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Article Series: Headache Causes, Treatments & Relief
Help, My Headache Is Killing Me!
Asking
Your Doctor How To Treat Your Headache
Often
the people who suffer from headaches have done so for a good
length of time. Perhaps they have learned to manage their
pain and continue to function reasonably well in their daily
routine. But there may come a time when they seek help from
a medical professional.
Others may find themselves suddenly bombarded with unexplainable
headaches and do not hesitate to ask for a doctor's help.
In either case, it
is wise to prepare well for the visit with your doctor. This is in order to optimize the time you are
permitted to have in helping the doctor pinpoint or a least
narrow down what may be causing your headaches and get you
on the road to treatment. Since we have learned that there
can be any number of unique triggers or causes it will be important
to give him or her as much precise detail as possible.
At
the start, your doctor or health care provider will be interested
in your medical history. This will show if you have any specific
health issues that may be contributing to your headaches. As
a medical history often includes questions about other immediate
members of your family it is good if you check ahead of time
if others have ever experienced similar headache issues.
The doctor will then want to get an idea of when and how your
headaches are affecting you. This is when keeping a record
or diary of your headaches over time will come in handy. Some
of the issues that will be addressed are:
- Where
does the headache seem located?
- Does
it seem to be all over the head or mainly
on one side?
- Does it seem to throb?
- Or does
it feel as though something hot is jabbing?
- Perhaps
it is like a tightening vise?
- How
often do they occur and how long do they normally last?
- Are
they better or worse during the day?
- Do they
seem to worsen if you stand up or lie down?
- Do they
seem to follow
the
eating of
certain foods?
- And
how long would you say that you have suffered from headaches?
In addition to these symptoms a health care professional will
need to know what you normally do to treat your pain. Here,
as well, it is vitally important to be open and honest about
any medications you may be taking. Even if you feel that some
of the treatments are of a 'natural' source. The reason for
this, is that, often seemingly innocuous items do not interact
well with mainstream medicine. At times it may be simply a
matter of reducing the effectiveness of a type of treatment
but nonetheless this is vital information to arriving at the
best results possible overall.
The course of your treatment may require a great deal of patience.
Doctors will try to diagnose your headache by matching your
symptoms to other known patterns. But it may be that your headache
is not typical in pattern. You may have to go through a number
of tests and other professionals may need to be consulted.
What is vital to success is an open and honest communication
on both sides. As a patient you need to be as clear and accurate
in your statements as possible but you need to feel, as well,
that you can ask any questions you may have that are related
to your treatment and diagnosis that will help you make informed
decisions. Be patient and listen carefully and do not be afraid
to repeat back what you feel you've understood. You'll be working
to build good communication. #
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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