When I was pregnant with my son I went to work a full 8-hour shift five days after my due date. The same day I went into labor. My feet were swollen, I was tired and sore. But I had some work I could do and I wasn’t going to start my maternity leave early if I didn’t absolutely need to. I wanted to save every day of maternity leave I could for actually spending it with my baby (I learned from my mistake with Lil’ J when I started maternity leave on her due date, 10 days before she was born).

When it comes to mental prowess, I consider myself pretty tough, and able to power through most symptoms and do what I’ve gotta do. But there are two things I do not handle well. One is extreme nausea and the other is headaches.

When I was pregnant I suffered from a lot of both. Through my entire first and second trimester with my son I felt like I had a constant migraine and because I was pregnant I’d try not to take anything for them, but boy were they horrible. I even wrote about them in his baby book. I hadn’t experienced migraines like that since high school. There was a period where I would get headaches almost daily. I still don’t know what caused them but it seemed by my upperclassmen years they had faded away.

Now I usually don’t get headaches unless I’m dehydrated and/or really really stressed out. When I travel the change in elevation sometimes causes me to get headaches.

Now see, my husband… If he gets so much as a runny nose he’s down for the count, but I know things are especially bad when he has a headache or a migraine. And I can totally empathize with that, though sadly he gets them way more often. And yes, there’s a difference between the two.

I’m working with Med-IQ to help spread awareness about the difference and help them help others get help for their migraines. So more people can take control and get back to cherishing the moments that matter most. My little guy brought on quite a few headaches while I incubated him. And he still continues to from time to time now that he’s a rambunctious little guy on the outside. But he’s the kind of headache I can handle.

So, migraines when untreated can last anywhere from four hours to three full days. They’re usually accompanied by nausea and/or light/sound sensitivity. You could have chronic migraines if you’re suffering from headache symptoms 15 or more days out of the month.

I have friends who have suffered terrible terrible migraines, especially during pregnancy. One had to spend months away from her computer in order to avoid them.

When I told my mom I was talking to some neurologists about migraines she told me that she’s suffered from migraines for a while, and then I learned it can be hereditary and all the light bulbs started going off.

Do you suffer from what feels like chronic headaches? If so, consider checking in with your doctor and when you go in for that quick visit be ready with this information I wish I had known sooner:

TIME: How many days per month do you have headaches? For approximately how long do they last?
SYMPTOMS: Do you have nausea with the headaches? What about throbbing? Any other symptoms?
IMPACT: How does the headache impact your life? What level of disability do migraines cause? Does it prevent you from going to work or school? Are you unable to take care of your children? Does it inhibit your ability to move through your day? This is critical information to share.
If you can go to your appointments fully prepared to tell your story, and outline those three points, you will receive a much quicker diagnosis and a clearer path to prevention and relief.

Med-IQ is interested in gaining the participation of as many people as possible to raise awareness in the community about migraines and chronic migraines. If you can spare just 10 minutes of your time, please take this quick survey to help. As a thank you, you’ll be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card.

Do you suffer from migraines or headaches? How do you cope?

My blog post today is sponsored by Med-IQ but all opinions are my own.

Tags: ad, headaches, med-iq, migraines