Gadget cured my migraines
Migraines used to control 26-year-old Sarah McClement's life but that has changed thanks to a new gadget.
Sarah, a business consultant from Exeter, has suffered from migraines for 11 years - weekly attacks that could take up to two days to clear.
This month sees Migraine Awareness Week (September 7-13). Migraines affect one in seven adults in the UK (over 8m people) making it more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined.
In 2012-13 there were more than 19,000 emergency hospital admissions for migraine and headache disorders and a recent report estimated the condition cost the UK £7 billion a year in lost working hours and medical treatment.
Around forty to fifty per cent of sufferers find that standard pharmaceutical medication, either prescribed or over the counter, does little to alleviate their symptoms which can include nausea, severe headaches, exhaustion and aura (flashing lights).
For these people self help is the only option but Sarah has revealed reveals how she beat migraine with the use of a high-tech device just launched here in the UK.
“I have had migraines since I was about fifteen," says Sarah. "Initially they were pretty full on with aura, sickness and nausea - and would last around four to five hours. At first they were cyclical, that is once a month and my GP just advised me to take stronger painkillers and hopefully I would grow out of them.
“They stopped when I was eighteen which was wonderful but when I turned 21, in my final year at university, they returned, which was awful. At first they were every three months and I didn’t suffer from aura this time but I did feel very drowsy and dizzy and had pain for at least a day afterwards. Then over time the frequency started to increase and they would last longer
"By last year I was having migraines at least once a week and I would be struggling with pain for the next two days.
“Migraines started to take over my life, affecting my social life, making me groggy and irritable, I couldn’t plan anything and I was worried that my work – and career – was suffering. Basically I always lived in fear of the next attack.
“My GP put me on Pozantifen and gave me Sumatriptan to try and control the migraines when they came on but that didn’t really take the edge off the pain. She then suggested I try Beta Blockers but they were horrendous, making me so exhausted that I could hardly function at all. I was getting pretty desperate because all I could see was years of pain, exhaustion and not being able to live my life to the full.
“When I heard about Cefaly I decided I had I nothing to lose. My GP was supportive. She said I could stop the medication as it wasn't effective for me and see if Cefaly works.
"When I first started using the device I found the sensation quite unpleasant, almost painful, but the instruction booklet explained that this was a fairly common initially and if you stuck with it the sensation died down, which is exactly what happened. I'm now used to the feeling and don’t mind at all, in fact I find it quite relaxing.
“I’ve been using Cefaly for nearly eight weeks and there is a real improvement both in the frequency and severity of my migraines. I can go two weeks without one. When they come they are very manageable and I am not left with the headaches the following day.
“Also because the migraines are not so frequent I am now beginning to be able to pinpoint triggers. For example I had a glass of wine on Saturday which set off a migraine within hours, so I can now identify that sulphites are a trigger. For the first time in years I feel as if I am in control of my migraines - and not the other way round!"
* Cefaly is a new non invasive, non-pharmaceutical device which has been transforming the lives of many migraines sufferers across Europe and the US and is now available in the UK. It now costs £249 (reduced from £295) and comes with a six week refundable guarantee.
www.cefaly.co.uk
