins slowly, intensifying over minutes and resolves gradually at the end of the attack. Motion, moving the head quickly or physical activity exacerbates the pain.
Some people have warning symptoms (an aura) that they are going to get a migraine. These symptoms are bright flashes of light, tingling in your arm or legs and blind spots. I have had many migraines over the years and have only had an aura once.
Research shows that migraines are linked to the opening and narrowing of blood vessels in the head. However, some doctors believe the cause is connected to genes that control the activity of certain brain cells.
Although the pain of a migraine attack is so severe it tends to be alarming, there are, in most cases, no long-lasting health effects when the migraine is over. I find that I am usually extremely tired for a day or two after the attack.
Migraine triggers
- Foods that contain chemicals (such as nitrites and glutamate)
- Chemicals
- Preservatives
- Bright lights
- Excess noise
- Hormonal fluctuations (especially during pregnancy and menstruation)
- Lack of sleep
- Stress
- Crying
- Anxiety
- Lack of food
To find out the cause of your migraines it is best to keep a migraine dairy in which you record the frequency, severity and symptoms of your attack as well as any foods or drinks consumed an hour or two before the attack. A diary helped me tremendously as I discovered that every time I ate foods which contained nitrites (such as preserved cold meats and sausages) I developed a migraine. Cashew nuts were a culprit too and as much as I love them I have had to exclude them from my diet. By keeping a diary I realized that most of my migraines occur before, during and a few days after my menstruation cycle. These are called menstrual migraines.
Treatment
Speak to your doctor about finding the correct migraine medication for you. It took me a few years to find a medication that has helped me enormously and it has made a huge difference to the severity of my migraine attacks. Whereas before they would last for hours, sometimes days, the attack now ends approximately an hour or two after I have had my medication. Doctors can also prescribe a preventive treatment for you which you usually take on a daily basis and helps prevent future migraines. Unfortunately, this method did not work for me but it has helped many people. It is best to keep a diary for a few months before you see a doctor. In that way he can work out the correct treatment plan for you.