Harry and the “cheese” headache

The cheese was lovely – Mum said he might not like it. She said many people didn’t and when he was told the blue bits in it were mouldy, he wasn’t sure at first either. It was lovely and he ate loads - apparently it was called Stilton. Later that day he felt odd – he had a sort of flashing light in his eyes and then, when he looked at his sister, she was sort of only half there. There were times when he wished she was wholly not there, but this wasn’t one of them and it was becoming a bit scary.

“Mum,” said Harry, “my eyes are going a bit funny”. He told her about his “half-sister” and the flashes. “It sounds like you’re having a migraine,” she replied. “It’s a sort of headache that will pass off I think but it’s better if you take some ibuprofen and perhaps lie in your bedroom with the curtains drawn”. This all seemed a bit over-the-top to Harry, particularly as it was all seeming to get better. But then the headache started. It throbbed all over the lefthand side of his head and he felt sick – lying down felt about right, now. He fell asleep and woke up a few hours later. He opened his eyes – his whole Mum was there which was a good start and no headache: even better. He just felt a bit tired and had a quiet evening on his games console.

“So why did that happen?” Harry asked the next morning. “Well,” started Mum, “all that cheese you ate might have something to do with it and,” she continued “there is a bit of migraine in the family too”. “So, it could happen again,” he said with some anxiety in his voice.

“Well, yes but it wasn’t too bad was it and they are rarely very frequent so it might not happen again for ages, or even ever again, but we

Dr Paul Middleton

might just watch the amount of Stilton you eat next time”.

Harry looked up migraine on the internet. He half expected the Greeks and Romans might be to blame for the name, they usually were, but this time it apparently came via the French. It meant half head pain which sort of made sense. Up to one in every five people could have it – it was rarer in boys which seemed a bit unfair. There was usually a genetic element and he wondered if he should have chosen his parents a bit more carefully! Worry, certain foods (his Stilton included) and hormones (apparently more important in his sister) and loads of other things like dehydration, sleeping badly and even excitement could make it happen! And no-one seemed to know what it really was. The good news was that it was rarely too bad although some poor people did get loads of attacks and it could even stop them being able to talk or even move. “That would be really scary,” thought Harry.

“It’s nice to see all of you,” he said to his sister. She gave him a look of contempt. Harry explained. “I’ve had two of those as well,” she continued, “there’s loads of different treatments you can have if it gets bad but mine sound pretty much like yours and the doctor says they’re not generally dangerous”. “You had to see a doctor?” asked Harry. Strangely she went all red. “Well,” she hesitated, “I needed to see her about something, and the migraine meant I couldn’t take a pill like my friends”. Harry was still confused but somehow it felt best to leave it there.

Later looking at his phone he found the Migraine Trust and lots more information. Someone even suggested people with migraine were cleverer. He would choose to believe it!