User Stories: Susan – Living with Migraines 

1. How did this app help?
This app helped me find my triggers. It took about 4 months. I tracked everything! And, in the results, I could see what was more correlated with my episodes. I’d used Migraine Buddy for years. That app asks you ‘what are your triggers?’ and then makes you a ‘report’ of your triggers. That’s not very helpful.

With Migraine Insight, I set up things I suspected as triggers. And, then tracked them all the time. So, for example, chocolate. I tracked it every time I had it… And, then, the app can tell if chocolate is actually a trigger or not. For me it wasn’t.

In short, this app helped by having an actual trigger finder instead of just feeding me back what I had said was my triggers. It actually seems kind of simple. But, it works.

Also – before that I had paper tracked for years. I hadn’t thought to track suspected triggers on days I wasn’t having migraines to compare. So, that’s what really helped.

I also love the medication tracking. But, really, the trigger finder is what helped the most.

2. What would you tell others?
Getting better can be hard. It’s hard to not be discouraged. Get help. Ask for help from friends and be sure to find a good doctor if you can. My neuro told me that the suicide rate is pretty high for people with chronic migraines. That’s shocking. But, also, I get it. Just keep trying to get help.

2. What did you do differently with this app that you weren’t doing before?
I was taking time to pay attention and try and solve the puzzle. I always was, but didn’t have the right structure. Or, expected my doc to somehow figure out what was causing my episodes. But, he doesn’t have a view into my daily life – before this. He recommended this app. And, he’s great. But, with this app I’m just getting better clarity on what’s causing the episodes. It’s a thousand times more effective than the years of tracking on paper and trying to figure out triggers that way.

3. Where has this app had the most impact on your life?
Going from chronic migraines to once or twice a month is a life changer. I had about 5 days of headache pain a week. Now, it’s not even once a week. I feel like I have my life back.

Susan shared her story with us in a user interview. We’ve changed her name to conceal her identity. 

As always, the information provided in our blog is for educational purposes only. No health blog is a substitute for professional medical advice.