Thursday 4 March 2010

Some interesting links re migraine

Scientific developments towards understanding the causes and development of migraine have advanced so much in the last decade. I find it strange to remember how, over ten years ago, I had to deal with Occupational Health and Personnel people who couldn't understand it was a very debilitating condition in its own right and not a) imaginary, b) a symptom of something else.

After several years of trying out just about everything (including getting rid of my TV and changing to LCD computer displays), I finally got some effective medication and got it under control. The last time I had a migraine attack was at the Great Northern Quilt Show last year, when I got a migraine every day due to the lighting in the hall, but at least I could control it. When I get a full-blown migraine, I loose my coordination, find it difficult to speak coherently, and begin to go numb on my right side, fingers & toes first, in addition to the pain, light sensitivity, "aura" (where objects and lights seem to move around), dizziness & nausea. Not fun.

I saw these interesting articles on the BBC today -

Hand held device on trial for migraine sufferers

Why light can worsen migraines

Migraine favoured "sickie excuse"
- not something that helps people who really do suffer from migraines!

2 comments:

Rosalind said...

As you say at long last migraine is taken seriously. I started with them it at 9 and was met with "children don't get headaches!"
Mine are triggered by changes in the weather, not drinking enough and some lighting.
Wish there was some way of getting back the days spent waiting for them to recede. :o(
Since taking medication for something else mine have really dropped in frequency.
Great that more research is being done now.

Susan Briscoe said...

Bowens Therapy helped mine a lot too. A friend who is a Macmillan nurse (cancer care specialist) was learning how to do it for lymphodema patients and used me as one of her "training" patients, as she had heard about the side effect of reducing migraine.

I'm glad it is being taken more seriously!