Headache Awareness - How to Talk to Your Physician
about Your Headaches
Do you experience significant headaches that
interfere with your work or family/leisure activities?
If you do, don’t “go it alone.” Most
recurring headaches may not be curable, but,
with treatment, they can be controlled to reduce
their frequency, severity, and impact on the
sufferer’s life. You owe it to yourself
to seek medical help.
Step 1: Find a doctor to manage your headaches
To start the process, schedule an office visit
with your primary
care doctor specifically
to talk about your headache condition. Confirm
that
the
doctor
evaluates
and treats
patients with headache. If he or she doesn’t,
either seek the advice of a headache-interested
practitioner in your area, ask your doctor
for a referral.
 Step 2: Prepare for your office visit
You will most likely only have a short amount
of time to discuss your headache condition
with your doctor, especially if you are seeing
a primary care physician, so it’s important
to be prepared. Your preparation for the evaluation
should involve four activities:
•
Keep a headache diary (track frequency, intensity,
and affect on daily activities for at least one
month, noting any patterns)
•
Be ready to answer a number of general
health and headache related questions (click
here for a list of questions)
•
Take a headache survey (such as the Migraine
Disability Assessment (MIDAS) test on the ACHE
website at http://www.achenet.org/tools/migraine/index.asp)
•
Do some background research on headache including
asking your family members about their headaches
Step 3: Prepare your plan in writing
Before you leave the office, make sure you have
all your questions answered and have all
the information you need to help manage your
headache condition. Ask specific questions
about the diagnosis, the treatment plan,
any prescribed medications (how to take them,
what to expect, what to do if they're not
working, etc.), and follow-up visits.
By working with your physician and developing
an organized strategy to treat your headaches,
you can significantly improve your headache pattern
and decrease the impact headaches have on your
family and work life. By being prepared for your
headache-related office visits, you can make
your time spent with your physician much more
efficient and increase the chance of success.
The time that you invest will reap rich rewards
in your overall quality of life.
Contributed by Dean Internal Medicine Physician
Philip A. Bain, MD, FACP
Learn
more:
Migraine
Headaches
Sinus
Headaches
Tension Headaches
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