Poor Monica!

For the First Time Ever, Monica Seles Talks About Her
Biggest Opponent
Feb 24 2004
"I suffered for several years with what I thought were
just stress or tension headaches. There were times
when I had to miss practices - and even pull out of a
couple of tournaments - because the pain and
sensitivity to sunlight were unbearable," said Monica
Seles.
"There were people who couldn't understand how a
headache could be so disabling and thought I just
didn't
want to play tennis that day."
For the first time, Monica Seles, one of the world's
most accomplished women's tennis players, is sharing
her story about her toughest opponent, Migraine
disease, as part of a nationwide educational
initiative. The campaign called Acing Migraine Pain,
sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, is designed to help
raise awareness of the condition and encourage those
who may be suffering from frequent severe headaches to
seek diagnosis for what could actually be Migraines,
an often debilitating condition.
I spoke with Monica this morning and asked her how
Migraine affected her life. She began having Migraines
in the early 90's, but wasn't properly diagnosed until
1997. Monica said Migraine affected her entire life,
personal and professional. It made tennis very hard
because it affects her balance in addition to the
pounding headache and extreme light sensitivity. In
her personal life, she missed events such as a very
close friend's birthday party, and people who don't
have Migraine don't always understand. Her advice? "Go
see your doctor. Get the medicine you need. You're
going to have a new life. You can't give up. There's
help out there."
Unfortunately, what Monica describes is all too
common. Although more than 32 million Americans suffer
from Migraine disease, under-diagnosis and
misdiagnosis an d a lack of understanding of Migraine
remain problematic. IIt's estimated that as many as 14
million people who have Migraines have never been
diagnosed by a physician.
"Too often, people with Migraines mistake their pain
for stress or tension headaches or sinus pressure,"
said Dr. Jan Lewis Brandes, Department of Neurology at
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "Because
Migraine can present itself in various ways, receiving
an accurate diagnosis from a healthcare professional
and getting appropriate treatment is critical. The
good news is, if you're diagnosed with Migraines,
there is a class of Migraine-specific medications
called triptans, like Imitrex (sumatriptan succinate)
that a physician can prescribe, which can offer
patients very positive results.
"When I was finally diagnosed with Migraines, the
doctor prescribed Imitrex. Now, I take my medicine
when I feel a Migraine coming on and I get the relief
I need," added Seles.
Monica Seles: Acing Migraine Pain
Monica will be making appearances throughout 2004 to
share her personal story and to motivate others to
'ace Migraine pain'. "I hope by talking about my
struggle with this condition, other people suffering
from frequent bad headaches will recognize their
symptoms as part of a real medical condition and see a
doctor to get the proper diagnosis and treatment,"
said Seles.
About The Sponsor
"Monica Seles: Acing Migraine Pain" is sponsored by
GlaxoSmithKline. one of the world's leading
research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare
companies. The company is committed to improving the
quality of human life by enabling people to do more,
feel better and live longer.

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