Preview of the Migraine Podcast

[00:00:00] My brother and I were at a rec center watching a Charlie Chaplin film,

[00:00:04] and I just got this incredible sharp, thunderous pain behind my right eye that came out of nowhere.

[00:00:13] Thanks for listening to this preview of the Migraine Podcast,

[00:00:16] part of the Health Unmuted Audio Library by Mission-Based Media.

[00:00:20] Migraine is often used as shorthand for just a really bad headache,

[00:00:23] but it's actually much more and far more disruptive than the occasional pain.

[00:00:28] So in each episode of the Migraine Podcast, we hear from medical experts and people with

[00:00:32] lived experience to engage, educate, and empower listeners. For more information or to learn more

[00:00:38] about how you can get involved, visit healthunmuted.com or drop us a line at info at healthunmuted.com

[00:00:46] Migraine is largely misunderstood, so in episode one we learn what it is and what it isn't.

[00:00:52] It's a genetic neurological disease that causes not only severe headaches, but other symptoms as well.

[00:01:07] Severe light sensitivity, brain fog, and mental clouding, unsteadiness or a sense of spinning,

[00:01:14] like a vertigo sensation. And for many people it's also associated with some change in their

[00:01:20] emotional well-being. We'll also learn the difference between episodic and chronic migraine.

[00:01:26] Episodic migraine is 14 or less headache days per month, eight of which having migraine features

[00:01:34] and chronic migraine is 15 or more. That's a pretty arbitrary boundary.

[00:01:40] And throughout the series we hear from people living with migraine about what

[00:01:44] having a migraine attack feels like. Even though I kind of have symptoms all the time,

[00:01:48] I would call today a migraine attack day. My symptoms get to the point where they interfere

[00:01:55] with being able to do what I want to do. In the second episode we'll talk about how migraine is

[00:02:00] diagnosed. It's clearly a diagnosis of exclusions. The more experience you get

[00:02:07] hearing these stories and taking care of these patients, you can actually nail the diagnosis

[00:02:12] on the first visit. But if there are what we call red flags, we will pursue imaging before we

[00:02:18] give them a diagnosis. I went through all of the testing that was available at the time.

[00:02:24] I think I had one of the first CAT scans in the area as a matter of fact.

[00:02:29] If someone suspects they may have symptoms of migraine it's important to get diagnosed early.

[00:02:34] There's a chronic disease and if untreated it gradually gets worse.

[00:02:39] Treatments for migraine have come a long way. I've been taking care of migraines since 1985

[00:02:44] really until about 2012-2013. Our options were pretty limited. But thanks to developments in

[00:02:54] medical research there are now a number of treatments for migraine sufferers which we

[00:02:58] cover in episodes three and four. We still have the old time preventative drugs. The new

[00:03:05] kids on the block really have been game changers I have to say and I've been amazed at some of

[00:03:10] the people that I've taken care of for years. They are seeing improvement. We learn about

[00:03:16] non-pharmaceutical options for treating symptoms. So I rely on devices a lot. They're

[00:03:21] different neuro modulation devices. Some work on the vagus nerve and some work on the trigeminal

[00:03:25] nerve. And beyond treatment we discuss how healthy lifestyle habits can help alleviate

[00:03:30] symptoms and reduce triggers. Moderate exercise is just a healthier diet in general. Finding ways

[00:03:36] to be mindful as some sort of self-care is really important. Migraine attacks can be debilitating

[00:03:43] and extremely disruptive to daily life. Many migraine sufferers experience anxiety and depression.

[00:03:50] It has a major impact for me. I'm at this point disabled. Social relationships can be tough.

[00:03:57] People who don't understand the unpredictability of migraine. It still has this stigma of being

[00:04:04] this woman's disease that is not as important. So throughout the series we share advice and

[00:04:10] lessons learned from people living with migraine as well as resources for information and support.

[00:04:16] Various organizations including the American Migraine Foundation and Miles for Migraine

[00:04:22] have empowered sufferers of a headache to become more vocal with their providers.

[00:04:29] Learn as much as you can on your own about it. You can go into your doctor with something

[00:04:33] enhancing. I read about this. What do you think about adding this to our treatment?

[00:04:38] It's really important that someone who believes they may be suffering from migraine

[00:04:42] try to find headache specials. I think the other things that have helped me was finding

[00:04:47] others with migraine to talk to who got it. When you have a disease where you can not only

[00:04:53] diagnose it and support an individual but also actually change the trajectory of the disease

[00:04:59] that's pretty darn rewarding.