1% Thursday: The 20 Second Symptom Speech

Create a 20 second description of your migraine or chronic headache symptoms.

Let me explain where I’m coming from here, then we’ll get to work.  There’s a problem when we go to explain our symptoms to someone else – perhaps even when we stop to think about them ourselves.  Here’s a simple example.

You tell your coworker you have "a migraine".  They’ve heard of migraines – it’s like a really bad headache, right?  So they think about a headache they’ve had (maybe what we might call a mild tension-type headache), and imagine it being worse.

Problem is, what you’re dealing with is probably not simply a bad pain in the head.  It’s a whole bunch of symptoms – maybe some you’ve never thought of or connected, usually because the pain is so bad we tend to focus on that.  But we need to understand that most people are dealing with a whole spectrum of symptoms – and that will do a LOT to increase understanding.

Now grab a piece of paper, or open up a word processor on your computer, and start making a list of symptoms you commonly deal with.  Now think carefully.  Let’s start with pain, describe it (you know, stabbing, throbbing, piercing, etc), and get it out of the way.

Now, what else?  Do you feel tired?  Heavy?  Do you have trouble speaking?  Thinking?  Visual problems?  Dizziness?  Is there nausea?  Does light bother you?  Smells?  How bad?  DO you feel agitated?  Numb?

I’m not going to list all possible symptoms, but check out the post What is Migraine? (the Story of Symptoms) and write down the symptoms that are familiar to you.

You need to realize these symptoms are not "normal".  I don’t mean by that no one else has them – many people do.  But not everyone with a headache feels tired, or sick, or is sensitive to light.  Most people will really have no clue what you’re dealing with.  So you need to SAY it if you want people to know what you’re dealing with.

Finally, take your list, and figure out what are the most powerful debilitating symptoms you experience.  How could you explain those symptoms in a gracious but clear way in 20 seconds to a stranger?  To a friend or family member?

One more note – you’ve only got 20 seconds, so there may be symptoms you may need to leave off because you won’t have time to explain them, or they could be too easily misunderstood.  Sad, but true.  We’re taking a small 1% step toward understanding here, don’t expect the other person to fully understand everything you’re going through in 20 seconds.

Great – got your script?  Tried it in front of that cool person in the mirror?  Great, now go try it on someone who’s willing to listen (remember, it’s just 20 seconds)!

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!