Know Your Neighbor: Lisa Jacobson, Founder, TheDailyMigraine.com, Chappaqua
The hat that Lisa Jacobson wears year-round is an attractive accessory, but when she places it on her head it’s not about making a fashion statement.
Instead, the headgear is a crucial item in Jacobson’s migraine emergency kit that she takes everywhere she goes. The Migraine Hat she designed with the help of a neighbor and has since trademarked contains an inside pocket that is able to accommodate a thin ice pack, and wraps around her head whenever she feels one of the excruciating headaches brewing.
For nearly three decades, Jacobson has suffered from and has strived to manage severe recurring migraines, a condition that inexplicably appeared shortly after she underwent routine neck surgery to repair a disc in her back when she was 29 years old.
While doctors have never made a connection between the headaches and the surgery, Jacobson is convinced there is a correlation. Prior to the surgery, Jacobson said she never had a migraine.
Regardless, for half of her life she has been one of the roughly 37 million Americans who are plagued by the searing pain of migraines – or consumed by the stress and anxiety of how to prevent them and the uncertainly of when and where the next one will strike.
“Every second, 24/7, is dealing with your migraines, even when you don’t have them,” said Jacobson, a 20-year Chappaqua resident. “So, should I have caffeine, or shouldn’t I have caffeine? It’s the lights, the heat, the sound. I can’t go out when it’s over 75 degrees and have any sun whatsoever.”
In 2014, Jacobson created www.TheDailyMigraine.com, a website she established to share the latest information about migraines with fellow sufferers. Jacobson has also formed a support group through the site as well as a Facebook Live group where participants have discussions and help each other by trading ideas on how to cope with their affliction. Since founding the site, Jacobson is approaching 300,000 followers around the world.
She emphasized that it’s critical for those prone to migraines to understand their personal triggers and how to best handle them when they happen. For Jacobson that is to avoid heat, glare and certain types of food. She always carries her emergency kit, which includes her hat, sunglasses, earplugs and medications. She wears sleeveless blouses most of the year to prevent becoming too warm if indoor heat is high.
Jacobson also urges migraine sufferers to have a signed letter from their doctor in their kit so if they ever need to visit emergency room, the attending physicians will understand they are not seeking opioids.
“The idea is to make it preventative so you only get a couple a month,” Jacobson said. “There’s no cure. You manage it.”
There are medications that abort migraines such as Triptan, but can only be used a couple of times a week.
Through her website, Jacobson has become a sort of liaison between those suffering and the small number of medical professionals who are experts in migraines. It is such an unattractive specialty for doctors that there are little more than 500 physicians in the U.S. who study and treat migraines, she said.
“In the entire field, there’s this stigma that it’s just a headache,” Jacobson said. “No doctors go into it. They don’t take it seriously. There’s no money in it, there’s no research. There’s $15 million a year in it from the (National Institute of Health). It is the least funded of any disease on the planet and the sixth most disabling, and they spend 30 cents a patient on research.”
Not only do migraine sufferers have to endure the agony, but they deal with the scorn of bosses, co-workers or even some friends and relatives, who can’t comprehend the severity of the pain and question whether they are slackers.
For men, who have chronic migraines far less frequently than women, it’s worse because they are seen as weak with low pain thresholds.
Jacobson said she has been fortunate because as the longtime owner of a SAT prep and tutoring business, she has a more flexible schedule than most people. Plus, she credits her husband and two children, who are now in college, with being incredibly passionate, even though she worried when her kids were young that she was harming them.
Her goal is to increase awareness and help raise money for research. Jacobson would love to create the migraine equivalent of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, but will happily settle for making people feel better through her website, where she also sells The Migraine Hat.
“I feel really proud because I created something,” Jacobson said.” It’s the entrepreneur in me.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
