Headache... or Migraine?

Pain is only one of the afflictions that migraine victims suffer. Some people with migraines may experience work-related difficulty and/or feelings of being negatively judged by others because of their headaches.

Acknowledging the disease is the first thing that friends, family, employers, and coworkers can do to help. Here are a few more:
-   Understand that the sufferer will not always be able to perform according to expectation. Offer the same consideration you would extend to anyone with a debilitating illness.
-   Empathize. Turn down the lights, draw the blinds, or turn off the TV to make the room more comfortable for the sufferer. Take the family out of the house, or take over tasks the sufferer can't manage. Prepare an ice pack. Above all, don't dismiss an attack (or its advance signs) as an emotional problem.
-   Realize that attacks can occur on short notice — and that plans may have to be flexible.

The understanding of family, friends, and coworkers can help ease the suffering.

If it’s true that only a migraine sufferer knows what it's like to live with the disease, it’s also true that no one can do as much as you can to help yourself.  As debilitating as migraines are, you do have a measure of control — if not to end attacks altogether, then certainly to manage many circumstances that may lead to them.  You are your own best defense in your battle against migraine, and in your experience with the disease you have the resources for getting the help you need.