Migraine

I agree. My Dd has been diagnosed by a consultant neurologist as suffering with chronic migraine. At the appointment my dd disagreed with the doctor, saying she didn't think it was migraines, and when she was asked to describe her symptoms again the Dr said yes, it was - but that a migraine wasn't always how people commonly thought of them. I can't remember the definition now, but it did surprise me.

3 days laying down in a blacked out room is the only thing that helps. Any attempt to power through or get rid using painkillers just results in it being worse and progressing to vomiting. :-( Generally brought on through stress/tiredness/not enough sleep, but sometimes out of the blue.

Happened to mention to optician that I sometimes get almost snowfall type pixellation in one or both eyes and he nodded wisely and said, "aah, optical migraine, no headache but visual disturbance." So that was a new one, as couldn't convince GP I had migraines as no aura/visual issues at time of "headaches" and was not aware you could have visual migraines with no head pain!

See I get what I would call migranes semi frequently. I can feel them coming on as my eyes are very sensitive and the front of my head pain is very tight, but I can function albeit uncomfortably for a couple of hours from that point, and if I'm quick with medication head it off entirely.

If I don't take medication in those first few hours and let it progress I feel very nauseous and it gets quite unbearable, I need to be in a dark room. But 50% of the time even after its made me feel sick- the next day I'm fine.

I think it is possible to have milder versions of a migrane? Both my parents suffered with them so I do think I'm genetically predisposed to them, although I don't get the dancing lights effects my mum does.

I suffered from migraines in my teens and on and off up to my mid to late 30s when they sort of tailed off (I do get the odd one now). My worst ones were when I took the BCP in my early 20s and I had to try about 3 BCP before they got better. I did have a tablet to take but even then if I took it, it still was bad.

I’m lucky that people who know me like DM know exactly what they are. I recall once I was at DM’s house for Christmas, went out the evening before Christmas Eve and came back as my DM said looking like I’d been punched between the eyes! For people who’ve never had a migraine and try to sympathise with their headache stories I don’t bother though I do sometimes say “imagine a sledgehammer being pounded into one side of your head repeatedly, you may feel nauseous, dark room and sleep (and painkillers) are the only thing that helps. The next day you feel totally wiped out”.

i am over weight yes.. and ive been diagnosed chronic migraine for many many years but this is a new symptom i've been suffering for about 2 months now. and it just all makes sense and now i know i am not going mad! They have started me on Topiramate, and i am not currently working, they tested for MS and stroke both thankfully negative. I just feel such relief to have read you reply.. thank you

@susanu67 when I had my first one I was very overweight so a strike was assumed straight away. I had to have scans and a needle in my spine.

When I saw a neurologist he said it was typical hemiplegic migraine. There are lots of medications I can't take for it but there is lots of research going on and it is classed as a chronic form.

oh my goodness... i have just googled hemiplegic migraines! and this is me! for 10 years! I've just come out of hospital with suspected stroke.. there is no explaination for the right side of my face being numb or losing sight in my right eye... i've just read up on this and i am nearly 99% certain i now have an answer. I've always been diagnosed with Chronic Migraine.. but this just makes so much more sense thank you

i am currently suffering a migraine attack.. its been going on for 2 months, i've just come out of hospital! i cannot stand up without falling over, i have a head ache, i have pain in my right eye and my right side of my face is numb and i cannot see properly and my tinitus is at level 10! i do not know how long this will last, I've started a course of medication, the last episode like this lasted 6 months.. but i am able to laugh at my condition! there is no 'one size fits all' migraine i'm afraid. To some people, a strong headache IS a migraine to them and who are we to say our pain is worse than theirs? We all know, it probably isn't a proper migraine, but then what is a proper migraine?

Absolutely understand where you are coming from. However, my migraines and symptoms are not all the same and have definitely changed over the years.

I've suffered from migraines on and off since my mid teens. In my forties they've got much worse. Not just one blinding headache and vomiting that lasts for day instead they've progressed to three completely debilitating days. Once I vomited 26 times in an afternoon. Weirdly it's almost like I have a headache in my scalp neck and shoulders too. Odd! Have seen a neurologist who did give me some good advice and a medication pathway.

Triptans, beta blockers, magnesium, amitriptyline, anti-emetics and HRT somewhat keep the attacks at bay but I have to be careful not to get too tired as that often provokes an attack. Trying to overhaul my diet too.

Teaching in a secondary school you can imagine my fear when a migraine comes on. Luckily I've got brilliant colleagues who tell me they can literally see in my eyes that I've got a migraine. I look like I'm 'not there'. Students are usually kind too - I've been on the floor on one occasion. I can usually just about get home. But with these recent manifestations of migraines I can listen to a podcast or something in bed - otherwise it's 3 days of boredom...

Wishing all migraine sufferers a pain free weekend!

YANBU

However we do need to be mindful that people experience migraines differently.

I get migraines sometimes, not the typical presentation of them, but I've been subject to "the migraine police" (not saying this is you OP!) who love to say "oh you can't possibly have a migraine because you aren't experiencing xyz" and tell me I have "no idea what a real migraine is like" and "that's definitely not a migraine, you couldn't do xyz if it was".

I definitely think people use the terms headache and migraine interchangeably though which makes light of people's suffering.

When I was getting migraines regularly, taking "a tablet" was futile, as I would just vomit them back up again. I had to have anti-emetic suppositories prescribed, and use one of them in order to be able to take a tablet once it had taken effect.

One of the joys of being post-menopausal is that the frequency of my migraines is a tiny fraction of what it used to be.

Non-sufferers who dismiss them as "just a bad headache" really have no idea.

I had one yesterday. There was no laughing and joking...not even close until 12 hours later when I started to come to life.

I get them badly.
Disturbed vision, pins and needles, nausea and vomiting, severe headache. Can last for hours. Then a sore spot on the back of my head for a few days after. Definitely not just a headache.

No one with a genuine migraine sits laughing and joking. I suspect they do that when they feel well.

Thank you for this thread.

This describes perfectly how, what I assume is migraine, manifests now I’m menopausal: ”numbness and disassociation” They were much more classic, with headaches, when I was younger.

I tried to talk to my boss one day when I had one. It didn’t really work. She willingly let me go home though, which was good.

I was suffering really badly with migraine with aura, I don’t get a headache but had bad visual disturbance, severe pain in my hand, feel sick, I was having 4 a day, mentioned it to my Neurologist, thinking it was due to my MS, he said it was unrelated to my MS but due to hormone fluctuations, I am going through the menopause. Saw GP, put on estrogen patches, as I already have Mirena coil, touching wood not had one since.

I agree! I doubt many people feel like they are going to die the headache is so bad. Migraine is a whole other ball game. It’s like people who are nervous and they call it anxiety.

they think we can just take a tablet and feel better, yeah right. If the tablet works the side effects are terrible and trying to explain to people you feel like you’ve been on high spin in a washing machine doesn’t quite work.

Yanbu, sometimes I get full blown migraines, sometimes I get the light sensitivity and brain fog but not so severe. If I can work through it I'll always say I've got a migraine like headache to differentiate.

I get migraine without headache - so if I say I have a migraine I don’t actually have a headache. It takes me a while to recover though, I generally feel wiped out for the rest of the day and need to sleep.

I understand why you are annoyed though, I have friends who suffer with classical migraine and it is very debilitating. Tbh if I ever have to explain my migraines to anyone (for example if I get one at work) I always say it is without headache as I don’t want people feeling sympathy when my symptoms are actually weird and annoying rather than excruciating (aura with visual disturbance, numbness and disassociation)

I have hemiplegic migraines and mostly have little pain with them. I get the aura and then numbness down one side. I also confuse my words. When I catch it quickly with pain killers I can keep going. As a primary school teacher that does involve laughing and joking etc but believe me they are definitely migraines.

YANBU OP
I get migraines couple times a week. They last 6hrs to 11hrs of lying in a dark room trying not to move so I don’t vomit. Then there’s the 2hrs of ramp up, and as you say a full day afterwards in recovery that requires lots of sleep. You know they’re bad when one can come on at 1am and wake you up from a nice deep sleep with the pain!

Unfortunately I can’t take beta blockers or triptans, so no way to reduce these. Botox also isn’t for my type of migraine either.

But yes I admit I am skeptical of people saying they drive with a migraine, or binged Netflix with a migraine because when you have one you can barely function.

Are people with migraine not allowed to laugh and joke?