After living with complicated migraines with auras for all of my adult life, I’ve learned there are at least 5.2 dangerous migraine myths that can cost you dearly. Learning the truth behind these myths could save your life. 1. Everyone Knows that Migraines Are One Sided Headaches This myth can delay your diagnosis by, oh, 20 or 30 years! Migraines can also include pain on both sides of the head, speech disturbances, blurred vision, pins and needles feelings or other odd sensation especially in the hands and lips; mood swings, crying jags, irritability, or sudden, overwhelming depression; stomach, neck or shoulder pain (instead of head pain); even yawning spells or weird smells (for me it was pencil shavings). In fact, a “migraine headache” might not include much if any head pain at all. It depends on what area of the brain has the blood flow disturbance. 2. Migraines Only Last a Couple of Hours We wish! While a migraine itself may last only a few hours, the pain might last three days, and when you factor in the weird prodromal warning symptoms, the migraine auras, and the flat, post migraine recovery phase, a particularly nasty migraine can last as long as a typical hurricane. 3. No Biggie—Everybody Gets Migraines Sometimes I heard an interview once with Hollywood actors and Nashville singers bragging about how they had performed for so many thousands of people while suffering a “nasty” migraine. Excuse me? Let’s more accurately define “nasty” as it applies to real migraines: sounds hurt so much it feel like a pickaxe through the side of your skull; lights burn your eyes like dripping molten iron, and your head or neck feels like it’s being crushed in a vice by trolls. Now, you tell me if you believe someone with a nasty migraine could get up under those hot stage lights and perform live for 20,000 screaming fans? Almost everyone gets headaches, not everyone gets migraines! 4. With Today’s Drugs, No One Ever Needs to Have a Migraine Pure fantasy! Sure there are natural preventives like coenzyme Q10, feverfew and magnesium that might help reduce migraines. There are also over the counter pain killers and prescription narcotics that may help. Fortunately, there are anti-emetics, triptans, ergots and serotonin receptor agonist drugs that can help stop a migraine. Recently, drug companies have introduced or rediscovered preventive drugs like beta blockers, antidepressants, anticonvulsants that can reduce the frequency or the chance-of-getting a migraine. Depending on the person, any of these treatments MIGHT work, but these treatments don’t always work, and for some people, they don’t work at all. 5. No One Ever Died From a Migraine Headache Maybe not, but real people with real families have really killed themselves to stop their pain. Most doctors mean well, but sadly, because physician education about migraines is so shoddy, it can take years, or a lifetime, to get an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment. Way too many people have been turned away from emergency rooms and doctor’s offices as attention seekers, drug seekers, drunks, malingerers or just plain crazy people when the real problem was a migraine. Lives ruined and lives lost are predictable costs of poor migraine diagnosis and care. The dollar cost of migraines in the United States has been estimated at $1-billion per year for medical costs, plus $15-billion in lost productivity. All in all, migraine is a costly business. 5.1 Migraines are Hard to Diagnose Yeah, they are, but they don’t need to be. A proper understanding of the range of migraine symptoms will speed diagnosis; and a proper diagnosis is by far the most important step toward proper treatment. When you finally and accurately understand the problem, you are automatically on your way toward the correct solution! Discuss your symptoms with your doctor. If necessary, gently insist that he refer you to a neurologist or specialized headache clinic. A knowledgeable professional will understand there is more to migraine than a one sided headache. 5.2 Complicated Migraines are Impossible to Treat While it is true that the tendency toward migraines is a chronic condition, it is also true that with proper a diagnosis and the right combination of treatments and lifestyle changes, there is an excellent chance most migraine sufferers can learn to tame the beast! About the Author Rodney Robbins suffers from migraines, probably associated with his Periodic Paralysis. Both disorders can be caused by malfunctions in the ion channels of the cell membranes. Robbins is also the author and cartoonist for “Rodney’s 52 Ways to Impress Your Boss—WITHOUT Sucking Up!” and the witchy young adult novel, “My Romantic Spell.” Here is Rodney’s best tip for preventing migraines: “Wear sunglasses and learn your triggers!” To learn more go to http://www.lulu.com/rodneyrobbins and check out his products and blog.
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