The worst thing about migraines isn't the head pain: It's everything else. A new study by Migraine.com surveyed 2632 sufferers about their migraine experiences. Almost all of the respondents were women. Though we don't know how many of the participants were moms, almost half of them (40 percent) admitted that migraines affect their relationships with their children.
Half also said migraines have affected their jobs. And some (10 percent) even said their illness had led to divorce or separation. Meanwhile, employers lose about $13 billion due to their employees' migraine-related missed days. OK, I get it now: A migrane is way, way more than a headache.
So the headache part of a migraine is a given -- we all know about that. But for most sufferers migraine is actually vicious combination of symptoms like sensitivity to sound and smell, difficulty concentrating, nausea, fatigue, and neck pain. Treating those symptoms is complicated: Most respondents say they've held off on medications either because of the high costs or the side effects. And worst of all, the combination of symptoms and the problems with medication means many suffer from depression and anxiety, as well.
So yeah, take some pain reliever and a nap? Apparently that's not going to work for most. It's kind of amazing (in a horrible way) how hard it seems to get a handle on this condition. The friends I've had with migraine all seem to disappear from off the face of the Earth from time to time. And they're always trying something new in a desperate attempt to fight off their painful and debilitating demons. Now that I've seen these survey results I know it's not just my friends -- this is a widespread problem.
Anyway, Migraine.com did this study to serve "as a wake up call to the healthcare system and to society as a whole to recognize the broad impact that migraine has on the lives of those who suffer from it." Most of us can try to be more patient and compassionate, but I hope this leads to better, more comprehensive treatments.
Have you seen the way migraines can affect people's lives?
Image via Julien Haler/Flickr
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Comments 22
I get migraines when I'm overwhelmed, dehydrate during exercise, and extreme temperature changes. It feels as if my brain is detached from my spinal cord. It's really annoying because I don't like taking pills but it's so necessary.
Migraines with Aura, One of the worst thing for me is the stroke like symptoms. I start to see the lights in my left eye and blind spots before the pain hits, then the numbness on my left side, hand first, then in my face and cheek. The numbness in my face hits about the same time as the pain, so I'm blind and pretty much paralyzed on one side, and in agony.
The very worst thing is people not understanding or caring how really awful it is.
I get migraines. But I would rather have a million migraines than a cluster headache. At least I can do something about my migraines. My cluster headaches are an unstoppable force when I get them. The worst I had it was for months on end with 3-4 attacks a day. So hard to function and pain killers do nothing. Many people describe it as the worst pain they have ever experienced and they are nicknamed suicide headaches. People who have had given birth say that the clusters are worse pain than giving birth.
With my migraines I get blind spots in my eye and tunnel vision among other symptoms then the headache hits. It is misery and it angers me that some people think it JUST a regular headache.
I get something called a silent migraine, but believe me, when I get one, I cannot function. My brain shuts off for the duration.