Finding Love While Battling Migraines

I'M TEDDY BYRNE. >> THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH ESTIMATES ONE IN 4 HOUSEHOLDS HAS THE PERSON WHO SUFFERS FROM MIGRAINES. MIGRAINES CAN DISRUPT EVERY ASPECT OF DAILY LIFE LEADING TO CHRONIC ANXIETY, ISOLATION, AND EVEN INTERFERE WITH ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS. A RECENT LEVIN MIND SURVEY FOUND THAT 73% OF PARTICIPANTS SAY MIGRAINE ATTACKS NEGATIVELY IMPACT THEIR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS. SO WHAT TOOLS ARE OUT THERE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES FROM PAINFUL MIGRAINES? LICENSED THERAPIST IN NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR NEDRA GLOVER TO WABC AND BOARD CERTIFIED FAMILY MEDICINE. DOCTOR LINDA DAVIS, THEY JOIN US NOW TO TALK TO US MORE IN DEPTH ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. AND THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. THE DOCTOR. FIRST, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT A MIGRAINE IS AND HOW THIS DISEASE IMPACTS PATIENTS PHYSICALLY. WHAT HAPPENS? >> ABSOLUTELY. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, JENNIFER. ONCE AGAIN FOR HAVING US. WE'RE EXCITED TO BE PARTNERING WITH ABBY TO REALLY TALK ABOUT THIS VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC OF MIGRAINE. MY THING IS MORE THAN JUST A HEADACHE. IT'S A COMPLEX NEUROLOGIC DISEASE THAT AFFECTS ALMOST 40 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES. IT'S UNDER DIAGNOSED AND ITS UNDERTREATED AND MIGRAINE IS ACTUALLY THE SECOND CAUSE OF YEARS LIVED WITH DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. BUT IT'S THE NUMBER ONE FOR WOMEN UNDER THE AGE OF 50. SO THIS IS HUGELY IMPACTFUL BECAUSE THIS IS WOMEN WHEN THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, STARTING OUT IN LIFE, THERE MAY BE GOING TO COLLEGE. THEY'RE STARTING. FAMILIES ARE STARTING THEIR CAREERS. SO HAVING THIS DISABLING CONDITION AND THIS TIME IS REALLY IMPACTFUL. WE ALSO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT MY GREEN IS MORE THAN JUST THIS DEBILITATING HEADACHE. WE TALK ABOUT MOST BOTHERSOME SYMPTOMS, WHICH MIGHT BE NAUSEA AND VOMITING OR MAYBE IT'S LIGHT SENSITIVITY OR NOISE. SENSITIVITY. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MIGRAINE, WE BREAK IT INTO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. SOME PATIENTS EXPERIENCE MIGRAINE WITH AURA, WHICH IS A CESSATION, IS AT CAN PRECEDE A MIGRAINE ATTACK. SO MAYBE IT'S LIGHT SENSITIVITY. YOUR TEAM. YOU SENSATIONS IN THE FACE. MAYBE IT'S VISUAL CHANGES IN THEIR EYES AND THEN THEY CAN GET THIS MIGRAINE ATTACK WHEN CLINICIANS WE LOOK AT MY RING, WE BREAK IT INTO WHAT'S CALLED EPISODIC OR CHRONIC MIGRAINES. SO AN EPISODIC MIGRAINE IS LESS THAN 15 HEADACHE DAYS A MONTH. BUT CHRONIC MIGRAINE IS 15 OR MORE HEADACHE. DAYS A MONTH OF WHICH 8 OF THOSE MEET THE CRITERIA FOR MIGRAINE. AND THE REASON I'M CALLING THIS OUT IS BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE 4 OR MORE MIGRAINE HEADACHE DAYS A MONTH, YOUR LEVEL OF DISABILITY REALLY GOES UP. >> I HAVE FRIENDS THAT HAVE SUFFERED FOR YEARS WITH MIGRAINES. AND I WAS ALWAYS SURPRISED. AND AND SO SAD FOR THEM BECAUSE IT COULD LAST FOR DAYS WHERE THEY WERE LITERALLY LAYING IN BED FOR DAYS. AND THAT SURPRISED ME. WHY IS IT SO IMPACTFUL FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE? >> YEAH, YOU BROUGHT UP A GOOD POINT BECAUSE MIGRAINE ATTACKS CAN LAST ANYWHERE FROM 4 TO 72 HOURS. SO WE TALK ABOUT HEADING DAYS AND A MIGRAINE ATTACK. BUT YOUR FRIENDS WERE 100% RIGHT WITH THAT. AND THEN WE DID CISO. THERE WAS A SURVEY CONDUCTED. IT CALLED 11 MIND AND IT WAS A HARRIS POLL SURVEY CONDUCTED ON BEHALF OF ABBY AND WE SAW A LOT OF THIS IMPACT LIKE WHEN MY PATIENTS TALK TO ME, THEY TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, DR DAVIS WHEN I HAVE A MIGRAINE ATTACK, IT REALLY AFFECTS MY ABILITY TO BE INTIMATE WITH MY PARTNER. AND THIS SURVEY SHOWED THAT 61% OF RESPONDENTS SAID WHEN YOU'RE HAVING A MIGRAINE ATTACK, THEY CAN'T BE INTIMATE WITH THEIR PARTNERS AND THEN MY PATIENTS WILL TALK ABOUT FEELING GUILTY. THEY'LL FEEL LIKE THEY'RE NOT UPHOLDING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF WHAT IS INVOLVED IN A RELATIONSHIP WHEN IT COMES TO LIKE RESPONSIBILITIES AND WHAT THEY'VE AGREED TO DO. AND WE SAW THAT AS WELL IN THIS SURVEY WHERE 73% OF THE RESPONDENTS SAID THAT THEY FELT LIKE A BURDEN ON THEIR PARTNER BECAUSE THEY REALLY WEREN'T ABLE TO DO SOME OF THOSE AGREED TO DO IN THE RELATIONSHIP. I OFTEN WILL TELL MY PATIENTS SHOULD HAVE AN OPEN CONVERSATION WITH YOUR PARTNER AND TALKED ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS WHEN YOU'RE HAVING A MIGRAINE ATTACK, HOW IT'S IMPACTING YOU. BUT THEY'LL OFTEN SAY IF THEIR PARTNER DOESN'T HAVE MIGRAINE ATTACKS, ITS SOME POINT, SOMETIMES HARD FOR THEM TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT. AND 83% OF THE RESPONDENTS IN THAT LAB IN MINE SURVEY REALLY NEAR AND THIS BECAUSE THEY DID SAY THAT, ALTHOUGH THEIR PARTNER'S REALLY TRY, THEY OFTEN DON'T UNDERSTAND AND THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO SUPPORT THEIR THEIR PARTNERS WHEN THEY'RE HAVING A MIGRAINE ATTACK. >> NOW, NEDRA, YOU ARE A LICENSED THERAPIST. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE EMOTIONAL TOLL THAT THAT MIGRAINES HAVE ON PATIENTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO DAILY LIVING AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH A SIGNIFICANT OTHER. >> YES, WELL, MIGRAINE CAN DISRUPT PLANS, INTIMACY AND COMMUNICATION ATTACKS DON'T JUST AFFECT THE PERSON EXPERIENCING THEM. THEY CAN ALSO TAKE A TOLL ON THE PARTNER AND THEREFORE IMPACT THE RELATIONSHIP. I AM PARTNERING WITH ABBVIE AND IN THEIR LAB IN MINE SURVEY, IT SHOWED THAT 74% OF RESPONDENTS LIVING WITH MIGRAINE SAY THEY'RE CONSTANTLY SCHEDULING THEIR LIVES AROUND MIGRAINE THINGS LIKE BIRTHDAY PARTIES. WEEKEND TRIPS OR HOLIDAYS MAY NEED TO BE SHIFTED BASED ON WHETHER OR NOT SOMEONE IS HAVING A MINING MIGRAINE ATTACK. >> WERE THERE SOME RESULTS FROM THIS SURVEY THAT SURPRISED YOU? >> YES, THE SURPRISING THING TO ME WAS THAT 90% OF THE LOVE OF MINE SURVEY RESPONDENTS TRIED TO FEEL WHEN A MIGRAINE ATTACK HITS AND 78% SAID THAT THEY TRY TO PUSH TO THAT PAIN TO BE PHYSICALLY CLOSE WITH THEIR PARTNER AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT HERE IS THAT WHEN A MIGRAINE ATTACK HITS AND TO MISSY NEEDS TO LOOK DIFFERENT AND THAT'S OK, IT CAN BE GETTING YOUR PART IN THE WATER. IT CAN BE BE AWARE THAT THERE IN THAT ATTACK THAT MAY BE BEING PATIENT WITH THEM. BUT, YOU KNOW, MAY BE OFF THE TABLE FOR NOW. SO BEING OPEN TO THOUGH, SCHIFF IS A PART OF HAVING THE INTIMACY IN THE RELATIONSHIPS. PARTNERS CAN NAVIGATE MIGRAINES AS A TEAM TOGETHER BY PRIORITIZING OPEN COMMUNICATIONS. THAT SAME SELF COMPASSION AND MANAGING EXPECTATIONS SO THAT THEY CAN STAY CONNECTED AND FEEL SUPPORTED DURING MIGRAINE ATTACKS. >> WHAT ARE SOME PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING THOSE? THOSE EXPECTATIONS? >> SOME SOME STRATEGIES THAT I CAN THINK OF IS JUST KEEPING THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN. DOCTOR DAVIS, D HAVE SOMETHING. >> YEAH, I THINK IT'S ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW MIGRANTS ARE NOT THE SAME FOR EVERY PATIENT, RIGHT? EVERY PATIENT'S DIFFERENT. EVERY MIGRAINE ATTACK COULD BE DIFFERENT. EVEN WITHIN THE SAME PATIENT. SO WHEN IT COMES TO MANAGING THOSE MIGRAINES, YOU KNOW, I REALLY ENCOURAGE AN OPEN CONVERSATION WITH YOUR PROVIDER BECAUSE THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU. WHAT'S WORKING FOR YOU AND ESPECIALLY WHAT'S NOT WORKING FOR YOU SO THAT THEY CAN HELP YOU COME UP WITH A CUSTOMIZED PLAN ON HOW TO MANAGE THE MIGRAINES. >> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR EXPERTISE ON THIS SUPER IMPORTANT TOPIC.