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Disabling migraines demand attention
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Excruciating migraines are common and sometimes treatable
Date published: 4/27/2008
BY MARCIA ARMSTRONG
FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Tracey Cox knows when she's about to have a migraine.
First comes the aura. Then an odd feeling of disconnectedness. Very soon after that, a blinding, wish-you-were-dead headache takes up residence somewhere between Cox's ear and her eye.
"I keep thinking, if I could take a stick and jab it into my eye socket, I could knock out the place where the migraines live," said Cox, who lives in Stafford County.
Although extremely painful, migraines are not uncommon. According to the National Headache Foundation, 30 million Americans experience migraines. Women are hit with the severe headaches three times as often as men. Most migraine sufferers are between the ages of 15 and 55.
In some cases, the cranium-crushers disable their victims for hours or even days, spawning such side effects as nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and sound.
While the hit-with-a-baseball-bat kind of pain can make a migraine sufferer wonder if the condition is life-threatening, that is hardly ever the case, said Fredericksburg neurologist Paul Colopy of Neurology Associates.
"Statistics show that only a very small fraction of persons have a structural-lining abnormality, tumor or aneurysm," Colopy said.
What migraine victims do have is debilitating head pain that keeps them from working, taking care of their loved ones and enjoying life.
THE ORIGINS OF PAIN
Migraines result when the balance of adrenalin and seratonin--which regulates body temperature, mood, sleep and appetite--are out of balance, says Carol Foster, a Phoenix-based neurologist and author of "Gotta Headache? Lifestyle Changes to Help You Conquer Migraines."
Some things that can trigger an episode are:
hunger, exhaustion or dehydration
the weather
a change in routine
bright light
smells such as cigarette smoke or perfume.
Twenty-two-year-old Amanda Sale's headaches started when she was in middle school. Back then, she had no idea they were migraines.
"I thought it was a normal headache and that everyone had them," said the Spotsylvania County resident.
Exercise and Virginia's heat and humidity set off the pounding in Sale's head.
"In the summer, I get migraines every single day of the week," she said.
Cox, of Stafford, said her migraines are triggered by hormones, routinely arriving two to three days before the start of her menstrual cycle.
For Amanda Reynolds, the culprit is stress. When the Spotsylvania resident recently discovered that 700 pictures on her digital camera's memory card were erased, a killer headache immediately set in.
"The whole hour I spent trying to get them back, it got worse and worse," Reynolds said. "By the time I stood up, I was dizzy and ready to fall over."
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Genetics plays a big role in who gets migraines, Colopy said.
Seven generations of Cox's family--most of them women--have suffered from severe headaches. Her daughter, 9-year-old Hannah, has had migraines for at least three years.
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Your headache may be a migraine if you have any combination of these symptoms:
moderate to severe pain (often described as pounding, throbbing pain) that can affect the whole head or shift from one side of the head to the other
sensitivity to light, noise or odors
blurred vision
vomiting, upset stomach, abdominal pain
sensations of being very warm or cold
paleness, fatigue or dizziness
fever (rare)
bright flashing dots or lights, blind spots, wavy or jagged lines, known as an aura.
Anyone who experiences the above symptoms should call her doctor or consult with a neurologist. Additional tests such as a spinal tap or brain scan (either CT or MRI) may be ordered for people suffering their first or worst headache ever; who undergo a significant change in their headache; or who have a headache accompanied by visual, hearing or sensory loss.
--medicinenet.com
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Date published: 4/27/2008
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