Deanna Ruda takes being a stay-at-home mom to a new level, which is not always easy for someone who has suffered from chronic migraine headaches most of her life.

The 46-year-old Assemblies of God missionary and mom to 10-year-old Derek and 5-year-old Kelly home-schools her children in their west-Springfield home.

Until she was able to control her headaches with help from St. John’s Headache Management Services, which is part of St. John’s Pain Management Center, Ruda wasn’t always able to play and interact with Derek and Kelly as much as she wanted to.

“When I had a headache, about all I could do some days was lay in a dark, quiet room with a washcloth over my face,” Ruda says. “I’d also be nauseated and would throw up. I got so tired of telling my kids, ‘no, I can’t go outside and play or go for a walk right now because I have a
headache.’ If my head hurt that day, they would just have to play by themselves or watch movies.”

Before she visited the headache program, Ruda estimates she had 12-14 headaches every month, some lasting hours or even days.

“I’ve come a long way. Now, I might have two to three headaches a month, and they don’t last nearly as long,” she says.

"I would definitely encourage others to get help with their headaches. I can live with a lot of things, but I can’t live with something that prevents me from being a good mom to my kids."                                           - Deanna Ruda

Ruda visits the headache program, which is located on the lower level of St. John’s Sports Medicine building, about twice a month. The program has been in place for about two years and all of the physicians, nurse practitioners and nurses there are trained in pain management, says Phyllis Shockley, RN, BSN, nurse coordinator for the program.

Neurologist Michael Luzecky, M.D., is the medical director of St. John’s Headache Management Services, which requires a physician referral.
The program refers headache patients for physical therapy, health psychology, integrative health- services and any other health care services the headache management team feels would help the patient.

“I see the nurse practitioner and he asks how I’m doing with my headaches and about my water consumption and my diet. He also tries to make sure I’m relaxing enough. While we don’t know exactly what triggers my headaches, we do know that I get them when I’m not taking the time to take care of myself,” Ruda says.

She adds that before she visited the headache program, she was treating her headaches with inappropriate medication, which would then trigger rebound headaches.

“All headache sufferers are different, so we find the right treatment combination for them,” Shockley says. “We focus on self-management, including staying properly hydrated and avoiding caffeine, tobacco and stress. We do a lot of lifestyle education.”

During the patient’s first visit to the headache program, a nurse practitioner recommends a headache-prevention plan for the patient. Preventive medication for headaches may include medicines traditionally used to treat cardiac problems, seizures or even depression, Shockley says. To get rid of a migraine, the headache program prescribes one of seven migraine medications called triptans, which constrict the blood vessels in the brain and increase serotonin.

Ruda uses a triptan called Imitrex, which comes in the form of tablets and a nasal spray.
“The nurse practitioner also taught me about using pressure points, massage and relaxation techniques. All of those things have helped me, in addition to the medication,” Ruda says.