We’ve all experienced the occasional headache, often blamed on stress, fatigue, or poor posture. But what happens when those headaches escalate into relentless, debilitating pain that disrupts your entire life?
This was the reality for Mr Alan Senejani, a 36-year-old whose mild headaches in 2018 transformed into excruciating daily migraines. These attacks left him bedridden, hypersensitive to light and sound, and plagued by severe nausea and vomiting. His turning point came only years later when doctors at Mount Elizabeth Hospital diagnosed him with status migrainosus, a rare and severe form of migraine that lasts over 72 hours.
According to Dr Zhao Yi Jing, consultant neurologist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, migraines like Alan’s are primary headaches—often triggered by lifestyle factors such as irregular sleep, stress, or even skipped meals. On the flip side, some headaches are secondary, caused by serious underlying health conditions. One such case involved Ms Kong Suet May, who described a thunderclap headache—the worst pain she had ever felt—which turned out to be a ruptured brain aneurysm, a life-threatening condition that required emergency brain surgery.
So, how can we tell the difference between a regular headache and something more sinister?
Experts advise paying attention to sudden, intense pain; headaches accompanied by confusion or vision changes; or those that worsen over time. Early medical intervention could be life-saving. Conditions like brain aneurysms, tumours, or infections often start with headache symptoms and require swift diagnosis and surgical treatment.
Treatment for primary headaches like migraines focuses on long-term management—both medical and lifestyle-based. For Alan, this meant intravenous therapy and significant changes to his daily habits: consistent sleep, regular meals, hydration, and avoiding known triggers like caffeine and alcohol. These adjustments brought him long-awaited relief and a return to normal family life.
Patients can undergo complex but life-saving procedures like craniotomy to repair ruptured blood vessels. Even after surgery, healing can come with lingering effects like vision loss or fatigue, but with proper care, recovery is possible.
Dr Zhao emphasises a holistic approach to headache management, encouraging sufferers to learn their personal triggers and make sustainable lifestyle changes. While many headaches can be self-managed with rest, hydration, and over-the-counter meds, it’s crucial to seek professional help when symptoms become severe or unusual.
Curious about what type of headache you might be experiencing? You can decode your headache with this interactive quiz:
Your head shouldn’t be a constant source of pain—help is out there, and it’s more accessible than you might think.
📌 Read more: Straits Times – Help for severe headaches and migraines: Mount Elizabeth Hospital
