Military veterans can face health challenges unique to their experiences, including migraine and trigeminal neuralgia that stem from brain injury and other trauma experiences during combat. The Department of Veterans Affairs has reported that veterans are more likely to experience migraine and headaches than non-veterans. About 36% of U.S. veterans who served a one-year deployment to Iraq were diagnosed with migraine or showed signs of migraine, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs. Reports indicate that 65 percent of those veterans suffering Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) also suffer from migraine.
Despite the frequent diagnoses of migraine and other headache disorders in veterans, there are unique challenges veterans face in preventing and treating of attacks. People with this invisibledisease already endure a social stigma due to misunderstanding how debilitating migraine attacks can be. This stigma can compound the social hurdles veterans face, making it even more challenging for them to rejoin civilian life.
Migraine triggers:
• Drinks. These include alcohol, especially wine, and coffee that has too much caffeine;
• Foods. Aged cheeses and salty and processed foods, so might skipping meals;
• Food additives. These include the sweetener aspartame and preservative monosodium glutamate (MSG) found in many foods;
• Physical strain. Intense physical exertion;
• Stress. Stress at work or home can cause migraines;
• Sensory stimuli. Bright or flashing lights can induce migraines, as can loud sounds, strong smells such as paint thinner, secondhand smoke and others;
• Sleep changes. Missing sleep or getting too much sleep can trigger migraines in some people;
• Weather changes. A change of weather or barometric pressure can prompt a migraine;
Aura
For some people, an aura might occur before or during migraines. Auras are reversible symptoms of the nervous system. They’re usually visual but can also include other disturbances. Each symptom usually begins gradually, builds up over several minutes and can last up to 60 minutes. Although usually visual, can also appear as pins, and needles in the arm or leg, weakness or numbness in the face or one side of the body, difficulty speaking.
Attack
A migraine usually lasts from 4 to 72 hours if untreated. How often migraines occur varies from person to person. Migraines may occur rarely or strike several times a month. The pain is usually on one side of the head, but often on both sides.The pain can throb, or pulsating can be felt. There can also be a sensitivity to light sound and sometimes to smell and touch.
It is very important that you seek medical help if you suspect that you suffer, migraines are a problem.