Sinus headache or migraine and what to track

What to record

Get emergency help for a sudden, extremely painful headache or a headache with new weakness, speech difficulty or loss of vision. In the UK, call 999 or go to A&E. If headaches keep returning, arrange a GP or clinician appointment. NHS headache guidance

Source: NHS headache guidance

What to put on your headache note card

Use the printable headache note card to keep several entries together. Record what you noticed before the headache as well as during it. “Had a blocked nose since Sunday” is a different detail from “right nostril felt blocked an hour into the headache”. If you only remember noticing the symptoms together, write that. The times are useful even when they’re approximate.

• printable headache note card

How the clues can overlap

People sometimes expect a stuffy nose to point only to the sinuses. The American Migraine Foundation describes congestion, a runny nose and watery eyes as features that can accompany migraine. It also describes nausea and sensitivity to light or sound as useful details to report. The Mayo Clinic notes that sinus-related pain can accompany thick nasal discharge or a reduced sense of smell. These are observations to share with a clinician, especially when several appear together. American Migraine Foundation · Mayo Clinic

This person could tell a clinician: “The ache came first, the stuffiness started later, and the light bothered me enough that I stopped work.” If the next episode starts during a cold or leaves the nose blocked after the pain has gone, keep that example too. It gives the clinician a second sequence to compare. A diary can help you recall each episode and how it affected your day. NHS headache guidance

If your nose notes and headache notes usually live in different places, AirBloom is being built to keep the symptoms you choose to record in a dated history. It can give you one place to look for the day’s sequence before an appointment.

Sources: American Migraine Foundation; Mayo Clinic; NHS headache guidance

• AirBloom

Note which symptoms outlasted the pain

If the pain stopped on Tuesday but your nose stayed blocked until Friday, record both end dates. If you had three headaches during one week of congestion, give the headaches separate rows and use one line for the nasal symptoms that ran through the week. That keeps the longer stretch visible. It also gives your clinician a way to ask which symptoms usually travel together.

Use “last noticed” or “gone by” if you can’t pin down an end time. Keep the end time approximate when you only remember the next check.

Bring two examples and one question

Choose one typical episode and another that felt different. Add a count if you have one, such as “three episodes over the last month, two with a clear start time”. Tell the clinician if you only wrote down the worst days. A question to start with is “What parts of this pattern would help you decide what to check next?” For a related pattern, see facial pressure without a blocked nose.

• facial pressure without a blocked nose