All headaches are definitely not created equal. Your basic garden-variety headache comes and goes randomly, and is usually remedied with a bit of over-the counter-pain medication.
A migraine, on the other hand, is a different type of headache that causes intense pain (usually on one side of the head) along with a host of other debilitating symptoms that can upend your life — often many times per month.
June is Migraine Awareness Month, and since Dr. Mingliarti Tjahjana offers expert migraine diagnosis and treatment at One Health Medical Care in Reston, Virginia, it’s a great time to educate our community about migraine symptoms that indicate a need for expert care. Here’s what you should know.
Migraine symptoms can differ for everyone, making the condition challenging to diagnose sometimes. One migraine statistic confirms that if you’re diagnosed with the condition, you’re not alone: Over 37 million men, women, and children in the United States cope with migraine.
Migraine is classified as one of the top 10 most disabling illnesses. Unfortunately, fewer than 5% of sufferers have seen a provider about their migraines and received an accurate diagnosis or suitable treatment.
We’ve compiled a list of symptoms that point to a migraine condition in order to help headache sufferers differentiate between this serious condition and a bad, but decidedly non-migraine, headache.
A migraine attack has four phases that set it apart from other headache types. A severe, throbbing headache is just one phase of migraine. Let’s take a closer look:
This phase starts one to two days before the attack. You may experience constipation, intense mood swings, neck stiffness, increased yawning, and food cravings.
These symptoms can include seeing flashes of light or shapes, or experiencing vision loss, a tingling sensation in your arms and legs, and abrupt movements. You might also hear music or noises and have difficulty speaking normally.
This is the head pain, which can last up to 72 hours. The pain might feel pulsating, and it can affect one or both sides of your head. You may also feel nauseous or vomit, and it’s common to be sensitive to light, sound, touch, or smell.
During the final phase of a migraine, you may feel weak and drained for quite some time, and you might also be a bit disoriented. Unfortunately, any quick head movements can make pain return for a limited time period.
If you live with chronic migraine, you typically experience many headache days per month. To be diagnosed with this condition, you need to experience 15 or more days per month with headache pain, for longer than three months. Additionally, at least eight headache days need to include migraine symptoms.
Migraine sufferers typically experience other pain in addition to the crushing head pain. They may have muscle pain, discomfort behind an eye or an ear, pain in the temples, and neck and shoulder pain.
Migraine pain is truly agonizing and something you can’t transcend. It can make you retreat to a darkened room for days, and render you unable to live your normal daily life.
If these symptoms sound familiar, it’s time to make an appointment with Dr. Tjahjana so you can get relief.
The danger of failing to pursue migraine treatment is that these awful headaches can develop into a daily occurrence, with additional symptoms crescendoing periodically. It’s a miserable way to live, and the condition is more difficult to treat if it reaches this point.
At One Health Medical Care, Dr. Tjahjana approaches your care with clinical expertise and compassion. Her treatment plan is customized to your needs, and may include:
We’re here to help you understand and effectively treat your migraine condition, so you can enjoy life again — without the crippling pain brought on by a migraine. Call or click online to schedule a visit at One Health Medical Care in Reston, Virginia, today.
