1% Thursday – Take the MIDAS test

MIDAS stands for Migraine Disability Assessment.  The test is designed to help you and your doctor(s) think through your treatment in light of how migraine is impacting your life.

Now of course we’re here to fight all migraine.  Just because you “only” get one attack every few months, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get any treatment.  This test is not about whether or not you should be treated.  It’s about getting the best treatment for you.

Many people don’t take the time to think through how migraine impacts their lives.  They only think about the days of work they missed, or maybe the days they actually have pain.  In reality, there are many symptoms at work, and they impact all of life.

Though not a perfect tool, MIDAS does get you started thinking about how disabled you are.  It gives you a more objective score to talk to your doctor about, and you can discuss your answers with her and talk about your treatment options more realistically.

It may also help others start to understand.

You can take the MIDAS (The Migraine Disability Assessment Test) here in a matter of minutes.  However, if you aren’t sure of the answers, try to keep a migraine diary for 3 months first, then use it to fill in the answers again.  Then go talk about your score with someone – preferably mention it at your next doctor’s appointment.

What is 1% Thursday?

Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better.  Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge.  Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!