instructions of use for both the calendar and chart in this section which can help you to both identify triggers for your migraines and manage them successfully Date/time/severity of headache A space is provided for each day of the week, divided into morning, afternoon, evening, and sleep time (for nighttime attacks). If there is no headache, the space is left blank. However, if a headache is present, a score or grade indicating severity should be recorded using the following scale:
- 1 = mild headache During a mild headache your ability to work and be around people is not affected by the headache. The headache is usually not throbbing and other symptoms of nausea and sensitivity to light and sound may not be present.
- 2 = moderate headache During a moderate migraine the headache and other migraine symptoms are severe enough to impair your ability to function. Talking with other people, reading and working can be done but not as well as normal. You may or may not appear uncomfortable to those around you, because people can often "hide" this level of discomfort.
- 3 = severe headache A severe migraine results in a period of incapacitation. Your headache may be of such intensity as to prevent you from concentrating on anything else. You may have such severe sensitivity to light and sound that you need to be in a dark and quiet place. Nausea and vomiting may cause an inability to function in any capacity. And you may find that going to bed for several hours, or days, is the only way to cope.
Result of medication taken (headache detail chart only) All medications for headache, together with any medications you take for other conditions, should be listed with their dose sizes. There is a separate space for how well your headache treatment worked on the day you used it. The "scale of effectiveness" will help you measure the level of relief you felt two hours after taking your medication.
- 0 = none Your headache and other symptoms did not improve.
- 1 = slight relief The medication taken resulted in a minimal reduction in discomfort but not enough to improve your ability to function.
- 2 = moderate relief The treatment resulted in an improvement in function but headache or other symptoms were still present.
- 3 = complete relief Your headache and other symptoms are completely gone and your ability to function returned to normal.
Trigger factors (headache detail chart only) If you think you know what triggered your headache, you can record the trigger factor(s) in the space provided. Trigger factors can change. Your sensitivity to various trigger factors may change during your life. Trigger factors include things like alcohol, weather, stress and strong lights. Menstrual periods (monthly headache calendar) You can record the onset of your menstrual period on the calendar to see if there is a relationship between your migraines and your menstrual cycle. For women, the time around the menstrual period may result in greater migraine activity. You can record the onset of your menstrual period on the calendar to see if there is a relationship between your migraines and your menstrual cycle. For women, the time around the menstrual period may result in greater migraine activity.
