Getting lots of migraines at work, what can I do?

[Watermelonices]

Really struggling at the moment, work in healthcare in a busy role.

Am suddenly for the last few weeks getting quite debilitating headaches/migraines which seem to be triggered by heat, the sun, screens and noise, which I can’t avoid at work. Oh and stress which is huge.

They are massively affecting my functioning and I’ve had to go home a few times.

Patience is wearing thin with management , I’ve had loads of tests but it points to stress/migraines. I have exhausted sickness absence and am getting worried about finances.

Does anyone have any advice? The only thing that has changed is work has become more target driven and demanding and I am struggling a bit, because I feel so bad.

thanks

Stress can definitely trigger migraines.

I struggled for years and then a doctor prescribed triptans. It's a good while ago. Retirement and being well post-menopause have helped but I still have a box of Frovatriptan on prescription, in the cupboard.

You do need your employers to be understanding. You can quote this post to them. I found perfumes upset me as well as all the other things and I sat next to a prat who sprayed her horrible perfume all over herself at her desk while I was gone for lunch and I came back to it.

50, been on hrt for 6 months ish because of this and I thought it might help but hasn’t really

Any time I have tried taking hormones I have ended up with absolutely debilitating migraines.

have you considered that the HRT might be making things worse?

Not thought about that, but the headaches did ease off when I was off work - definitely lessened- then are back now im back. It’s so difficult. Thanks

Hrt worsens migraines. I was warned about this when considering hrt as I have chronic migraines.

It doesn't seem like you've actually had a proper GP consultation about your migraines yet at all..?

It's going to be trial and error a bit if they're so frequent in working out preventative strategies, but at an absolute bare minimum a GP can start the process of confirming that they are migraines and prescribing more appropriate medication.

No I don’t think I have, it’s not been properly diagnosed.

i find it difficult seeing different gps every time and then getting no follow up when you get test results back eg ecg/blood tests. It drags it out

Thanks, no one mentioned this? I was waking up in a knot of anxiety and that seems to have eased with the hrt but no other known benefit, I’m not sure if to continue or not, it’s difficult to know.

You don't really need tests as such. Migraines are diagnosed on history/symptoms - then if triptans, which are first line treatment, help then it's pretty much diagnostic confirmation.

Do you get aura (visual disturbances, strange feelings, other symptoms) before the headache comes on? Are they ever accompanied by nausea or vomiting? Do you find yourself avoiding light? Do OTC painkillers help? Do you ever feel 'hungover' afterwards?

For me migraines have a very clear pattern that's different to e.g. tension or dehydration headaches. I wake up with them, and in my teens and twenties I'd often be so nauseous I'd vomit. I don't get visual aura (well, I did once, and it scared the crap out of me), but I go through a stage before the pain really starts when noise hurts me and I struggle to form words. OTC painkillers do nothing but sumatriptan kills them stone dead. After a bad one, I get a "hangover" - I feel hollowed out, and my balance and proprioception is shot.

I get funny feelings in my arms or legs and sometimes feel like I’m going to fall off a chair. My eyes feel funny. I feel a bit like travel sick but not nauseous. Then I get a bad neck ache and sickly headache where I don’t know where to put myself and then am really sensitive to light, heat, noise etc. Then I feel knackered.

Sounds likely to be migraines, yes. Go and see your GP. And start looking into the process of requesting reasonable adjustments at work.

My migraines become much more frequent when I have a lot of shoulder and neck tension, linked to long working hours at the computer and general stress. Do you have tight neck/shoulder muscles? If so I'd recommend trying regular massage and also acupuncture, but make sure they go easy at first because massage can make things temporarily worse.

@Watermelonices a lot of migraines are food intolerance related. Plus read my link above.