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By: Ian Essling
For years, the term "Migraine" has been evolving. Once, it was only applied to a distinct vascular attack that often affected heart patients.
Because a headache was part of the migraine symptoms, it soon began to be used to describe simple headaches, and from there it was only a matter of time until the real meaning of the word was completely lost.
According to the International Headache Society, Migraines must include at least four of the following symptoms: nausea, extreme sensitivity to light or sound, pulsing or throbbing pain on one side of the head (the pain must also be considered moderate to severe) and the condition must be worsened significantly by everyday activities such as climbing stairs.
In addition to all the above criteria, at least four or five such attacks must occur before a doctor may diagnose the patient as a migraine sufferer.
Migraines are far more than a headache; they affect nearly every aspect of the body.
On top of the above listed symptoms, migraines often affect eyesight and mental clarity.
Most Migraine sufferers also experience severe nausea, extreme sensitivity to light, chest pain, blurred vision, fatigue and other symptoms along with the headache.
This definition itself shows why people claiming to suffer migraines while going about their daily lives are simply not informed correctly.
In fact, the vast majority of people who claim to suffer migraines are actually falling prey to the much less severe tension headache, a headache brought on by muscle tightness.
Migraines have nothing to do with muscles; they are caused by blood flow and blood vessel dilation (hence the connection to heart patients).
Migraines are actually much more than just a quick headache.
They consist of four phases: the Prodrome, the Aura, the Headache, and the Postdrome.
During the Prodrome, the victim encounters a number of unpleasant symptoms. Often, these symptoms can serve as a warning that a migraine is coming; however, this phase varies in length from minutes to hours, making prediction of an imminent migraine attack less than an exact science.
Some symptoms that the sufferer may endure during this phase are irritability, fatigue and tightness of the neck and chest.
Also, a victim's extremities will feel cold, as his or her blood leaves the hands and feet and moves to the head.
The Aura phase comes next, and is usually the most obvious pre-pain phase. The distortions and disorientation experienced during this phase are often overwhelming, especially to first time sufferers.
The aura can consist of flashing lights, spots or lines in the vision, blurred vision, hearing loss, dizziness, confusion, numbness and loss of sight. This phase can again last either minutes or hours, and is the last warning a migraine sufferer has before the actual attack hits.
While most people associate "Migraine" with "headache," the Headache phase of a migraine actually affects the entire body.
The pain that is endured during this portion is often impossible to understand for those that have never experienced a Migraine.
Many times, the sheer pain alone will sideline even the most stout of individuals.
True migraine sufferers, even with high-powered prescription medications coursing through their veins, are often unable to talk, think or even move while enduring a Migraine.
Migraineurs experience a wide range of ailments on top of the pain itself.
These can include extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting, severe anxiety or disorientation, loss of memory, confusion, dizziness and chills.
On top of this, any sort of physical activity (even walking to the kitchen or bathroom) will vastly worsen these symptoms.
Studies have shown that the most common time for the Headache phase onset is 6 a.m., which is why many Migraineurs wake up with the Migraine, without warning, as they experienced the warning signs while sleeping and did not notice them.
A wide range of prescription medications are available for treating migraines, however, none of them are end-all-cure-alls.
Migraines often become resistant to prescription medications; I have personally gone through three different prescriptions in the past eight years alone, and my current one barely takes the edge off the attack, even if I get it on time.
Usually, people who experience Migraines on a regular basis never consider using over-the-counter medications for anything except taking the edge off of a rebound headache or to dull any residual pain after the prescription medication is used.
Migraines can last between one and 72 hours, even with the prescriptions mentioned above.
Usually, the pain does not abate until the very end of the Migraine.
At that time, the Postdrome phase takes over.
Even though the pain subsides, most Migraine sufferers will experience symptoms ranging from lack of concentration, depression, poor intellect and fatigue, for up to 24 hours after the actual migraine.
Victims often describe the condition as feeling like a zombie, and abnormal cerebral blood flow can also cause strange EEG readings.
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