Migraine

What it is, in plain words

Migraine is much more than a headache. An attack can bring throbbing pain, often on one side, along with feeling sick, and a strong dislike of light, sound, or smells. Some people get warning signs first, like flashing lights, blind spots, or tingling — this is called aura. Between attacks, many people feel drained or "washed out."

Migraine is common and very real. It can knock out a whole day and make planning hard, which is exhausting. Your experience deserves to be taken seriously.

The kinds of experiences people track

Keeping a light record can help you and your clinician see patterns. People often note:

• When an attack started, how long it lasted, and how bad it was.
• Warning signs or aura beforehand.
• Possible triggers — poor sleep, stress, missed meals, hormones, weather.
• What helped, and how quickly.
• How migraine affected work, family, or plans.
• Mood and worry, which often rise and fall with attacks.

How Lantern helps

Lantern is a calm space to jot down attacks and the days around them in your own words, so you are not trying to remember weeks of ups and downs in a short appointment. Over time your notes build into a clearer story.

Your clinician may use their own questionnaires to understand how migraine affects you — for example, disability and impact measures such as MIDAS (Migraine Disability Assessment) or HIT-6 (Headache Impact Test). Lantern lets you note the names of the tools your clinician uses so you can talk about the same things. Lantern does not fill these in, score them, or predict your attacks — that is your clinician's role. Lantern simply helps you bring a clearer account to that conversation.

A gentle note

Lantern is a companion, not a doctor. It does not diagnose migraine, predict attacks, or tell you what your symptoms mean. If your headaches are new, changing, or unusually severe, please speak to your GP. Seek urgent help or call 999 for the worst headache of your life, a very sudden "thunderclap" headache, or a headache with weakness, confusion, a stiff neck, or fever.