Migraines or sinus trouble? How do I tell the difference?

[ManicUnicorn]

For years Ive been suffering with what I assumed was sinus problems. Pain around my eyes, in my temples, throbbing and pulsating but always worse on one side, usually my right side. Ive got by with painkillers, but it's getting a lot worse lately and is now accompanied by nausea and vision problems, like the outside of my right eye is blurry as though Ive been crying, and sometimes it actually does water. Sometimes the pain is so bad I feel like I'm being stabbed in my eye.

I had a really bad flare up not long again after eating a block of cheese to myself ( I know) and that left me feeling drained for days. Also, the pain has been waking me at night lately as well.

I'd assumed it was sinus related, it was only when my DM suggested she thought it sounded more like a migraine that I googled and yes, some of this matches up. However although painful, I can still function, well sort of with painkillers, and from having friends and family who suffer from migraines they are debilitated and unable to actually do anything. Painkillers don't really touch it.

How do I tell the difference.

I can function with a migraine if i've taken enough painkillers and early enough, so being debilitated and completely out of action isn't necessarily a big sign.
When I say function, I mean I don't have to curl up in bed I can do things, just don't ask me to do any deep thinking. Most of the time I won't get a complete sentence out.

For me, I get an aura (fuzzy lights in my eyes) and then my head feels like it explodes (i can't do anything during the exploding stage - but thats only 30 minutes to an hour) and eventually settles into a deep throbbing pain in the front left of my head that usually lasts for a couple of days.

It gets worse if i move my head too quickly, or in bright light.

Does it really matter how you categorize it? As long as you know how to treat your head pain? And can identify the triggers... mine is hormonal for example.

For me sinus pain usually feels more like in my cheek area under my eyes, my cheek bones, and if it's really bad a feeling of pressure in my jaw/upper teeth. I usually get bad post nasal drip with sinus issues too. Conventional wisdom says you know it's sinus related if the pain gets worse when you bend over or bend forward though mine rarely does. Yours sounds more migraine like to me.

Yes, I would say that I struggle to think as well. I already know some of the triggers for my head pain, dairy especially cheese, poor sleep and too much alcohol being the main ones.

You need to get checked out, to define what the pain actually is. There are specific painkillers for each condition - it isn't helpful to just load up on general painkillers and hope for the best.

Just a guess, but the cheese binge makes me think you've probably got migraine since food does sometimes cause a migraine event.

Either way, get it checked before you self treat . And don't compare yourself to others - some people are completely destroyed by a migraine and some are not. The fact that you can still function doesn't mean it isn't a migraine.

Forgot to say if it's sinuses you'd probably feel stuffed up in your face, if that makes sense, even if your nose isn't blocked.

I get all. Those symptoms with migraine and I also get a blocked nose. Go to your GP and get checked out.

Right now it feels as though Ive got a lot of pressure in my head.

Everyone's experience of migraine is different. I find I need to do things to be distracted to cope with the pain. Go and see your GP. Triptans are fantastic for migraine and you may be prescribed one for them. I found sumatriptan life changing.

My GP used to firmly tap my forehead. If it hurt - sinuses.

He did give the test a name - it had the word "percussive" in it .