6 ms·

>I’ve had migraines, both ocular and the “real” kind, so I know how bad they can be. I wouldn’t say they were anywhere near frequent enough to take a preventati

>I’ve had migraines, both ocular and the “real” kind, so I know how bad they can be. I wouldn’t say they were anywhere near frequent enough to take a preventative drug for it. These two sentences contradict each other. If you never had to consider taking a preventative for your migraines, then no, you do not know how bad they can be. Migraines are much more than just "ow my head hurts today, I should take the day easy". For some, they are debilitating to the point of sometimes making it impossible to do basic tasks like washing the dishes, reading, or sometimes even watching TV. Sometimes during a migraine you literally cannot do anything other than sit in darkness and wallow in misery, hoping that maybe it will ease up for long enough for you to fall asleep. Any kind of professional work is out of the question during a migraine. Not getting a migraine while at work isn't uncommon, as sometimes having something to focus on (like work) can help stave off whatever triggers the migraines. Migraines also aren't something that just suddenly happens; people who suffer from chronic migraines often get warning signs that one is coming on 12-24 hours in advance, and they can take just as long to develop as well. If someone was already at work, it's unlikely that a migraine would progress to the point of being debilitating before the workday was over. This is probably why your coworkers usually call in sick, but never leave in the middle of the workday. They typically will know before the workday even begins if it will be a migraine-filled day or not. Chronic migraines can lead to depression, which can cause a downward spiral of deteriorating health/diet, which can in turn cause more migraines, and more depression. Often time migraines can lead to thoughts of suicide because of how badly it hurts, and how badly it impacts life as a whole. I understand it's frustrating if your coworkers bail often, and shame on them if they are faking their "migraines" and just using it as an excuse. But as someone who has an SO who suffers from severe migraines 15-20 days per month, and still forces herself to go to work most days even through severe, debilitating pain and depression precisely because she has coworkers with judgmental attitudes like yours, I find your analysis insulting.

ianai 8y ago
As a migrainer, I too am offended. My migraines have robbed me of pretty much any really stellar life I could have achieved. Undergrad was very tough because of the preventative meds I took. I straight up couldn’t finish grad school and in large part due to the migraines. Yes, I know I could probably have put up some academic fight. But this is also at a point where I had essentially no healthcare and no income. It’s done similar destruction to any social networking desires I may have. I could go on. As for frequency, without meds I’m basically getting one every day. With meds, I get some days free of pain per week.
- mrhappyunhappy 8y ago
  Sorry to hear about your condition :( I really hope you find relief in new drugs. Many people here by their comments have no idea what a chronic migraine looks like.
hvidgaard 8y ago
> If you never had to consider taking a preventative for your migraines, then no, you do not know how bad they can be That is just as judgemental. I get a mix of migraines and cluster headache every now and then. The pain is always concentrated at a specific point behind my right eye, and I can feel it coming hours before it turns bad. Usually I can stop it with something as simple as paracetamol if taken at the first sign. When I fail to do that it progresses to the point where I have to lay completely still with my eyes closed, or I'll empty the content of my stomach right then and there. But I've never considered any significant medication.
- facetube 8y ago
  Do you actually have a diagnosis of cluster headache from an MD? The reason I ask: the pain from cluster headaches is legendarily terrible. The pain has been described as "remarkably greater" than migraine, and probably _at least_ on par with a spinal headache. I don't have cluster headaches, but I've had a (diagnosed) week-long spinal headache exactly once before. A spinal headache is where your CSF fluid leaks out your back and your brain physically begins to "hang" in your skull. It lasted for a week, I was shot full of so much hydromorphone I couldn't physically coordinate my legs, and I was still in tears from the pain, begging doctors to knock me out. I honestly think I would have died by my own hands had it gone on for another week. It was unbearable. I would suggest that the odds of someone managing cluster headache without medication – i.e. the headache that's earned the nickname "suicide headache" and causes people to carry around emergency inhalers of hardcore pain killers like butorphanol – is very, very low.
  - hvidgaard 8y ago
    The symptoms are consistent with cluster headache, and my doctor has instructed me to get in touch if it reach a point where I'm unable to manage it. For all I care, it's equivalent to sticking a knife in my eye - so very painful. My eye also get severely red and is constantly running when it happens. > I would suggest that the odds of someone managing cluster headache without medication Do you find it hard to believe that I, as a person that has managed this particular condition my entire life, is able to tune out the pain as long as I'm completely still and have my eyes closed? I was 30 before it even occurred to me that it was not what other people calls a headache, and I would feel guilty not doing anything with a headache, because people around me constantly said "I have a headache" but acted like nothing was wrong.

ianai 8y ago

As a migrainer, I too am offended. My migraines have robbed me of pretty much any really stellar life I could have achieved. Undergrad was very tough because of the preventative meds I took. I straight up couldn’t finish grad school and in large part due to the migraines. Yes, I know I could probably have put up some academic fight. But this is also at a point where I had essentially no healthcare and no income. It’s done similar destruction to any social networking desires I may have. I could go on. As for frequency, without meds I’m basically getting one every day. With meds, I get some days free of pain per week.

mrhappyunhappy 8y ago
Sorry to hear about your condition :( I really hope you find relief in new drugs. Many people here by their comments have no idea what a chronic migraine looks like.

hvidgaard 8y ago

> If you never had to consider taking a preventative for your migraines, then no, you do not know how bad they can be That is just as judgemental. I get a mix of migraines and cluster headache every now and then. The pain is always concentrated at a specific point behind my right eye, and I can feel it coming hours before it turns bad. Usually I can stop it with something as simple as paracetamol if taken at the first sign. When I fail to do that it progresses to the point where I have to lay completely still with my eyes closed, or I'll empty the content of my stomach right then and there. But I've never considered any significant medication.

facetube 8y ago
Do you actually have a diagnosis of cluster headache from an MD? The reason I ask: the pain from cluster headaches is legendarily terrible. The pain has been described as "remarkably greater" than migraine, and probably _at least_ on par with a spinal headache. I don't have cluster headaches, but I've had a (diagnosed) week-long spinal headache exactly once before. A spinal headache is where your CSF fluid leaks out your back and your brain physically begins to "hang" in your skull. It lasted for a week, I was shot full of so much hydromorphone I couldn't physically coordinate my legs, and I was still in tears from the pain, begging doctors to knock me out. I honestly think I would have died by my own hands had it gone on for another week. It was unbearable. I would suggest that the odds of someone managing cluster headache without medication – i.e. the headache that's earned the nickname "suicide headache" and causes people to carry around emergency inhalers of hardcore pain killers like butorphanol – is very, very low.
- hvidgaard 8y ago
  The symptoms are consistent with cluster headache, and my doctor has instructed me to get in touch if it reach a point where I'm unable to manage it. For all I care, it's equivalent to sticking a knife in my eye - so very painful. My eye also get severely red and is constantly running when it happens. > I would suggest that the odds of someone managing cluster headache without medication Do you find it hard to believe that I, as a person that has managed this particular condition my entire life, is able to tune out the pain as long as I'm completely still and have my eyes closed? I was 30 before it even occurred to me that it was not what other people calls a headache, and I would feel guilty not doing anything with a headache, because people around me constantly said "I have a headache" but acted like nothing was wrong.