are available for reference and / or download. Readers can go online to find resources, such as a medical checklist, an emergency room visit form, and a letter to give to your family and friends to educate them about your disease. As simple as these resources seem, they can be a lifesaver for someone in the throes of a migraine attack.
In the interest of full disclosure, I can relate to Robert’ s experiences because I have suffered from migraine disease and other headache disorders since I was 8 years old. I remember when I went to a local ER for the first time, they needed all of my information. Having to look for my insurance card and driver’ s license and write down my medical history all while having a severe migraine attack was unbearable. Robert provides treatment registration information documents in her book and on the corresponding website. You and your doctor can fill out all of the necessary information when you’ re feeling good, so you have it ready if you ever have to go to the ER.
Of course, as with any book bold enough to include Web links, several of the items referenced in the text are now out of date. For example, in one of the resource appendices, she mentions that you can purchase migraine awareness wristbands, but they are no longer available.
Like most migraineurs, I have a bookshelf full of treatises on migraine and headache, but this is the only one I keep returning to. I check in with it when I have questions. I refer back to it for advice. I check the online resource guide and go to the complementary website. In fact, my copy looks more like a college textbook, complete with dog-ears, scribbled notes and yellow streaks of highlighter.
But as in-depth as this book is, it is far from a textbook. Writing a compelling book about pain is no easy task, but Robert rises to the occasion. The majority of the books I’ ve read on this topic are extremely dense, cold and
ON THE SHELF
If you’ re looking to read more about migraine and headache disorders, try these other helpful works.
A Brain Wider Than the Sky, By Andrew Levy
Levy, who has suffered from debilitating migraines for much of his life, eloquently shares his personal struggle and delves into the history of the disease.
The Migraine Cookbook, By Michele Sharp
This NHF-approved book offers more than 100 healthy and delicious recipes— from appetizers to main courses— that avoid common migraine food triggers.
The more you educate yourself about your disease, the better you will be at managing it.
clinical. Although Robert covers a wide range of information, her text is still user-friendly. She provides all of the necessary tools and information you need to start tackling this disease head on, but she also personalizes the book by sharing her own stories and letters from other migraine sufferers.
Many of these letters are touching, sad or horrifying, but they provide information migraine and headache sufferers need to know. By demonstrating the absolute worst risks of migraine disease, Robert makes readers aware of the responsibility they have when using medications and treatments.
I finished this book feeling truly empowered and inspired to take my migraine disease into my own hands. I’ ve had migraine and headaches for 18 years and can honestly say I learned more in this book than I ever have in a doctor’ s office. HW
The Migraine Brain, By Carolyn Bernstein, MD, and Elaine McArdle
Dr. Bernstein, founder of the Women’ s Headache Center near Boston, offers advice on mitigating migraine’ s effect on every aspect of life.
www. headwisemag. org | National Headache Foundation 21