World Brain Day 2019 is themed with “Migraine” one of the common and disabling neurological diseases in the world.
A lot of times we tend to ignore migraines as “just another head ache” and sometimes we get overwhelmed that we just panic when we feel cloudy. Ignoring too much or panicking too much is not wise. Rather we need to strike a balance between the two.
There are lot of myths associated with migraine. Being a sufferer of migraine, a lot of times I had been advised not to take too much stress. I’ve also heard from friends that there is a stigma associated with Migraine and often called as a “psychological disease”. The truth is migraine is a neurological disorder. Well, even if it is a psychological disease, don’t we have to accept the fact and look for a solution?
There are different kinds of migraine that your doctor maybe able to explain such as migraines with aura where the person is able to visualise geometric patterns and has disturbance in vision during an attack.
Migraines without aura also exists. Women also suffer from menstrual migraines. I’m not an expert nor a medical practitioner to speak about it. Rather I’d like to talk about it as a patient to let you know that this is normal and there is nothing to be worried or embarrassed about.
A couple of months back, I had a severe attack of migraine during my business trip. I was on my menstrual cycles bleeding heavily over a week unusually. My migraine was heavier than usual that I felt foggy too. After a couple of pills, I overslept too. I was extremely embarrassed of it and was unable to face my colleagues. This was an unusual attack after quite a number of years and I was afraid if I’d get into my darker days where I had similar symptoms more than a decade back.
Thinking too much about it made me sick. I felt too low and also felt difficult concentrating. I felt my capacity was coming down a big time and also felt handicapped. This further broke me down. I was upset about my fluctuating memory. My neurologist assured that things will fall in place gradually.
To some of my colleagues it seemed unusual and I could sense it too. I felt too emotional and tried to explain. The more and more I’d explain, the more and more I started feeling anxious. It was then I realised, that these are just passing clouds and started focusing on the solution.
I carried medicines with me regularly and also expected the worse to happen anytime. I was just prepared for my hard days and learnt to accept it. I was no longer worried of what my colleagues would think but rather moved on with my smile as usual.
Migraine is a common neurological disorder. Although it’s not curable completely, we could only try to be precautious. Always keep a headache tracker to see your pattern. Take your medication on time and as soon as you feel your attack has started. You may feel foggy and forgetful at times. Pardon yourself for the same and move on with a smile. Confusion of thoughts is purely a neurological disturbance that is beyond your control. Do not worry of people turning judgemental as people are anyways going to judge you in this society.
On this “World Brain day – 2019”, let’s pledge to create an awareness of this disabling disease in our society. Let’s show each other that we truly care. Let’s break the myths and accept that it’s another chapter of life and move on with a smile. Let’s create a sense of trust and not turn judgemental over the sufferers. Let’s use our brains and understand the true facts!
Happy World Brain Day!