Illustrations about the experience of a migraine attack. The drawings are done with pen, and for emphasizing the depiction of pain I embroidered parts of the image with red thread into the paper. The works differ in size to illustrate the intensity of each stage.
Sketches of the different stages with the main characteristic that best describes each one
“In migraine, an internal state of dysregulation creates an allostatic load with maladaptive consequences on the brain, behaviour, physiological regulation and systemic physiology that progresses in a feedforward cascade.
In each migraine attack, there are well defined stages with different symptoms that distinguish the migraine from a headache. The five stages lead on from each other and can overlap."
“The premonitory stage is often described as the “warning stage”, and it can last up to 24 hours. The symptoms are feeling tired and/or thirsty, or craving certains foods, having a stiff neck, yawning and feeling irritable.”
"The aura stage is a result of an electrical wave of nerve activity that spreads through the brain. Symptoms may include changes in sight and hearing, confusion and vertigo."
"The headache stage is the main attack and it includes moderate to severe pain that is typically throbbing and made worse by movement. It is usually on one side of the head but may spread later on. Sensitivity to light, smell, sound, and movement is expected."
"In the resolution stage the headache could slowly fade away or stop suddenly after being sick, crying or a lot of sleeping."
"The recovery stage is the final phase, that comes with fatigue. The drained, 'hangover' type feeling could take hours or even days to disappear. Symptoms could be similar to those of the first warning stage or mirror them. For example, if you had a sore throat in the beginning of the attack, you might have the same during recovery."
from the factsheet of The Migraine Trust
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