Taking your Headaches to the Doctorby Alison Palmer | More from this Blogger 21 Jan 2007 10:08 AM Most of us have occasional headaches; we have learned to expect them as a normal course of life. It has become such a typical complaint that most of us will hesitate even mentioning that we have a headache. Unless it's bad- really, really bad. Then the old saying "misery loves company" kicks in and we want everyone to know so they'll leave us alone, baby us, bring us a cup of coffee, whatever we think will help. Not all headaches are created equal some are very mild and others are, well, more memorable. When are these headaches serious enough to see your doctor about? When you complain of headaches to your doctor, she'll need some information from you to help her figure out how to best help you. The goal is to treat the headaches as they occur and find ways to prevent as many headaches as possible. Try keeping track of these things before your visit with your doctor. How often are you getting headaches and how long do they last? What is the pain like and where is it located? What times of the day are you most likely to get headaches? Do your headaches disrupt your normal activities, which ones and how often? What have you tried, what helped, what didn't? Look for triggers: stress, foods, alcohol, caffeine, dehydration, lighting, fatigue, hormonal or seasonal changes to name a few. Are you sensitive to noise, light or smells during your headaches? Do they cause nausea or vomiting? Do you become dizzy, disoriented or forgetful? Do you see spots or flashing lights? Do your nose or eyes water? Sometimes when you answer these questions you'll hit on the solution to your headache problem. Can you remove the trigger, drink another glass of water, or spend more time de-stressing? Your answers can help point you in the right direction as well as your doctor. See your doctor if you've tried several things and you still have headaches multiple times a week, lasting more than an hour at a time, headaches are disrupting you life, or you're experiencing visual problems, nausea or vomiting during an episode. Related Articles: Chronic Headaches Linked to Depression Allergies and Migraines Linked Learn more about Alison Palmer  Writing is Alison's favorite past time, but you can also frequently find her reading, playing piano, cooking, taking long walks, sewing, or playing with her family. Relevanthealth tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags doctor, headache, headache triggers, migraine Discuss this article
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