In the Netherlands, 33% of women and 13% of men have migraines at some point in their life. The fact that migraines are three times more common in women than in men is likely because female hormones play a role, according to the Brain Foundation. Anneke Pruijssers (43) has a hormonal migraine and can set the clock every month when she has another migraine attack.
The first symptoms of migraines appeared when Anneke was about eighteen. “I noticed that I had a headache more often than usual and that my headache was getting worse, lasting longer and that the normal painkillers were not helping.” When she went to the doctor with her ailments, it became clear that it was a migraine. “The doctor has prescribed drugs. Fortunately, these helped somewhat, but despite this I suffered from a monthly migraine attack, which could last for three days. “
“I have found that my migraines are hormonal”
It is striking that when Anneke was pregnant she suffered from nothing and the migraine disappeared like snow in the sun. “I’ve been pregnant three times and felt really good during those times. As soon as the hormones left my body, everything started all over again and the attacks were back in full force ”. She decided to keep a headache diary and she realized she had attacks every time in the same week of the month. “I found out in this way that my migraines are hormonal and related to my monthly cycle.”
No light, sound or movement
“It starts with an annoying feeling that gets worse and worse,” Anneke describes her complaints. “Without drugs I can no longer stand the light, the noise or the movements and lie in bed or on the sofa for three days waiting for the time to pass. Fortunately, the course of an attack has gotten much less severe since I started taking the drugs. If I now feel an attack coming, I immediately take my meds. The sooner I get there, the better it works and the shorter and milder the attack will be. It usually stays with a one-day attack.
Within fifteen minutes after Anneke takes her medication, she is already feeling the effect. “She starts with a tingle in my neck, a sign that she is working and she is pulling me up to my head. Then I feel that the headache has gone away ”. However, she can sometimes suffer from side effects and she has a feeling of numbness in her head. “She seems to have a cotton ball on her head, but everything is better than the pain of a migraine attack.”
Limits
Migraines have had a significant impact on Anneke’s life over the years. “Especially when the children were small, I ran into a lot of limitations. A day in bed during a migraine attack was out of the question, because I had to be there for the kids. Luckily I was taking medications; otherwise it would not have been possible ”. Unfortunately, Anneke has suffered more from hormonal fluctuations in recent years, which impacted her migraine. She suspects this is due to the fact that she is heading towards menopause. “This made my symptoms worse. Sometimes it goes well for months, but there are also months when I have to give the sickness to work because I can’t do anything anymore because of the pain ”.
If Anneke is having a hard time and has to stay home for several days in a row due to a migraine attack, she may feel very sad and exhausted. “This upsets me; during an attack I don’t even remotely resemble who I am when I don’t have a headache. To give in as little as possible, I dress, make up and make up consciously. I can help but endure these migraines and hope it will end soon. ” However, she is not rebellious. “I always keep in mind that there are people who are much more difficult than me. I can get on with my life once the attack is over, often they don’t. “
Botox treatment for migraines
Three years ago, Anneke suddenly had three attacks a month and was referred to a neurologist at the headache clinic. She there she received botox treatment for migraines. “You should relax the muscles in the painful area. At first it seemed to ease the pain a little, but that didn’t work enough either. “To get rid of the pain, Anneke took various dietary supplements and followed every nutritional advice.” Since my migraines are hormonal, you can’t fix it, for example. for example, leaving out coffee or alcohol. Obviously I use these types of products in moderation now that I know they can affect migraines, but it doesn’t have much effect. ” As she hopes that a solution for migraine patients will be found in the future, she Anneke regularly participates in LUMC studies.
installer
Anneke was sometimes afraid that people would find her a poser. “Before I had a migraine too, I always thought you could fix it by taking acetaminophen. At first – and still today – I was very strict with myself and feared that people would not understand if I could not make an appointment or had to call sick again at work. “However, the opposite turns out to be true; his family, his friends and her colleagues understand her and fully sympathize with her.
“Now I realize that I am the one who cannot accept that my life is on hiatus for a few days each month due to migraines. I just want to be able to do my job and not have to get sick every time. I am faced with an SO class, with children with severe behavioral problems and I find it very difficult to be able to offer them less structure. I also find it annoying for my colleagues that I am absent so often or that I don’t look quite fit at work. ”
‘I just want to be able to do my job’
When making appointments, Anneke must always keep in mind the week she can expect a seizure. “Every month there is a cross in my diary; in that week I can have a migraine. If I make an appointment that week, I often say it might not take place due to the migraine. It is also possible that the attack is mild and I may meet or work. “
For some time now Anneke has been taking antiepileptic drugs on a daily basis for people with epilepsy. “As a result, my brain receives less stimulation. At first it seemed to have an effect, but last month my migraine attack was back to normal. It’s so disappointing, it really makes you wonder what I’m still taking all these drugs for. But when I think back to all those years I had migraines, I have to conclude that in some periods I feel better thanks to the drugs. Obviously I’d like to get rid of it completely, but I suspect I have to go through the transition first. ”
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