Studying and Treating Migraine - Assignment Example

Introduction Health matters are sensitive matters in the world today. Everybody should be made aware of their health issues for the purposes of self survival and prolonged life expectations. One of the major issues that have affected so many people over the years is migraine. Migraine is defined to be of two forms one with aura and another without. Migraine with aura can be said to be the recurrent dis­order which manifests in attacks that have reversible neurological signs of sickness which in most cases develop slow by slow with 5 to 20 minutes which in most cases do not go for more than one hour according to the International Headache So­ciety, n.d. People who complain of the disorder have a headache that has the features of mi­graine without aura in most cases result into the aura symptoms. In rare occasions, the headache does not have features of migraines or even it becomes completely absent (Sue Cavanagh & Keith Chadwick, 2005). Migraine without aura on the other hand is described as the recurrent headache that manifests in attacks that in most occasions last 4-72 hours. In addition, the major and outstanding characteristic of this type of headache is that it has a unilateral location, moderate or in many reported situations severe intensity, a pulsating quality and it is aggravated by routine physical activities. It is also associated with nausea and at time the victims become photophobic and or with phonophobia (Brown, 2010). Self Assessment Form (Kristyn Appleby & Joanne Tarver, 2006). Criteria Independent & Excellence Infrequency assisted & good Assisted & satisfactory Frequency assisted and borderline Dependent & unsatisfactory Rating i-j g-h e-f c-d a-b History of presenting complaint Effects on patient’s life Any present disease. Head, nose, ears or eyes. Head: inspect the face, scalp, hair and skull. Eyes: examine visual acuity. Note the eyes’ alignment and position. Ears: check the drums, auricles and the canals. Nose: inspect the nasal mucosa, turbinate and the septum. Patient understanding of the problem Any related problem to pertaining to eyes, nose, ears or the head History of any injury associated to the head. Eyes; used glasses since 2008. Last check 2 yrs ago. Ears: no related problem to hearing Nose; frequent mild cold. Past Medical History. Family history Do you have any family history of tuberculosis, cancer, diabetes, anemia or epilepsy? No Father died at the age of 70 of stroke; persistent headaches; varicose veins Mother died at the age of 45 in car accident. Husband died at the age of 47 due to cardiac arrest. One sister, 43, had hypertension. Diagnosed and treated. Allergies Any allergy related to drugs, mold, wheat or spring Drug allergies; allergic to some drugs Spring allergies. No such allergies Wheat allergies; allergic to wheat. Mold allergies. No such allergies. Psychological history. Smoking Do you have any problem with smoking? No Well, do you smoke? Yes What type of tobacco do you smoke? How long have you smoked cigarettes? How many cigarettes do you smoke per day? Nutrition What is your current body weight? Have there been recent changes to your body weight? How many meals do you take per day? Do you prepare food for yourself? How often do you consume a diet containing vitamins and minerals? Do you always take a balanced diet? Alcohol/drugs Do you have any problem with drinking? Yes. Well, have you ever consumed alcohol before? Yes Why did you quit drinking? Once diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and treated. When did you quit drinking and for how long had you taken alcohol? How have your health improved after you quit drinking? Physical exercise How often do you engage in physical exercise? What kind of activities do you involve yourself in while doing physical exercise? How do you like jogging? When did you start jogging? What time do you normally jog and the duration of jogging? Emotional/mental health. Have you ever suffered any mental illnesses in your life time? Do you normally experience persistent headaches? Are you regularly depressed or stressed? Do you have problem with forgetting? How long can you take to do simple calculations? Occupational history What is your current occupation? How do you like your current occupation? What are some of your important life experiences? Would you mind giving me a brief history of your job? What are some of your activities of daily living? Systems review How are your ears and hearing? How about your lungs and breathing? How is your digestion? Do you have any trouble with your heart? How about your eyes and the vision? Physical examination: General/Skin Observe the face skin and some of its characteristics. Any lesions should be identified. Inspect and palpate nails and hair. Study the hands of the patient. Continue with skin assessment as you examine the rest of the body regions. Respiratory Note the colour of the sputum and the quantity. Check any sign of hemoptysis or dsypnea. Note any sign of wheezing. Check any sign of pleurisy. Review of results on past electro-cardiograms. (Caroline Bunker Rosdahl & Mary Kowalski, 2008). Migraine is an acute head ache and its pain management should be taken as a clinical priority due to its complexity. Health care practitioners should be part and parcel of patient recovery journey. In the recent past, poor migraine pain management has had adverse effects on migraine patients. Constant headache pain has been witnessed as the major cause of stress among patients and has been seen to lower their quality of life as well adversely affecting their careers. There are numerous medications and interventions used in pain management. However, some have side effects and adverse complications (Forshaw, 2004). Effective and efficient pain management technique requires coordinated efforts of experienced nurses and medical practitioners. With reduced stays in hospitals and untimely discharge due population health needs which has become more sophisticated there is a need for better methods to decrease acute headache pains. New technological innovations as well as inventions need to be integrated with the already existing methods to enhance the migraine pain management (Wells, et al 2011). This condition is reported to be more common in women that it is to men. This is because it is also associated with the menstrual cycle. However, for many women, it is reported migraine onset gets common to many around menarche. This can be associated to when the levels of estrogen begin to fluctuate and the hormonal balance in the body gets affected (Magee, 2005). It is in the records that the disorder strike to women twice in their lives that is, in the mid 20’s and at the age of early 50’s when the hormones are in the change. “Estrogen levels fluctuate during perimenopause, and for a woman with hormonally mediated headaches, it may be difficult to predict to what ex­tent her migraines will affect her ability to function in her work and personal life. . But with the recent onset of perimenopause, her cycle has become less predictable, and daily fluctuations in her estrogen levels can make her feel like she’s lost what little control she once had over her headaches. Add to this the other stressful symptoms of perimenopause, such as fatigue, insomnia, irritability, hot flashes, night sweats, difficulty concentrating, heart palpitations, un­explained weight gain, urinary incontinence and reduced sex drive. Further complicate the pic­ture with the social demands of an adult child who moved back home after college, the spouse who was just laid off, the elderly parents who need increasing attention, the stress of keeping her job, which may be the only source of income for the family, and it can be difficult to tease out which headaches are due to hormonal chang­es, and which are due to tension and fatigue.” (Kaur & Morgeson, 2012). This condition is an increase in pain and it management has been an issue to the patients, doctors and the researchers (Nappi & Moskowitz, 2011). Unrestrained pain may harm the patient by impairing his or her endocrine, pulmonary and cardiac systems’ functioning given that most of them suffers from a diabetic condition. It may also inhibit the patient’s sleep, weaken their immune system further and worsen their quality of life (Lois White, 2011). Conclusion It is noted that French neurologists are very concerned and get extremely interested in studying and treating migraine. However, they find it difficult and challenging when it comes to its treatment, especially concerning prophylaxis. Learning about this disorder, headache pathology and its treatment has now been made a standard part during neurology training and also the general practitioners are also taught their ways, symptoms and its basic pain reliever. However, it is crucial that the training given should prepare the neurologist in training adequately due to the challenges involved in migraine treatment. This is in terms of patient communication; view of the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment and of recognizing any possible psychiatric concerns. Therefore, in conclusion the researchers should try and work extra harder to move a step forward for this to get treated (Marilynn Doenges & Mary Frances, 2013). References Brown, A. K. (2010). Migraines. Detroit, MI: Lucent Books. Caroline Bunker Rosdahl & Mary T Kowalski, (2008). Textbook of basic nursing. Philadelphia : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Forshaw, M. (2004). Understanding headaches and migraines. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Kaur, G., & Morgeson, J. S. (January 01, 2012). Sudden visual loss and weakness in a young woman with migraines. The Journal of Family Practice, 61, 6, 336-9. Kristyn S Appleby & Joanne Tarver, (2006). Medical records review. New York: Aspen Publishers. Lois White,(2011). Foundations of nursing : caring for the whole person. Albany, N.Y : Delmar/Thomson Learning. Magee, E. (2005). Tell me what to eat if I have headaches and migraines: Nutrition you can live with. Franklin Lakes, N.J: New Page Books. Marilynn E Doenges & Mary Frances Moorhouse , (2013). Application of nursing process and nursing diagnosis : an interactive text for diagnostic reasoning. Philadelphia : F.A. Davis. Nappi, G., & Moskowitz, M. A. (2011). Headache. Edinburgh: Elsevier. Sue Cavanagh & Keith Chadwick, (2005). Health needs assessment: a practical guide. London : National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Wells, M. D. M. P. H. R. E., Bertisch, M. D. M. P. H. S. M., Buettner, M. D. M. P. H. C., Phillips, M. D. R. S., & McCarthy, P. D. M. P. H. E. P. (January 01, 2011). Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults With Migraines/Severe Headaches. Headache: the Journal of Head and Face Pain, 51, 7.) Read More