<5 Stages of Migraine Treatment Awareness><7 powerful breakthroughs>< Zweisamkeit><5 Stages>

7 Powerful Breakthroughs:

Battling Chronic Pain Together

A recent CaMEO study of Chronic Migraineurs, presented at the American Headache Society, revealed that 47.4% of those migraineurs participating have had their the pain and stress of managing their headaches result in problems leading to the end of one or more relationships. Similar statistics are shared in studies of chronic pain, with no specific studies yet on marriages ending because of chronic migraine pain. But with multiple studies proving that approximately 70% of relationships where the women battles chronic pain end in separation.


For those that know the difficulties that exist in our relationships with our migraineur-partner, know also that yours doesn't have to end this way! We believe marriages and partnerships do not have to end because of the stress that comes from managing Chronic Migraines if we can jointly become more aware of possibilities with treatment and better understand how to manage stressors together. Especially with an enhanced understanding of the time required to get there, and that the migraineur's frequency and intensity of pain can be improved upon.


With added awareness comes added empathy, more understanding and less guilt. Knowing what we need to do and potentially for how long empowers us in the journey and can help form bonds that lead to increased togetherness.


We recommend that all migraineurs, and equally their migraineur-partners, learn about the 5 Stages of Migraine Treatment Awareness in order to become more empowered with potentially better treatment from a specialist, and to understand how to take the best actions to improve wellness, wholeness and togetherness. By understanding these concepts together, the less Migraine can negatively impact our families.


By providing us with your email address we can add you to our list of migraineurs and caregivers, with the promise that we will not share your email address with any group or individual, for the purpose of creating the most extensive list of couples for purposes of a future study - to be announced. Where your participation will be requested and considered extremely valuable should you wish to participate.


Feel free to email us with any experiences you would like to share. We would love to hear from you!


marriedwithmigraines(at)gmail(dot)com



About the Authors

Brian and Jessica Petersen

Jessica and Brian have been married for 22 years. Their subject matter expertise, constituting their credentials, has been earned by the hours Jessica has spent in suffering as a Chronic Migraineur, and those hours where Brian has tried to adapt in helping her manage her migraine pain while raising four children. Well above the 10,000 hours needed to be considered experts - at least, such is their justification of the commensurate experience necessary to be in a position to help other migraineur couples and succeed in this endeavor.


Jessica is a full-time mother, part-time fitness instructor and personal trainer. She was diagnosed with Chronic Migraines in 2012 and significantly increased her number of migraine and headache free days in 2019 as a result of her diligence in working with her doctor. Continuing to work to help other migraineurs, sharing what medications and management has been beneficial.


Brian is a Senior Project Manager for a large Financial Technology Solutions company. He is accustomed to solving problems with data and quantifying results. Carrying over these techniques into his personal life, he can get in over his head in trying to quantify what may not be entirely quantifiable, as he seeks meaning from optimizing aspects within his own life and the lives of his loved ones.


As a couple they understand that Jessica continually faces the challenges of a neurological disease and the changes in life that this brings, having to readapt. Potentially reverting back from our current stage of awareness to an earlier stage. Still learning, always working to keep life whole, full of purpose and meaning. Celebrating Goodnesses, found and given.

What's inside

We have captured our most meaningful breakthroughs in working together to help Jessica be well and to maintain quality of life. With marked improvement occurring within the last two years as her migraines have improved with less pain and intensity as a result of finding the right medications and improving in her ability to manage. (As well as with improved understanding finally obtained by her husband!)


Blending these experiences with multiple other studies, and lessons learned in our own community of migraineurs, we offer a framework for migraine treatment awareness. Sharing insights into Jessica's treatment and improved wellness, with the hope that we can empower migraineurs struggling to find improvement. As well as offering up mistakes made by Brian as a caregiver, and his breakthroughs in battling resentment and obtaining renewed wholeness. All with the intent to show how added understanding can combat migraineur guilt and caregiver resentment and allow us to better plan how to improve togetherness.

Chapter 1

81

Jessica's Migraine Origin Story: Including how Brian reacted, how he came to understand more about his role and a summary of the main take-aways of this book which include providing The 5 Stages of Migraine Treatment Awareness as a summary of what we learned, and as a recommended framework for your awareness. Intended as a baseline of understanding.

Chapter 2

223

Understanding The Basic Medical Facts About Migraines: For those migraineurs newly diagnosed, or who do not have a complete understanding of what is happening to their bodies and why it is happening. Including information as to potential triggers and a summary of the most recent pharmaceutical and wholistic treatments available. Very helpful for migraineur-partners to understand!

Chapter 3

420

The 5 Stages of Migraine Treatment Awareness: An introduction to the concepts including a description to each stage and how one relates to the next. Including visualizations to better specify particular points that are relevant to determine where you and your partner are currently within the spectrum of awareness. | A Migraine Frequency Assessment is provided to better help you self-diagnose.

Chapter 4

523

STAGE 1: OBSERVING AND IDENTIFYING - In-depth descriptions of the first actions required to enable the migraineur. As well as questions for the caregiver to help them better understand what is happening to their partner.

Chapter 5

720

STAGE 2: SEVERITY DIAGNOSIS - Describing the benefit of seeing a Migraine Specialist who can best diagnose the mgraineur as either Episodic (potentially even higher frequent Episodic) or Chronic. And preparing the migraineur-partner for the importance of showing empathy on a consistent basis, including purpose to add to motivation.

Chapter 6

926

STAGE 3: TRACKING TRIGGERS AND STRESS PATTERNS - This chapter illustrates how after a proper diagnosis has been given, proper medication and treatment can follow. But only after triggers and stressors are understood. This chapter describes why though the migraineur's pain will be at an apex in this stage, proper treatment can begin. With increased awareness we show how the couple can prepare to be higher functioning. | A Caregiver Resentment is provided to better help the caregiver understand how, where, and why they may be carrying resentment (whether consciously or semi-consciously.)



Chapter 7

1340

STAGE 4: CREATING A PREVENTION STRATEGY - This chapter shows migraineurs and their partners why hope is now possible! Advancing to the stage where migraine frequency decreases slightly, with ways to plan for the benefits of becoming even higher functioning.

Chapter 8

1569

STAGE 5: MAINTAINING WELLNESS - With increased improvement, even if subtle and slight, over time being possible, there are gains realized from planning and prioritizing individual wellness, but also a renewed emphasis on individual wholeness. Which can lead to togetherness.

Chapter 9

1934

Managing the Burden In-Between: Proving why the stress of Migraine is not always from the pain itself but the constant management required to prevent the next migraine.

Chapter 10

2215

Preparing the Next Generation of Migraineurs: Because Migraine can be hereditary, and because we want the best for our children (not only with regard to their health, but also with their relationships), we offer considerations for them and for those working with young adults.