Migraine Tests – Do You Really Suffer From Migraines?

The word migraine is usually used by someone when they have a really bad headache. Nothing could be further from the truth though. Migraine suffers do not appreciate the term, migraine, used lightly because it is a disease, not just a problem you have occasionally. A headache is really just a symptom of what is now understood to be a genetic disorder. Migraine is a disease and should be treated as though it were hypertension, angina or any other depilatory illness. Migraine disease causes one’s senses to become heightened – hence the sensitivity to light and sound that often accompanies what is called a migraine headache. (Coleman, 1994)

The pain the average person associates with a migraine is usually a throbbing pain behind the eyes or single area of the head accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound, and feeling. This tends to occur more often in women and often times the person feels like there is an “aura” or “sparkles” around the things they look at. (Prince, 2009)

Diagnosing a normal headache is not difficult because we all know when we feel pain in our head. Diagnosing migraine disease is more difficult because the symptoms can imitate so many other things and sometimes a bad headache is just that, a bad headache. Most of the time a doctor can diagnose a headache from a patient interview. The symptoms are easy to identify and the cause can be obtained while speaking to the patient. The causes are usually easy to identify in these cases such as skipping meals, muscle tension, fever, or stress. There is no definitive migraine test which makes the diagnosis of migraine disease much more complex.

The doctor must first acquire a full medical history of the patient. An EEG, or electroencephalogram, may be performed to look at brain function and an atomographic (CT) scan can be ordered to look for any other possible causes for the pain. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan can also be ordered if the doctor needs a more comprehensive look at the brain to complete the diagnosis.

Migraines are considered to be vascular in origin because they are caused by abnormal functioning of the vessels of the brain. This is completely different from headaches caused by muscle contraction or swelling of the sinus cavities due to infection or irritation. There are also some headaches caused by vascular problems in the brain that are not migraine in origin such as toxic headaches that are caused by fever when the immune system is fighting off an infection. (Ohio, 2009)

One of the things that make a migraine test so difficult to determine is that not all migraine sufferers indicate the same symptoms. Some people show marked change in mood or behavior just before the headache, others do not. Others have sensory changes just before the headaches start and even feel muscle weakness. Some patients never suffer the pain of the headache but only have sensory problems, while others feel intense pain and nausea during the attack. Some people even report feeling better after the attack or almost refreshed. (Ohio, 2009)

The most important thing for you to do as a migraine sufferer is to keep a detailed record of your headaches and note how you feel before and after each attack. Keep the time of day you begin to feel the first symptoms and what is happening at the time. Also remember to write about how these headaches affect you and your life in general. Treatment is going to be different for each person so the more information you have, the better you can help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

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Works Cited

Coleman, J. M. (1994). MAGNUM. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from The National Migraine Association: http://www.migraines.org/about/abouhist.htm

Ohio, U. o. (2009). The Ohio State Medicval University. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from Vascular headaches: http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/patientcare/healthcare_services/nervous_system/headache/vascular/pages/index.aspx

Prince, S. ( 2009, September 25th). National Institutes of Health. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from National Institue of Nuerologicasl Disorders and Stroke: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/migraine/migraine.htm

Shreve, D. (2006). Migraine.org. Retrieved October 24, 2009, from Migraine.org: http://www.migraine.org/index.php

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See also: What Is a Vascular Migraine?

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One Response to “Migraine Tests – Do You Really Suffer From Migraines?”

  1. Lana on December 4th, 2009 3:09 pm

    Nice post. Good explanation of ruling out external causes of pain.

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