Any fellow Migraine sufferers? I really need a hand hold

[CallingFromLondon]

This last week has been horrendous. About a week ago, I suffered some really horrific migraine symptoms - Slurred speech, numb left arm, confusion, and inability to comprehend a basic sentence. It's like I couldn't put together the words of something and process what they mean. And along with it, a blindingly painful headache and nausea.

This happened again 48 hours ago. Since then, I've just had a constant banging headache. My head feels heavy and I feel like I can't lift it without a lot of effort. The headache is making me feel sick.

I spoke to my GP about the worrying symptoms as it can be a sign of something called TIA (mini strokes). But he highly doubts it given my age and the fact the confusion is ongoing.

I'm so fed up, I just want to ball my eyes out but it would hurt my head too much. I have a very active toddler to attend to amongst it all, and I feel like I'm sinking and can't cope.

I'm really snappy and short tempered. I'm never like that, ever. I'm extremely easy going.

Has anyone been through similar?

My migraines have always been really nasty but the symptoms were previously only partial sight loss and sensitively to noise and light.

Hi there... can I ask how old you are? I started getting migraines like this when I was about 28. They were irregular. When I was pregnant they increased in frequency and severity. Then suddenly in my late 30’s they became cyclic (I assume it would have had something to do with periods, but I had a partial hysterectomy at 34 after birthing twins). Last year they became so bad that my GP was convinced that I must have had a brain turnout. (Slurred speech, drooping face, confusion, limp, etc) Ambulance to hospital where scans showed that my brain is now full of tiny scars consistent with this type of rapid cycling migraine (joy!). (Basically my brain looks like I have been a heavy smoker for 70 years, despite never having tried one, and only being mid-40’s.) Now I have a massively increased risk of both stroke and epilepsy later. I am on an anti seizure medication to prevent auras (can’t tale amitriptiline as I have low blood pressure, but that would be the usual choice of prescription). This type of migraine is sometimes considered to be hereditary and is often associated with strokes. I would ask for a referral to a neurologist ASAP. In the mean time, please do whatever you can to decrease your stroke risk - look at your blood pressure, weight, smoking, drinking, stress levels, etc.... I am sure you know all of these things. I hope you get onto this and feel better ASAP!

I've always found ginger ale takes the nausea and gives a bit of an energy boost.

I had migraines on and off since being a teen but just over a year ago (aged 28) I woke up one day with symptoms like you describe, went to the doctor for stronger medication and just cried in the surgery. He sent me to hospital where they were convinced it was a brain bleed. Thankfully it wasn’t. However the whole year following was just a cycle of migraine after migraine with symptoms that were not just scary but dangerous - losing the use of my arms/hands, being frozen to the spot because I was trying to get my legs to work but the message just wasn’t getting through, slow reactions as well as slurred speech, confusion, memory loss and all the things you describe. I finally saw a neurologist who has put it down to a problem with my nervous system, and after trying several different medications I’m now on daily beta blockers and pizotifen which have reduced the frequency of migraines dramatically. (Tried topiramate and it had awful side effects for me) the dr warned me that the really bad ones will still ‘break through’ and he was right.
I’ve tried to track any triggers but nothing sticks out in particular. I know that if I’m very tired or get too hungry or have too much caffeine I’m more prone to them. But then they can come along for no reason.
When I’ve got one then it’s sumatriptan, sugar and actually food in general that can help. I’ve read things about cranial osteopathy working but never got round to trying it.
Sorry you’re going through this. It is awful. Especially when people say ‘it’s just a bad headache’. When I was at my worst it felt truly debilitating.

Been doc, they think I have a virus. I'm back on Friday to see how I am. Just been advised rest, fluids and paracetamol! Thanks for the advice. Glad I went

The last one I had was just as described and was so bad it did cross my mind I was having a mini stroke/ TIA.

I'm sure mine's hormone related - I can't take any contraceptive pill anymore. I also crave caffeine and drink oceans of tea and orange squash (although I think the traditional advice is to avoid caffeine and chocolate?) but if your body is telling you it wants it, have it.

The daith is one of the curly bits in the outer ear. I can't do fancy phot attachments, sorry. Mine took eight months to heal properly but it's been worth it. I've gone from about eight migraines a year (the type that last 24 hours with your head in a vice, then sleep for three days) to none. Not one since the 3rd June 2017. The piercing was uncomfortable and messy but I'm over the moon with it now. I'm a bit annoyingly evangelical about it! Good luck whatever you decide to do xx

I feel your pain, I’ve had them almost daily for 2 years now, apart from three days a month, and been for MRI, hospital for hemiplegic migraine, tried triptans, the pill (as it’s hormonal) and every medication. Having occipital nerve blocks now which is miraculous but only for a week or so, and then onto Botox. Honestly if it wasn’t for my family I wouldn’t bother carrying on. People underestimate how debilitating it is & the constant exhaustion that goes with it. Can’t even work now, or drive. Fucking sucks. Push for a neurologist and get it sorted before it gets worse

Mine have never been as bad as you describe but I started having them frequently when I was stressed at work. I have a limited choice of drugs due to other health issues but I take paracetamol and codeine when they hit, have full sugar coke (diet stuff doesn’t work) and eat ready salted crisps. You need prevention meds like pp have said, trip tans are god standard and better pain relief for when they do come. I’ve had my daith pierced. It helped with classic migraines but not with what appeared to be a tension headache/migraine hybrid.

Oops my last note was rather depressing. On a more positive note, here are some things that help alleviate/reduce the symptoms- a 4head stick is surprisingly brilliant for pain. A sugary coke with 2 paracetamol & 2 ibuprofen. A plug in heated neck & shoulder pad and eye mask. Bath with Epsom salts. CBD oil under the tongue. Magnesium spray. Physio for neck & back. Meditation for pain management. Migraleve. Massages though sometimes a trigger. Would love a daith piercing but had my navel pierced at 20 and it went horribly septic so I live in fear of that happening again.
Things that didn’t work for me - cranial osteopath, acupuncture, clary sage/essential oils, cold treatments (patches/ice masks etc), triptans, candersartan, tens machine, anything else!

just I'm 21

inthekitchensink So sorry you're going through something like that. It's so debilitating. I really hope they improve for you as you get older

I was feeling so so bad today but that Red Bull really helped this afternoon. Migraine feels like it's on it's way back. Along with nausea and vomiting. No sign of vision issues or slurred speech, but my left arm is completely dead (I can sort of still feel it but it feels like it's detached from my body!).

Thanks Calling, sorry it’s a bad one for you. Get some sugar, salt & lots of water in you, bucket by the bed & sleep.

Have you had full blood tests? Might be worth doing too. My arms went dead like you describe (amongst other many symptoms) and it turned out my b12 was so low I needed injections (pernicious anemia). I take rizatriptan for migraines, used to take sumatriptan but it stop working and the side effects were awful. Luckily Rizatriptan works. I read on here that a medical professional had recommended that the best thing was full fat coke and aspirin. Hope you feel better soon

Yes I would think it's a hemiplegic migraine. I've been lucky to only have 4 in my life so far but they are hideous. My last one 3 years ago Dh took me to a+e fearing stroke because I was slurring so badly and couldn't move my left side.
Like inthekitchensink I have them all the time and it's awful so well worth seeing about them and what can be done. I'm due for Botox hopefully within the next few weeks see if that helps. Triptans are helpful (sumatriptan was not my friend but almatriptan taken at the same time as 600mg ibuprofen and an anti emetic is helpful) and I take a preventative cocktail having tried just about every combination possible.

I've had chronic migraines for 20 years. I take 40mg propranolol and 10 mg amitriptyline daily as a preventative, and have sumatriptan and metaclopramide (?) in reserve when one strikes. I take those with 3 paracetamol to clear it within an hour!

Triggers are dark or contracted chocolate, and regrettably, exercise. Oh and tension.

They are shit, I hope a Dr can put your mind at rest and give you some good drugs - I've had the bastard things for 20 years and only discovered sumatriptan about 4 months ago! Why didn't they ever suggest them?!

Yes wanted to agree with full sugar coke, that can actually stave them off sometimes. And yes, sumatriptan side effects are weird. But I'll take the numb limbs and choking sensation for 40 minutes over the migraine...

Propranolol has been a game changer for me, I went from regular debilitating migraines with a lot of the symptoms you've listed to the occasional (like, twice a year) one which is often only ocular.

*concentrated chocolate, not contracted ffs.

Forgot to say that prior to starting preventative drugs I was getting 3-4 day migraines every week and it was really affecting me and my employer. Drugs reduced them to one every few months, and I can now kill those with sumatriptan.

After years of trial and error, my go to treatment (at first sign of migraine) is 2 x ibuprofen, 2 x naratriptan (sumatriptan didn't work for me), I x can fat coke and 1 x slice bread. Take it all then sleep for at least six hours.

I know the sleep bit isn't always possible but I definitely makes a massive difference and also means you don't have to be awake for some of the Triptan side effects. My best tip is to keep all those things (except the bread) in a shoebox under your bed. If I am woken at four in the morning with pain, I don't have to get up and gather everything, it's all under the bed so I can neck the tablets and the can of fat coke and try to sleep (skip the bread rather than move as for me, moving makes it worse).

This works around 80% of the time. It has also made a big difference to how long they last. Ow if one does slip through, it's 24 hours tops instead of four days.

Sympathy from me, migraines are the pits.

I always keep Lucozade in the fridge in case of migraine - I guess it is the same as PPs saying about Red Bull and coke. Someone said to me once that caffeine is actually good when you are in the throes of a migraine as it thins the blood - not sure if this is actually medically sound but I do find caffeinated drinks help.

Triptans are amazing but must be taken at the first sign of a migraine or they don't work at all. You can get them on prescription but also milder forms from the chemist. You have to fill in a questionnaire to get them over the counter - so it's best to go and get that done when you are not suffering so you have some ready when you need them. Trying to fill in a form when you can barely see or talk is challenging!

Hope you feel better soon.

Not to hijack the thread, but what are the other triptans that are available? I find sumatriptan just about bearable but if there are better varieties out there that don't make you feel like you're being slowly throttled...

Rizatriptan is much better than Sumatriptan IMO, and you can take it as a melt rather than a tablet.

Anyone know if Aimovig is coming to the UK soon? It's been a miracle for me. Gone from 10-12 migraines a month to 1-3.

I am on topiramate. Not the first port of call, but as I said previously, due to low BP, I cant do the triptans.... It’s been brilliant, though - once I found my dose. Taking it at night time has helped avoid most side effects, along with an excellent hair, skin & nails supplement. I have lost weight as well! (Not mad at that!) I would prefer not to need it, but I have gone from almost daily migraines to having none in nearly five months! (Knock on wood!)

@Dungarees, Red Bull/Caffeine is the double-edged sword for migraine sufferers. It can kick off migraines, as we know, but it can help by dilating the blood vessels that are being constructed when you are in the throes of a migraine. I keep a Red Bull in the fridge for emergencies, but the smell makes me barf, and I don’t have the ability to make myself an espresso when I am tripping away with an aura.

*CONSTRICTED - not constructed! They’re not LEGO, ffs!

Not true that triptans don't work at all if you don't take them at the first sign of migraine. They are more effective that's all. I'm on day 3 of a hormonal migraine. I took my third sumatriptan half an hour ago and it's working. I've had one a day during the attack. I've been taking propranolol for the last couple of months and I think it has helped with everything other than the period related ones.