Those of Us with Migraine - What Are We?

What is a Migraine?  I don't mean what causes it.  I mean what type of thing is it?  And by the way, what should we call someone with Migraine?  And what should we not call that person?  Recently I've been thinking about what we call things.

Is Migraine an illness, a condition, a disease, or a disorder? All of these are true.  But which is the best one to use?  Or is there a better term for it?  At one end of the spectrum someone with a few mild Migraines a year takes an Excedrin and never misses any part of their life.  At the other end of the spectrum the Migraine is severe, disabling and progresses to daily headache.  It is associated with neck pain, whole body hypersensitivity to touch, memory problems, severe light and sound sensitivity, ending up with a person spending ½ their waking life in bed, unable to work, or even cook or straighten up their house.  For the first person, calling Migraine a disease seems like overkill.  For the second, a very bad, progressive disease is a fair assessment. 

So how do we use language properly and do right by both people?  These are, in fact, both Migraine, like a mud patty and Mount Everest are both mounds of earth.  What term best communicates the truth?

And who is the language for?  The best term to explain what you have to your close friend may differ from how your boss should see you, or your life insurance company. What is the best terminology for the person with Migraine may not serve the purposes of the doctor who has to bill for her time, or the human resources person at a large corporation, or the epidemiologist figuring out why people miss work.

Is it right to call a person with Migraine a Migraineur?  Doesn't this threaten to make the person the illness, reducing individuality and overly encompassing the person?  "Migraine sufferer" seems out of date. "Migraine victim" is too emasculating.  "Person with Migraine" seems too PC, verbose, and a bit wimpy.

I don't know.  I hope this brain teaser doesn't trigger a Migraine.

Dr. Bill Young