From Episodic to Chronic in Six Months: Émilie's Migraine Story

Summary

The video script narrates a personal journey with migraines, detailing the struggle from episodic to chronic migraines and the impact on daily life. It discusses the categorization of migraines, risk factors, and the importance of individualized treatment plans. The speaker's experience with ineffective medications and the transition to chronic migraine treatments is highlighted. The narrative concludes with the individual's aspiration to help others as a medical professional, emphasizing the need for understanding and proper treatment of migraines as a serious condition.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The individual struggled with migraines that significantly impacted their ability to focus and perform in school.
• 📉 Migraines began at a young age and worsened around the age of 15 or 16, leading to a diagnosis of episodic migraine.
• 🏥 Migraines are categorized as chronic if they occur more than 15 days a month, and episodic if less frequent.
• 👩‍⚕️ Women are more likely to develop chronic migraines, and psychological factors like anxiety and depression can contribute to their development.
• 💊 The overuse of as-needed medications can lead to medication overuse headaches, potentially worsening migraine conditions.
• 📝 A medical note allowed the individual to leave class for migraines, highlighting the need for accommodations in educational settings.
• 🤔 The individual's life revolved around managing migraines, including avoiding social events and always having abortive medications at hand.
• 🔄 After experiencing daily migraines, it was realized that the current treatment was not effective, leading to a switch to chronic migraine treatments.
• 📊 Tracking migraine frequency and impact on daily life is crucial for adjusting treatment plans and demonstrating the severity of the condition.
• 👩‍🎓 The individual's experience with migraines inspired them to pursue a career in medicine, aiming to help others with similar conditions.
• 🌟 Listening to and validating patients' experiences with migraines is essential for providing effective care and support.

Q & A

What was the individual's experience with biology class?

The individual loved biology class but struggled to pay attention due to migraines, which affected their grades.

When did the individual start experiencing migraines?

The individual started experiencing migraines when they were fairly young.

What are the symptoms the individual experienced with migraines?

The individual experienced sensitivity to light and noise as symptoms of migraines.

How is migraine categorized based on the frequency of headaches?

Migraines are categorized as chronic if someone has a headache more than 15 days a month, and episodic if it's less than 15 headache days a month.

Which gender is at a higher risk for developing chronic migraine?

Women are at a higher risk for developing chronic migraine compared with men.

What factors can contribute to the development of chronic migraine?

Factors contributing to chronic migraine include overuse of as-needed medications, under-treated psychological problems like anxiety and depression.

What was the initial treatment approach for the individual's migraine?

The initial treatment was for episodic migraine, which included a medical note allowing the individual to leave class for migraines and go to the nurse's station.

What are the two avenues of migraine treatment mentioned in the script?

The two avenues of migraine treatment are preventive treatment to reduce the burden of migraine and abortive or rescue treatment taken during a migraine attack.

Why did the individual's condition worsen to almost daily migraines?

The individual's condition worsened due to the overuse of abortive medications, which led to medication overuse headaches and chronic migraine.

What was the turning point in the individual's treatment?

The turning point was when the individual's doctor recognized that their preventive treatments for episodic migraine were not suitable for chronic migraine and decided to move forward with chronic migraine treatments.

How did tracking migraines help the individual?

Tracking migraines helped the individual and their doctor realize the severity of the condition, leading to a change in treatment approach to better manage chronic migraine.

What is the individual's current situation regarding their migraine and career?

The individual is now doing a full-time PhD and working part-time at a medical clinic, where they are equipped to help patients with headaches or migraines.

What is the message the individual wants to convey about invisible illnesses?

The individual wants to convey that invisible illnesses like migraines are prevalent and should not be dismissed, as they significantly impact the lives of those who suffer from them.

Outlines

00:00

🤕 Struggling with Migraines in School

The speaker recounts their difficult experience with migraines starting from a young age, which affected their ability to focus in school. Initially dismissing the migraines as something everyone experiences, they later realized the severity when it became unmanageable around the age of 15 or 16. Migraines are categorized into chronic and episodic based on the frequency of headaches. Women are more susceptible to chronic migraines, and factors like medication overuse and untreated psychological issues can exacerbate the condition. The speaker's life revolved around managing their migraines, affecting their social life and requiring constant preparation with abortive medications. The narrative emphasizes the importance of proper treatment, distinguishing between preventive and abortive measures, and the speaker's journey from episodic to chronic migraine management.

05:02

📈 Tracking Migraines for Better Treatment

The speaker discusses the pivotal moment when they began tracking their migraines, which revealed the frequency exceeded 15 days a month, indicating a shift from episodic to chronic migraine. This realization led to a change in treatment approach, focusing on chronic migraine management. The speaker emphasizes the importance of communication and documentation to ensure healthcare providers understand the severity of the condition. The narrative also touches on the broader implications of migraine treatment, highlighting the need for individualized care and the potential for various treatment options to improve patients' lives. The speaker's personal experience and the support from a nurse inspired them to pursue a career in helping others manage migraines, leading to a fulfilling role in both academia and clinical practice.

🎓 From Suffering to Helping: A Migraine Warrior's Journey

The final paragraph concludes with the speaker's transformation from a migraine sufferer to an advocate and healthcare provider. They are currently pursuing a PhD while working at a medical clinic, where they are equipped to assist patients with headaches and migraines. The speaker reflects on the humbling experience of being able to help others with their condition, emphasizing the importance of listening to and validating patients' experiences. The paragraph underscores the invisibility and underestimation of migraines as an illness, advocating for increased awareness and understanding to ensure that sufferers receive the support and treatment they need.

Keywords

💡Migraine

Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent moderate to severe headaches, typically with a throbbing quality and often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. In the video, the narrator describes their personal struggle with migraines, which significantly impacted their life, including their ability to attend school and social activities. The term is central to the video's theme as it explores the challenges and treatments associated with the condition.

💡Episodic migraine

Episodic migraine refers to a type of migraine disorder where headaches occur fewer than 15 days per month. It is a classification that helps differentiate the frequency and severity of migraines from chronic migraines. In the script, the narrator initially had episodic migraines, which were manageable but later progressed, highlighting the fluctuating nature of the condition.

💡Chronic migraine

Chronic migraine is defined as having headaches on 15 or more days per month, with at least 8 of those days having migraine characteristics. It is a more severe form of migraine disorder and is often the result of unmanaged episodic migraines or overuse of medication. The video script illustrates this through the narrator's journey, where their migraines became chronic, affecting their daily life and necessitating a change in treatment approach.

💡Abortive treatment

Abortive treatment, also known as rescue treatment, is medication taken during a migraine attack with the aim of stopping or reducing its severity. The script mentions that the narrator used abortive medications but experienced medication overuse headaches, indicating that the treatment was not effective in managing their chronic migraines and led to a worsening of their condition.

💡Preventative treatment

Preventative treatment in the context of migraines refers to long-term strategies or medications taken to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. The narrator's experience with preventative treatments was not successful in managing their chronic migraines, which led to a reassessment and change in their treatment plan.

💡Medication overuse headache

Medication overuse headache is a type of headache that develops as a result of using headache medication too frequently. In the video, the narrator's reliance on abortive medications for episodic migraines led to medication overuse headaches, which further complicated their condition and contributed to the development of chronic migraines.

💡Sensitivity to light and noise

Sensitivity to light and noise, also known as photophobia and phonophobia, are common symptoms experienced during a migraine attack. The narrator describes these symptoms as part of their migraine experience, which underscores the debilitating nature of the condition and the need for a quiet, dark environment to manage their pain.

💡Tracking migraines

Tracking migraines involves recording the frequency, severity, and triggers of headaches to better understand the pattern and impact of the condition. The script mentions that the narrator was advised to track their migraines, which revealed the extent of their chronic migraine and was instrumental in adjusting their treatment plan.

💡Invisible illness

An invisible illness is a condition that cannot be easily seen or understood by others, despite the significant impact it has on the individual's life. The video emphasizes the invisibility of migraines, which can lead to misunderstandings and a lack of empathy from others. The narrator's story serves to raise awareness about the challenges faced by those with invisible illnesses.

💡PhD and medical clinic

The narrator's pursuit of a PhD and work at a medical clinic reflect their personal growth and professional development in response to their experiences with migraines. This part of the script illustrates the narrator's transformation from a patient to a healthcare provider, emphasizing the importance of empathy and understanding in patient care.

Highlights

The narrator loved biology class but struggled with attention due to migraines.

Migraines began affecting the narrator's life from a young age, causing sensitivity to light and noise.

Migraine frequency is categorized into chronic (more than 15 days a month) and episodic (less than 15 days a month).

Women are at a higher risk for chronic migraines compared to men.

Overuse of as-needed medications and untreated psychological issues can lead to chronic migraines.

The narrator was diagnosed with episodic migraine and was given a medical note to leave class when needed.

Migraine treatments are divided into preventive and abortive (rescue) treatments.

Overuse of abortive treatments can lead to medication overuse headaches and chronic migraines.

The narrator's migraines escalated to almost daily occurrences within six months.

Preventative treatments for episodic migraines were insufficient for the narrator's chronic condition.

Tracking migraines for a month revealed the need for a change to chronic migraine treatments.

The narrator emphasizes the importance of doctors understanding the impact of migraines on daily life.

Individualized treatment plans are crucial for managing migraines.

The narrator's experience in the hospital inspired them to help others with migraines.

The narrator is currently doing a PhD and working at a medical clinic, helping patients with headaches and migraines.

Migraines are an invisible illness that should not be dismissed as 'just a bad headache'.

Transcripts

I really loved biology class

but it was always very very hard I

couldn't pay attention you know I would

just say lie my head down in class and

so I remember my grades in schools

suffered but it's not because I wasn't

studious enough it's just that I was

physically not able to migraine is

really dictating my life

[Music]

I started experiencing migraines when I

was fairly young I would get different

symptoms like very very sensitive to

light sensitive to noise

but I sort of told myself like oh well

everyone goes through this and you just

sort of power through it and hope that

it goes away hours later but it got

worse when I was around 15 or 16 that's

when it became not manageable anymore

migraine is a disorder that's sub

categorized the first way that we

categorize migraine is based on how

affected somebody is if somebody has a

headache more than 15 days a month we

call it chronic migraine if it's less

than 15 headache days a month we call it

episodic migraine it's really the same

disorder that can fluctuate over time

depending on multiple factors women are

at a higher risk for developing chronic

migraine compared with men the overuse

of as needed medications and if there

are under treated psychological problems

like anxiety depression we know that

people are more likely to develop

chronic migraine

when I was first diagnosed with episodic

migraine I remember having this medical

note for my physician saying that if

ever I needed to leave class for a

migraine then I would be able to excuse

myself and go to the nurse's station so

it was a lot of you know coming back and

just showing up the class and being like

what are we talking about how did I miss

all this my life literally revolved

around and still revolves around my

brain it was about not going to parties

wearing sunglasses outside like all the

time I'm always having my abortive

medications next to me

we separate migraine treatment into two

Avenues and we think about prevention

for migraine so how do you reduce the

burden of migraine and then we think

about abortive treatment or what we call

rescue treatment so things that you

would take on an as needed basis during

a migraine attack to hopefully halt it

if those are used too often they can

lead to medication overuse headache

which then can lead to

a daily headache or lead to Chronic

migraine

I think in the span of like six months I

had gone from having you know headaches

once in a while to having migraines

almost every single day

you've taken a board of medication that

as soon as it affects stops then you

start getting another headache again so

you have to take more it means your

preventative treatment isn't doing

enough and I often blame myself for

having and being in so much pain it

wasn't myself that was wrong it was the

medication that wasn't right for me

my position said can you just track your

migraines you know just for a month just

to see and then I filled out the

calendar and just like you know counting

all the migraines that I had in a month

I was like this is a lot more than 15.

that's when he said like okay well your

preventative treatments

offer episodic migraine they're not for

chronic migraine we decided to move

forward with chronic migraine treatments

specifically and that was just such a

game changer

make sure that your doctor understands

what you're dealing with actually

tracking how much you're missing your

work and how much medication you need to

use can be a really powerful way of

actually explaining to someone how much

this is affecting your life when coming

up with a treatment plan for anyone it's

important that we always look at someone

as an individual and the more types of

treatments we have available the more

chance we have to help and treat and

improve the lives of more and more

patients

when I was in the hospital one of the

nurses saw that I wasn't coping well

with my migraine and the chronic pain

and so she was the one that just you

know sat next to me and said that we're

going to find a way to make this work

and that was sort of the moment that I

realized that I wanted to be that person

for someone else

right now I'm doing my PhD full-time and

I'm working part-time at a private

medical clinic and we even have patients

that come to the clinic that complain of

headaches or migraine and now I'm fully

equipped to help them which is

an incredibly humbling experience

people deserve to be listened to and not

have their symptoms brushed off and told

to you know just go outside break some

air drink water

yes it is it's an invisible illness it's

a hidden Illness but that doesn't make

it

less prevalent

and I think knowing that

I would have seen my symptoms as not

being something to brush off because

it's so much more than just a bad

headache

[Music]