Although the recovery from the second surgery was slower, Debbie is now resuming her normal routine. I've learned, firsthand, that the brain is an extremely recuperative organ. To be on the safe side, I get regular MRIs of my brain, and, of course, I avoid my neighbors' mailboxes when I drive down the street. Fortunately, for some, this so-called migraine turns out to be a headache that soon disappears. But for 26 million Americans, the pain of a migraine headache is all too real.
Migraine headaches can strike anyone at any age, although they are most common in young women.
A migraine is a neurologic disorder characterized by recurrent attacks of headache, with pain most often occurring on one side of the head, accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound. Typically, the onset of a migraine occurs after waking up in the morning. Routine activity or slight head movement frequently makes the pain worse. These episodes can last from several hours to several days and are often disabling. Patricia Dragunas had been living with migraine headaches for years.