A Toolkit for Talking about Migraine
Many of us are getting together with friends and family over the next couple of weeks. We might be talking to people that we don’t often talk to. Will the topic of headache or migraine come up?
It can be a sensitive topic. Maybe because it’s come up before, and it hasn’t been a good conversation. Or maybe it’s never come up at all, and you don’t want to mention it.
Maybe this year it should come up. Or maybe you should further the conversation. Headache disorders are a huge issue in our world, and so they should not be ignored.
Here are a few resources that might help you have a conversation. It could be sharing an article online, having a book on your coffee table, or printing something out to show a friend.
- Let’s start with something pretty blunt – What I wish you knew… This is a compilation of what actual migraine/headache patients have written about what they wish family and friends knew about their condition.
- Migraine facts: A few years ago I wrote a series of articles looking at migraine from three perspectives. Though a little dated, I would still recommend them as a good place to begin for someone who really wants to understand. Here they are: 1) What is Migraine? (the scientific story) 2) What is Migraine? (the Story of Symptoms)
- What is Migraine? (The Life Impact Story)
- Is it really important to talk about migraine? You bet. Here are the actual statistics: Migraine: A Worldwide Crisis?
- This is another old one, but because it’s a little different, I’ll include it. It’s The Migraine Quiz!
- Migraine at work: This is from The Migraine Trust, a page all about helping you manage migraine at work, and talk to employers. Targeting a UK audience, but with helpful ideas for anyone in the world.
- Maybe you’ll be talking to a friend who has been newly diagnosed with migraine. Here are some resources to help them out. First, again from our community, top 10 bits of advice for someone newly diagnosed. Related, but a little different, 10 Critical Mistakes First Time Migraine Patients Make. Finally, A Message to Youth with Migraine
- There are two beautiful and amazing books that I would recommend for your coffee table. Migraine Art: The Migraine Experience from Within is scholarly but filled with migraine art and amazing facts. From a patient perspective, Migraine Expressions: A Creative Journey Through Life With Migraine. Buy them new or used – either way, worth every penny if you’d like something that people could flip through while they wait for you to bring the cookies from the kitchen.
- There’s also a movie about migraine that you could watch, called Lily’s Mom. You can read the review here.
- Finally, for something a little different, how about a game? For those who want to keep the conversation a little lighter, try out 14 Days, “a 2-player tabletop game about life with chronic pain”.