Florida doctor explains difference between headaches and migraines

IF YOU HAVE EVER HAD A HEADACHE OR MIGRAINE BEFORE, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT IS HERE. JUNE IS HEADACHE AND MIGRAINE AWARENESS MONTH. AND HERE A TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO GET RID OF THAT PESKY HEAD PAIN AS DOCTOR SAMIA HUSSEIN WILSON WITH THE BOCA REGIONAL HOSPITAL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, DOCTOR. WE’RE GOING TO START OUT. IT MIGHT BE A COMMON QUESTION, BUT WE WANT YOU TO EXPLAIN IT. WHAT EXACTLY IS A HEADACHE? SO A HEADACHE IS ACTUALLY A CONSTANT PAIN IN AND AROUND THE HEAD AND THE FACE. HEADACHES VARY GREATLY IN THEIR LOCATION AND INTENSITY AND EVEN HOW OFTEN THAT PAIN OCCURS. UM, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THE COMPLEXITY OF HEADACHES. THEY CAN OCCUR IN THE NERVES, IN OUR SCALP, IN THE NERVES, IN OUR FACE, IN OUR MOUTH, IN OUR THROAT, IN THE MUSCLES, IN OUR HEAD, NECK AND SHOULDERS AND EVEN IN THE BLOOD VESSELS ON THE SURFACE OF OUR BRAIN. SO EVEN IF YOU HAVE THAT NECK PAIN COMING FROM THE HEAD, THAT’S CONSIDERED A HEADACHE. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. AND LET’S TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HEADACHE AND A MIGRAINE. HOW DO YOU KNOW. SO A MIGRAINE IS A TYPE OF HEADACHE. BUT A MIGRAINE IS DISTINCT BECAUSE A MIGRAINE ACTUALLY HAS ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS. THOSE ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS CAN BE LIGHT SENSITIVITY SOUND SENSITIVITY, NAUSEA, VOMITING, BLURRY VISION AND DOUBLE VISION. IN ADDITION, MIGRAINES HAVE PHASES NOW, NOT EVERYBODY HAS TO GO THROUGH EVERY PHASE, BUT YOU CAN. THOSE PHASES TYPICALLY INCLUDE THE PREMONITION PHASE, WHICH IS THE PHASE THAT CAN ADD, EXCUSE ME, ADD OUR HOURS TO DAYS OF A FEELING THAT HEADACHE IS COMING ON. UH, THEN NEXT COMES THE AURA PHASE. THAT’S WHEN YOU MAY FEEL NUMBNESS, TINGLING, CHANGES IN SPEECH, MUSCULAR WEAKNESS, SOME SORT OF, AGAIN, PREMONITION THAT THE HEADACHES COMING ON NEXT COMES THE HEADACHE PHASE WHEN YOU’RE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE THE PAIN. THIS KIND OF THROBBING PAIN ON ONE SIDE OR BOTH SIDES OF YOUR HEAD. AND FINALLY COMES THE RESOLUTION PHASE WHEN THE PAIN IS LESSENING. NOW, SOME PATIENTS CAN SNAP RIGHT OUT OF A HEADACHE, OTHERS CAN SORT OF LINGER AND HAVE SOME IRRITABILITY. TROUBLE CONCENTRATING, OR FATIGUE. AND THAT BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT QUESTION, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF TIMES, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WORK ON AN EARLY MORNING SHIFT, RIGHT, YOU MISS MAYBE A COFFEE AND YOUR HEAD STARTS HURTING FROM THAT, YOU GET IT AND YOU’RE SNAPPED OUT OF IT, OR YOU MAYBE NEED SOME MORE SLEEP. SO WHEN SHOULD YOU KNOW IT’S SERIOUS AND YOU SHOULD GO TO THE HOSPITAL. SO THERE ARE SYMPTOMS THAT ABSOLUTELY SHOULD TRIGGER YOU TO POTENTIALLY CALL YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER, WHICH MAY PROMPT YOU TO BE SENT TO THE HOSPITAL. THAT WOULD INCLUDE A STIFF NECK, FEVER, NAUSEA, VOMITING, DOUBLE VISION, MUSCULAR WEAKNESS. SO SEIZURES AND A CHANGE IN YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS AND WHEN WE LEAVE PEOPLE OFF WITH THIS AWARENESS MONTH, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO HOW OFTEN PEOPLE SUFFER FROM HEADACHES, AND WHY? SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE PRONE TO THEM THAN OTHERS, SO WOMEN ARE ACTUALLY THREE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER FROM MIGRAINES. WOMEN ARE ACTUALLY 50% MORE PRONE TO TENSION HEADACHES AS WELL, WHICH IS A TYPE OF HEADACHE THAT FEELS LIKE A PRESSURE AND A TIGHTNESS, ALMOST LIKE A BAND LIKE SENSATION AROUND THE HEAD. AND AND THE TRIGGERS REALLY ARE THAT SORT OF MAKE PEOPLE MORE PRONE TO HEADACHES WOULD BE, AS YOU MENTIONED, MAYBE LACK OF CAFFEINE, LACK OF SLEEP, POOR EATING HABITS, MAYBE THEY WERE A TIGHT HEAD BELT AT WORK, MAYBE THEY’RE PRESCRIPTION ON THEIR GLASSES. IS INCORRECT. OKAY, THAT’S A GOOD ONE. RIGHT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF THESE TRIGGERS. AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP A DIARY OF THESE TRIGGERS SO THAT YOU CAN BRING THAT TO YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER, PRESENT THEM AND SEE WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE. IMPORTANT INFORMATION. THANK YOU. SO MUCH, DOCTOR, FOR COMING BY AND REMINDING PEOPLE OF THIS. DURING THIS AWARENESS MONTH. WE’VE BEEN DOING STORIES AS WELL ON ON HEADACHE AND MIGRAINE AWARENESS MONTH RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE WPBF.COM TO FIND THOSE AND TO