When things get worse (a personal note)

Sometimes it happens so gradually, you don’t notice it.  You just start to realize you’ve been having a lot of migraine attacks, tension headaches, or whatever, lately.  That bottle of painkillers is emptying a lot faster than it normally does.

This has happened to me once in a while, and actually the last few weeks have been pretty rough.  I’ve been thinking that there are usually two possibilities when this happens:

Now too often doctors seem to assume that everyone with migraine is in category 1.  Certainly there are times when medication can cause further headaches.  It’s a real, serious problem, and it’s not always that patient’s "fault".

If you see an increase in your headaches, it’s quite possible that something else has caused the problem – a change in diet, a change in schedule, or perhaps another illness.  That was it with me – I was sick … just a little … and that was causing the migraines to flare up.

But when it happens gradually, and you’re just a little sick, it’s easy to miss.  It’s easy to think you’re just being lazy.  But often that’s not the case.

So if you’re finding it harder and harder to get going, and the headaches are getting worse, don’t assume you just need to grit your teeth and deal with it.  Listen to what else your body may be telling you, and you may find the answer is different than what you expected.