Migraine is a common disease that affects more than ten percent of the population and is often misunderstood as a bad headache even by doctors. When you are diagnosed with migraine, it can feel overwhelming sometimes because doctors don’t tell you everything you need to know to manage your pain. Some doctors are very dismissive of migraine pain because they don’t personally experience it and think that you can just live with the pain, which can make sufferers feel alone and think that no one gets it. I have been living with chronic migraine for a little over five years, and at the moment, my pain is well-managed, but it has not always been that way. I struggled with severe pain for a few years, and it wasn’t until I learned what worked for me and what didn’t that I started to get relief. My preventative medication does help me get pain relief but that is only one part of it, and most of the things that help me get relief are not anything I have learned from my doctor. In this post, I am going to share everything that I think every new migraineur should know.
Preventatives take time to work- When you are prescribed a medication for anything a lot of the time people wrongfully assume that medication is going to start giving you immediate relief and I only wish that was true. Medication can help a lot of people get pain relief but it is so important that you be patient and don’t give up on your medication a week after starting it because it takes time for medication to start taking effect. Some people with migraine disease have to try a couple of different medications before they find one that works and you shouldn’t completely give up on it after a few days because sometimes it takes months. The preventative medication that I am currently taking has helped improve my pain levels but it took over a year before I started noticing changes. When you live with pain, sometimes you get desperate for relief and I get that but it’s so important you try to be patient because I don’t know a single person who has taken a medication for pain that has gotten immediate relief. Preventatives take time to work and you shouldn’t expect to see drastic changes within a week or two because most people don’t get results that quickly. Give your medication a month or so before you give up on it and try something else.
Find a community– Doctors sometimes can be very dismissive of migraine pain because they only treat the disease, but most doctors don’t actually experience it themselves. The community can be so powerful for disabled people because it allows you to connect with others who are also struggling and will never tell you that the pain they are experiencing is your imagination and not real. Find a migraine community that understands the challenges of migraine disease because there is something about connecting with like-minded individuals that help you feel validated and less alone. There are a lot of migraine communities online if you are unable to find one in person that can give you the support you need. Migraine communities can be so beneficial for people who are struggling because it gives you support that loved ones can’t give you and teaches you ways to manage pain that you may not have learned from your doctor. Communities can be so powerful for disabled people because although other migraineurs can’t take away your pain it can help to connect with others to truly understand. I started my blog to find a community because it gives you hope and your life has more purpose.
Figure out your triggers- There are a lot of potential triggers, but not everyone is going to need to avoid the same types of things because we are all so different. In 2019, I stopped drinking alcohol because it triggers my pain, and I have noticed improvement but not everyone will need to avoid alcohol. Find your triggers and avoid them as much as you can because you will never get relief if you don’t know what triggers you and are constantly consuming things that cause more pain. It can be hard to completely avoid every possible trigger because there are a lot of potential migraine triggers, but it can be helpful to have a migraine diary and write down how different foods make you feel. Some people may not have to avoid dairy, while others do, but you will never know that if you don’t take the time to find out what triggers your pain, because knowing your triggers helps you to avoid pain.
Your diet plays a role– When it comes to managing migraine, a lot of people think that if you take your medication that you will never have a migraine but that is so far from true. Preventative medication only helps prevent some attacks in some people but a lot of the time people still have to make lifestyle changes in order to continue getting relief. You should never expect your medication to work miracles because if you are doing things like skipping meals that may be the reason your pain levels aren’t changing. Your diet plays a major role in your pain levels because a lot of the time you can improve your pain by simply changing your diet and more medication is always the answer. Medication and poor lifestyle habits can sometimes be the reason you are struggling with pain and changing that might improve pain levels.
It is okay to rest– When you live with pain, you are going to have good days where you can do more and bad days where you have to do less. People sometimes feel guilty for taking a rest day on a random Tuesday because we live in a world that thinks we always need to be doing something and frown upon having a lazy day. When you live with pain, sometimes taking a random rest day is not a choice and it is okay if you need to take a rest day because your pain levels are elevated. Rest days are not bad and sometimes it’s necessary for preventing even worse pain. Never let people try to convince you that it is a good idea to push through pain because that is the absolute worst thing you can do.
Doctors don’t understand- When you live with migraine, sometimes it can be difficult to find a doctor because a lot of doctors believe that migraine is just a headache. Doctors sometimes can be very dismissive of pain because they only treat migraine disease but don’t experience it themselves. If a doctor has ever told you that what you are experiencing is not real please try and ignore it because there are a lot of ignorant doctors that think they are the smartest guy in the room. Doctors do not fully understand pain they have never experienced and sometimes are insensitive of invisible pain and it’s so important that you advocate for yourself to get what you need. Find a new doctor, if you are not happy with the care your doctor is giving you because you aren’t tied to your doctor.
Not all neurologists are headache specialists- People sometimes assume that when they go to a neurologist that their doctor will be an expert in treating headache disorders but that is not true Some neurologists are headache specialists but not all of them are and sometimes your neurologist is an epilepsy expert and only took one or two courses on headache disorders. If you feel frustrated with your neurology team and have gotten no relief it’s probably because they aren’t headache specialists and you might want to consider finding a specialist who understands migraine and headache disorders.
When you are first diagnosed with migraine disease, it can be stressful because your doctor doesn’t tell you everything you need to know and is not always helpful. I always like to listen to what my doctors have to say because most of my doctors have studied my disability and know more than I do but if my doctor is dismissive and gives me advice that I know doesn’t work I won’t take their advice. Doctors know a lot about different medical conditions, but they don’t know everything and most of the things I have learned to manage pain are things I have learned myself through trial and error. If you are struggling, to get your migraine pain under control it might be helpful to talk to another migraineur and see what they have tried because you never know if they are doing something you haven’t tried. What advice would you give a new migraineur? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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My Rockin Disabled Life 
❤️ it’s a tough diagnosis – but your ideas are all good advice ❤️
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