Everyone gets a headache now and then. For most of us, they mean little more than taking aspirin and waiting for the annoyance to go away. But for an unfortunate few, that’s not what happens.
These are people who suffer from regular headaches which often are so strong that they can’t work while they’re dealing with them. Bright lights, loud sounds, and other triggers can set off a wave of extreme, debilitating pain. But even with these kinds of symptoms, many people struggling with severe headaches simply soldier on because our society says that headaches aren’t a big deal.
If this sounds like what you’re going through, don’t ignore it – talk to a doctor to figure out what’s going on. And if you really can’t work because of what you’re going through, talk to an experienced long term disability attorney to see if you qualify for benefits.
Treatment for Severe Headaches
Just like chronic pain, severe headaches aren’t associated with any one specific disability. This makes it harder to get disability benefits if headaches are the main symptom you can point to, but there are ways that you can help your cause.
The most important thing to do is work with your doctor to try to figure out what’s causing them. You may end up needing to take a CT scan, see a neurologist, or even look into potential environmental factors to discover the cause.
When working with your doctor, you should be as specific as possible about the issues you experience with your headaches. What does the pain feel like? Where is it located? Do you feel nauseous or vomit when you get a headache? Are you sensitive to noises or light?
Depending on your specific situation, your treatment may involve a variety of things. Some doctors end up recommending prescription medications. Others seek out trigger sources to remove. And still others may opt for injections. There are even patients who end up requiring treatment from emergency facilities.
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Severe Headaches and Disability Benefits
Whatever you do to seek help, make sure that you maintain a record. All of those visits to your doctor and the emergency room will go a long way towards proving you need help if you decide to apply for medical disability benefits. You should even keep your own records by writing a headache diary that details the frequency, severity, and duration of your headaches. This diary can be written out by hand, typed, or even logged into one of a variety of apps that have been popping up in recent years. The important thing isn’t how you do it, but that you do it.
Make sure that your doctor sees this diary frequently so that the information is entered into official records. The more “proof” you have and the more detailed you are, the easier it will be for you to explain why your headaches keep you from doing your job, and the less likely it is that you will have a claim denied.
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