Shifting the Mindset for Migraine

Migraine has been part of my life since I was a teenager. I’ve always felt it was something I just had to deal with – that I needed to simply push through the pain.

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Not to say that it was ever easy. I’ll never forget an instance a few years ago when I was preparing to present at an important meeting. Suddenly, the lights in the room began to seemingly get brighter and my left eye began to water uncontrollably. And then came severe pain. All are symptoms I experience when having a migraine attack.

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I couldn’t just close my door, turn off the lights or rest my eyes for a few minutes. I felt the pressure to perform well in my meeting. So, I did what so many with migraine have trained themselves to do in moments like this – I fought through the pain and gave the presentation, dabbing my eye inconspicuously (or so I hoped) the entire time.

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At the time, it felt like a “win.” But later I asked myself: Was it really? One of the many challenges faced by those living with migraine is getting others to understand what we’re experiencing. The pain is not visible and it is often dismissed as “just a headache.” For the one billion of us around the world with migraine, we know this is far from the truth. Migraine impacts all aspects of life – forcing patients to constantly negotiate with themselves and the disease: If I stay home and rest this morning, will I be able to attend my daughter’s recital tonight? ?Should I continue to push through this meeting, and potentially pay the price tomorrow?

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The truth is that migraine is a debilitating neurological disease; the second-most disabling disease in the world, in fact. Yet its impact is not well understood or widely acknowledged, so many patients are reluctant to reveal they have migraine due to the stigma associated with it. This is especially true at work, where patients fear being judged for taking one too many sick days or missing an important deadline. In contrast, there are many other diseases and conditions that are openly discussed in the workplace. Considering migraine prevalence is highest during peak employment years, it’s time we shift our mindset.

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Breaking the Silence

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You may have heard about migraine attack symptoms like head pain, nausea and blurred vision. But migraine can also bring something else – silence. Because migraine is so complex to explain, when people have an attack at work they often feel it’s simpler to say nothing and “power through.”

But ultimately, this silence contributes to a vicious cycle. The more that patients stay silent, the less awareness that colleagues and managers have about migraine, and the fewer meaningful changes are made in workplaces to support people with migraine.? ? If you have migraine, I encourage you to speak up. I’m extremely proud of my #Pfizer colleagues who courageously recently shared their experiences to educate about this disease and empower others who have migraine to feel more comfortable being open about it.

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More Understanding, More Support

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For patients to feel more comfortable being open about having migraine, employers and managers must create an environment where colleagues can truly be their full self and know that their honesty will be met with support and empathy, rather than judgement. There are tangible things an employer can do to foster such an environment, and I’m proud to say Pfizer has many programs and policies in place to support colleagues with migraine – in fact, we recently received designation from the European Migraine & Headache Alliance as a migraine-friendly workplace.

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But for me, it starts with education. Even as someone who has lived with migraine for over 30 years, until recently I didn’t know very much about the disease and found myself quietly managing attacks on my own. However, in my current role at Pfizer I have the privilege of leading our Internal Medicine group and with it, the opportunity to become more educated about migraine. The more I’ve learned, the more I’ve changed my perspective. I’m now much more open about my own migraine experience, both personally and professionally. I’m honest with my team so they know the reason I may need to shift a meeting or if I seem a bit off that day – and overwhelmingly, I’ve been met with compassion and understanding.?

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Looking back, I now view the meeting where I powered through my presentation as less of a “win”, and more of a missed opportunity to increase critical dialogue about this often-silent disease. Because the more we talk about it, the more we can address the stigma associated with migraine, empower and support our colleagues and end the vicious cycle of silence.

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#MigraineAwarenessWeek? #Migraine