Embracing Openness: A Journey Through Migraine Management
The Power of Sharing Personal Stories
Qasim Amin Nathari’s journey through chronic migraines is a testament to the power of openness and communication. In a society where invisible illnesses are often stigmatized, Nathari’s decision to share his struggles with his mosque congregation and beyond sheds light on the importance of breaking the silence surrounding health conditions.
Overcoming Challenges and Building Resilience
Living with severe migraines is no easy feat, but Nathari’s resilience shines through as he navigates the ups and downs of managing his condition. From experiencing hemiplegic migraines that mimic stroke symptoms to finding the courage to speak openly about his struggles, Nathari’s journey is a testament to the strength that lies within vulnerability.
Empowering Others Through Personal Narratives
By sharing his story, Nathari not only seeks to raise awareness about migraines but also to empower others in similar situations to speak up and seek support. His unique perspective as a black man in the Muslim community adds a layer of diversity to the migraine narrative, challenging stereotypes and promoting inclusivity within health conversations.
Practical Strategies for Migraine Management
While migraines may vary in intensity and frequency for each individual, Nathari’s approach to self-care offers valuable insights for those looking to manage their condition effectively. From setting boundaries around activities on migraine days to communicating openly with friends and family, Nathari’s strategies prioritize self-care and holistic well-being.
Conclusion
Qasim Amin Nathari’s journey through chronic migraines serves as a beacon of hope for those struggling with invisible illnesses. By embracing openness, sharing personal narratives, and advocating for self-care, Nathari encourages others to break the silence and seek support in their own health journeys. Through his unique perspective and unwavering resilience, Nathari paves the way for a more inclusive and compassionate approach to health and well-being.
Summary
Qasim Amin Nathari’s journey through chronic migraines illustrates the power of openness and communication in navigating health challenges. By sharing his story with his mosque congregation and beyond, Nathari empowers others to speak up about their own struggles and seek support. His practical strategies for migraine management offer valuable insights for those looking to prioritize self-care and holistic well-being in their health journeys.
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In the summer of 2005, Qasim Amin Nathari was giving the Jumuah (Friday prayers in the Muslim religion) sermon to about 200 members of a New Jersey congregation. He wasn’t nervous. He had no reason to be. He knew these people and they knew him. They were part of the same religious community. He was an experienced public speaker who had worked for decades in communications. And he had delivered this kind of sermon many times before, not only in this mosque, but in others as well.
However, when Nathari began his traditional introduction, one that repeated religious scriptures he knew by heart and had recited hundreds of times before, he drew a blank. His brain seemed to be caught in a strange loop. He kept going back to the beginning of a passage and starting over.
The congregation began to murmur. Something seemed out of place. Everything was fine? With the help of a friend in the audience, Nathari took a minute to collect herself. In those few moments, he realized what had happened.
Earlier that day, he had taken his usual dose of a new migraine medication. Nathari has severe, chronic migraines. “Chronic” means she has headaches at least 15 days a month. And “severe” means that the pain is intense, even by migraine standards.
This anti-seizure medication was the latest in a series of medications prescribed by various doctors in Nathari’s long journey to manage his condition. Many people gave the drug rave reviews for decreasing the number of migraine episodes, but it was also known to impair brain function.
Nathari realized that this might have been what had caused her memory loss in front of so many people. Once she gathered her thoughts, she knew exactly what to do.
“It’s okay,” he told the congregation. “I need to explain to you what’s going on here.” Many in his community already knew about Nathari’s condition, but he did not often speak about it in a public forum.
He didn’t leave anything out. That Friday night she told them about the debilitating pain caused by migraines, the series of medications she had taken, and the side effects, including that of the new drug.
It was an approach I had learned a few years earlier. That’s when the migraines Nathari first suffered when he was a child began to take over his life.
One night in the summer of 2003, Nathari spent a painful and frightening night with a “hemiplegic” migraine, which can reflect the symptoms of a stroke. The numbness and pain started in her foot and spread to the left side of her body.
The only reason she didn’t go to the ER right away (it was the next morning) was because she didn’t want to leave her kids home alone. But the next time she Nathari did not want to take any risks. She then spoke to her son, who was in high school at the time. They discussed how his illness could affect their lives and together they came up with a backup plan for the next emergency.
“Instead of being scared and confused about why his father was in the emergency room, he felt informed and empowered to help me (and the rest of the family) handle anything that might arise from this illness,” says Nathari.
That gave Nathari the confidence to use the same approach with his circle of friends and family and, eventually, with his mosque congregation.
His openness about his condition brought understanding and compassion from many of the important people in his life. Why should her religious community be any different?
He was right. The community embraced and supported him for speaking out. For months after his talk, people approached Nathari about that moment at the mosque. They told him how much they admired his honesty and bravery in speaking about his condition. To this day, people tell him stories of their own migraine experiences and those of his family members, and even ask him for advice.
“I try not to leave it [the condition] “They dominate my life,” he tells them. For Nathari, that means implementing plans that increase your productivity and reduce problems.
For example, on his “good days,” when he doesn’t have a migraine or any warning signs that it’s on the way, he works non-stop. “I can do 2 days of work in one day.”
But if you have a migraine or feel one coming on, you have some rules about what you will and won’t do. And she makes sure people know about them. A simple rule concerns driving: on migraine days, you don’t.
“My migraine can go from 0 to 100 in a matter of a minute,” he says. In the car, that means you may have to stop immediately. He doesn’t want to put himself or others at risk. And he doesn’t want the complication of having to explain.
“It’s going to be difficult for me to explain to a police officer that I’m not drunk or otherwise impaired, and as a black man alone in a car, I just don’t want to be in that position with law enforcement. ” he says.
Nathari is careful to tell people that migraines are as varied as the people who suffer from them. There is no single strategy that works for everyone. Each person needs to work with their medical team, friends and family to determine what is best for them.
Still, Nathari has realized the power of telling her own story. He gives others the courage to be open about their condition and ask for what they need, he says. That’s why he uses his communication skills to talk about migraines in public forums.
In the migraine community, where advocates tend to be white, middle class, and female, Nathari believes he has something unique to offer: “I’m a black man speaking about migraines in the Muslim community. I’m basically a unicorn! “
But it does not speak only in the Muslim community. He now resides in Jacksonville, FL, and speaks at conferences, churches and mosques. She recently gave an interview to the Global Healthy Living Foundation’s Talking Head Pain podcast.
Nathari aims to educate people about what they can do to manage migraine in their lives, especially people from communities that are not always associated with this condition. She likes to tell people, “Black men get migraines too!” But, she says, this is true in other minority communities as well.
It goes back to a basic principle for managing the effects of migraines on yourself and those closest to you: communication.
“You have to talk to people. Migraines are an invisible illness,” she says. “Unless you tell people this, there’s no way for them to know what you’re going through.”
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