Urgent questions re mirgraine before I take myself to a&e

[bookworm1982]

Messaging in chat for more responses as I know mirgraine are very common.

I don't know what to do and can't stop crying. I've had a headache since Sunday, not getting any better. Right side of face, throbbing, like when you wake up hungover. Light hurts but not all the time and the pain of the headache isn't always bad - sometimes 3/4 out of 10, other times, like now, it's about 8/9 out of ten. Throbs a lot when I suddenly stand up. No other symptoms except for one dizzy spell on Wednesday. Doctor did a physical examination today, checked my vision, did all that touching the nose and stuff, all ok. Unrelated, I had bloods done a few weeks ago and they were all normal. Doctor believes it's a mirgraine, but agrees it's unusual to suddenly get one when I've never had one before. (I just turned 40)

My questions are:

Does this sound like a mirgraine?
Is it unusual to last this long? When I've googled it it says they last around 72 hours, I'm well over that.
Is it normal to go from bad to ok to back to bad again?

I'm so sure it's something terrible, like a tumour. I'm beside myself with worry. Pleas help xxx

I have chronic migraines and they usually last 3 days or so and leave me unable to function, talk, type or even generally get up at all. What you describe doesn't sound like my experience with migraine but we are all different. What it does sound like though is when I had an issue with a tooth and the most horrendous sinus pain that only resolved after a root canal. The actual tooth didn't hurt to press and wasn't sensitive or anything but I went to the dentist in desperation and they discovered an issue.

Have you been to the dentist recently? is the pain worse after say, chewing food.
Sinus pain is horrendous and certainly causes that throbbing sensation you mention. I would experiment with hot and cold compresses on that side of the face to see if either offer relief. When I have a migraine I use gel packs that I keep in the fridge or freezer and have no idea how I coped without them. One on the back of my neck and one either on the affected side of my face or on my forehead is so helpful.

Low pressure headache maybe?

I had my first migraine at 39. I honestly thought I was dying having never experienced anything like it. So definitely possible to get to 40 before having one.
I've also since had ones that last for a week or so. Not completely debilitating but ones that I just can't seem to kick. Eventually they go, a couple of times after a much stronger painkiller.
I now make sure I have medication on hand at all times. If I get onto them quick enough with a migraine wafer, it keeps it bearable if it doesn't quite stop it.

I did say it was my experience I was talking of and that others may have different symptoms.

I couldn’t work from a screen non negotiable or not, because like other posters here I cannot function at all during a migraine, like wise I couldn’t eat or drink Coca Cola.

The worst headache of my life was in my 20s, curl up in a ball in pain type thing. Neighbour who was a GP admitted me to hospital query meningitis. Turned out I had viral meningitis, it's not uncommon but not normally dangerous. But it was constant pain, not wax and wane type pain.

I've also had other virus type things where I'm headachey for days and also had a headache for a week with covid.

It's not your place and it's fucking dangerous to tell people not to go to A&E. GP's aren't infallible. They can't scan or do more complex tests and issues can happen quite suddenly. Clear blood tests days ago mean nothing with new symptoms.

If my family had listened to your rubbish advice, both my mum and my nephew would be dead.

I have sporadic hemiplegic migraines, I get numbness and weakness on my left side, I unable to speak properly, the weakness can reduce movement in the left side of my face, visual disturbance, a very specific and mild pins and needles sensation in my left side upto 4ish days before the full symptoms hit, nausea, fatigue, headache and tachacardia. My headache is painful, but thankfully easily treated and not long lasting, I can experience the other symptoms for some extent to 2-3 days.

If you’re unsure I would go back to your GP, if they were to start happening more often you can be given medication that reduces the chance of a fullblown migraine happening.

You have my sympathy I have had one since 2am yesterday. My blood pressure is high too.
i would say it could be peri menopausal for you. I was about 39/40 and it was fairly awful but I sailed through the menopause and finished by 44 same as my mum.
Same as mum I have had migraine since I was 13 . They are awful. Some are worse than others.
I find lavender sometimes helps, I short spray it in. Small meals and often sometimes helps. Sometimes nothing helps! Sorry!

Hi everyone. Thank you so much for all your replies, which I will try to read now but as a previous poster wrote, being on my phone does hurt a lot so I can't be on it for long,

I'm now in A&E waiting to be seen, pain has got so bad and now feels as though it's spreading a tiny bit to my left, although that might not be correct as it's all a big blur of pain now. Just sitting here crying and making it worse. Waiting to be seen. Hopefully soon x

I'll work my way through a few replies now xx

Thank you again everyone xxx

Hope you feel better soon OP 💐

Some answers:

Whoever said not to go to a&e and waste doctors time, the GP told me to come here if it didn't get better.

Re medication - I'm not taking anything now - last was 2 x ibuprofen at 7am, did nothing.

I was given sumatriptan by the doc, sorry should have mentioned, but it did nothing. I was right in the middle of the mirgraine by then though.

To the poster who asked why I've started another thread - yes, sorry, I wanted to change the name of the thread and couldn't. Pain makes you do crazy things. I hope that's ok with you.

My blood pressure is normal, doc checked that.

I haven't had a covid test. I will mention that now when I see someone.

And one last question from me - if this is a mirgraine, how often am I going to go through this hell? Please don't tell me it's a monthly thing. I've been wiped out for 5 whole days!

Thank you again so much for your support.

Xxx

It varies from person to person, and varies with the actual person. My DD had horrific weekly ones from 11 to 19, which coincided with her periods becoming regular and finishing education. Hers lasted anywhere from one day to six days, day off then another 6 days. Next four years nothing. Last week she had a four day belter which is from covid.

Migraines can be made worse by hormones (are you in peri-menopause?), dehydration, not eating regularly, not sleeping enough, stress. Can you limit any of these?

If it is a migraine and is the start of more frequent migraines there are lots of things you could do to reduce severity.
I find 100-200mg coenzymeQ10 taken daily helps a lot as does at least 50mg b vitamins. Magnesium is also another supplement which helps. Learning dietary triggers (unlikely if you have not had any before 40- far more likely to be hormone related). More recently I have also read about the inflammation bucket. The lower you fill it (by avoiding food triggers, getting enough sleep, less stress, drinking plenty of water and avoiding sugar 😩and processed foods) the less likely you are to have a migraine (i.e. you need more triggers to tip you over into a full migraine).

I hope you get sorted soon and start to feel better but I really think you should have done a covid test (like the very first reply suggested) before you went to hospital.

Migraines are horrific. I have had many where I though I was dying.
hope you are seen soon and that all is ok

If it's a migraine you need to take 2 ibuprofen then two or three hours later 2 paracetamol. Alternate them like that - it's okay short term as long as you stay under the max 24 hour dose for each. (Sub aspirin for the ibuprofen if you can take them!) You really have to be aggressive and keep on top of the pain or you get into a cycle where you can't really manage it.

Hope you have answers and are feeling better by now.

(also, has anyone mentioned neuralgia to you? I had it and wanted to claw the side of my face off!! Naproxen really helped but it's rough on your guts!)

Disagree totally!
I had these symptoms. Went to GP had bloods done various tests, GP found nothing Headaches continued, went to A&E and several hours later was diagnosed with a right parietal brain tumour for which I underwent a craniotomy and 6 weeks of radiotherapy.
please go to A&E!

Just an update. Been seen after a 5 hour wait. Nothing really to report, just said it's 'unlikely' to be a brain tumour and more likely a migraine or she did also say cluster headache too. Told me I must keep on top of the pain - taking paracetamol here and there is not going to work. So it's paracetamol 4 times a day, along side ibuprofen, for next two days. If no improvement, I need to go back to GP for an MRI referral.

*If it's a migraine you need to take 2 ibuprofen then two or three hours later 2 paracetamol. Alternate them like that - it's okay short term as long as you stay under the max 24 hour dose for each. (Sub aspirin for the ibuprofen if you can take them!) You really have to be aggressive and keep on top of the pain or you get into a cycle where you can't really manage it.

Hope you have answers and are feeling better by now.

(also, has anyone mentioned neuralgia to you? I had it and wanted to claw the side of my face off!! Naproxen really helped but it's rough on your guts!)*

Thank you questionablemouse, this is exactly what the doctor just said. Xxx

It was not suggested at any point though, I even just mentioned it to the doc now and she just kind of brushed past it.

Thank you everyone for your helpful messages. I haven't been able to reply to all but they've all been so helpful.
Xxxx

No worries, just wish they'd had a definite diagnosis for you.

Try some dry eye drops too? And if you can bear it, see if you can get an eye test?

Why don’t you just do an LFT yourself and then you’ll know. It’s really common with a covid to get migraines.

I always find that I get giddy and excitable up to 24 hrs before a migraine. I find that if I take 2 ibuprofen and 2 paracetamol together before the pain starts it can keep the worst pain away. I then take the paracetamol every 4 hrs and ibuprofen every 6.
A few times I've been so floored bed was the only option and even then I needed darkness and to be still.
Be prepared though, I also suffer diarrhoea, sometimes vomiting and for a few days total brain fog. It's as though my brain can't make connections properly, I forget names, places, jobs, basically barely function as a human.

Do you have a carbon monoxide monitor at home? That was the most unbearable headache I ever had, when I had carbon monoxide poisoning.