Table 3.

Physical Functioning Concepts

Concept	# Interviews Coded	Definition	Example Quotes
Ambulation	57	Ability to move one’s body around, such as, walk, move head or limbs, make changes in posture, or to sit up or stand for a prolonged period of time	But it hurts to walk. It hurts to move your arms around. It hurts to do anything. I can’t walk because I’m dizzy and I can’t walk around because I’ll throw up because too much motion on my stomach will make me throw up. There’s no bending down to grab anything or too much turning because I just have to kind of keep my head very still.
Mobility and transportation	57	Ability to move around in the community or to travel, such as by car (as a driver or a passenger), public transportation, or airplane	I’m no longer allowed to drive, because [attacks] hit fast and furious. Because public transportation is really bad. Like, I’ve been stuck on public transportation in a bad attack, and that’s the worst experience. I used to love to travel, but again, the whole being overstimulated, at the airport, running through the airport, going through security, being around all those people. Those are all things that kind of made it difficult for me.
Ability to exercise	40	Ability to engage in physical exercise	I don’t do too much exercise because, if I do too strenuous exercise, then that creates a migraine. I like to be active, work out, play sports, and the migraine definitely—sometimes I have to sit it out. Sometimes I’ll go and try, because sometimes the adrenaline from exercise makes you feel better…sometimes it makes you feel worse.
Household chores	39	Ability to carry out activities such as cleaning, laundry, gardening, taking out trash, or minor repairs	Even if that was the day that the trash needed to be taken out to get taken that week, it wouldn’t happen. I’ll push off just regular tasks like laundry or the dishes or organizing something. It’s a lot harder to get those things done, and I would prefer not to do them while I have a headache.
Ability to prepare meals and eat	22 (Study 2 only)	Ability to prepare food (for oneself or others) and to eat, including having to avoid food triggers	If I can’t cook, I have a bunch of microwavable food all the time that I can make if I’m not feeling well. I am very careful about what I eat. I don’t eat chocolate or cheese or no wine - really no alcohol - and no processed meats. I mean, the list just goes on…I stick to the migraine diet.
Health maintenance	21 (Study 2 only)	Ability to keep medical appointments, work towards health goals, or choose and use migraine treatments	Sometimes I actually have to cancel medical appointments because I have terrible migraine. I mean, even taking my medicine - like, sometimes I don’t even want to go down and take my medicine, because I have to face the light, so I’ll just lay there in pain.
Basic self-care	15 (Study 2 only)	Ability to carry out basic self-care activities such as bathing, grooming, or dressing	The shower is scary. It is not a happy place. The water that comes down on my scalp is painful…And then the noise of the water and the echoing of the bathroom in the shower, just all of that is just not a happy place. I have like an afro hair and I was just doing wash-and-go’s for my natural hair, but I switched to locking my hair…And then I also started buying a lot of hats, so I just don’t have to put as much effort into styling it.
Shopping and running errands	13 (Study 2 only)	Ability to go shopping in a store or run errands, such as going to the post office	I’ve had to order groceries and have them delivered, which is very expensive, because I’d have three migraine days in a row and I just know that even if I don’t have one that day, it’s too much for me to grocery shopping physically.
Sleep impacts	12 (Study 2 only)	Migraine impacts on sleep, such as awakening with pain, being unable to sleep, or sleeping more than usual	They [migraine attacks] make me want to sleep more. The pain will wake me up at like two or three, and then continue to wake me up throughout the rest of the night. So, that has been probably one of the worst parts.
Ability to use communications and information systems	10 (Study 2 only)	Ability to use telephones, smartphones, tablets computers, or other information systems, at work, at home, or in the community	Too much time on the computer triggers a migraine, so I have to be really careful of that…And sometimes I can type where I can’t talk, I find. Like, I can text a message, even though it hurts my eyes to be reading.
Fine motor control	8 (Study 2 only)	Ability to execute movements like picking up small objects or opening medicine bottles	You know, they don’t make those [medication] containers easy to open when you have a headache…I’ve got a pet peeve about that. Whoever designed the packaging so you can’t get into it when you can’t function has got to get their act [together].
Lifting and carrying	7 (Study 2 only)	Ability to lift and carry a weight, such as a heavy box or laundry bin	I can’t lift as much weight during a migraine. I have to be much more careful.