to worry about DH?

[ShowOfHands]

I'm committing the MN cardinal sin of posting in AIBU for traffic.

DH suffers from migraines and seemed to go down with one last Thursday, a really bad one. It hasn't followed the normal pattern and he has remained at a high level of pain since Friday. He cannot tolerate moving, talking, any light. I phoned NHS Direct at 3am on Monday when he was incoherent with pain and they told me about NICE fever guidelines (he hasn't got a fever) and we saw the emergency GP later that day who prescribed Tramadol which just made him itch.

Nothing has worked. The tramadol, aspirin, codeine, ibuprofen, migril, paracetamol (not all at the same time, tried different things according to advice). Not even taken off the edge.

Today he's started vomiting violently.

We have another appointment at 11am.

What is it? This is not a migraine. It's just not fitting his lifelong pattern. 20 years together and he's actually called in sick for the very first time.

I hope he gets a treatable diagnosis asap, and you get some rest

Have they done a scan op?

No scan yet. They've just moved him but we're still waiting. It's so busy. All the consultants are tied up in resus apparently.

Hi op...sorry to hear of DH. About 25 years ago my dad (also a life long migraine sufferer) out of the blue go quite a rare type of headache called “ice pick headache”. It was diagnosed by the consultant neurologist in hospital as he was literally crying with the pain (the only time I’ve seen him cry in my life). Maybe worth suggesting? Hope all is weep soon!

All is well not weep!! Sorry for typos!

Stiff neck doesn't present as often in adults as it does children, but without a fever I would be less suspicious of meningitis, plus that would normally progress faster without treatment, as would aneurysm.

He definitely needs to be seen asap, but I would suspect it is an unusual migraine.

That sounds awful Op. I hope you get an answer and your dh feels better soon.

He's gone for a CT scan. He's also been moved from a side room to a 6 bed bay and the noise and bright lights are awful. The chap behind the curtain where I am sitting, keeps phoning his pals and describing what he just coughed up. Which is nice.

It's like a form of torture being in hospital OP. Last place on earth for peace and rest. I personally think they need to use phone jammers so that the need to inform relatives every 15 seconds is removed to outside. Hope you get some news soon.

Been here 6hrs and they're finally giving him pain relief. They're sorting out morphine which will help with the lumbar puncture too apparently.

I strongly suspect he'll be sent home with no diagnosis but anything highly untoward ruled out. Bloods are fine, CT normal.

I’m a Registered Nurse and have worked for 20 years in acute care hospitals and I just cannot believe your husband went six hours without any pain relief once he got into A&E-any nausea medication given? I understand you want to limit certain Rx due to side effects and masking of symptoms if an aneurysm or a stroke but my god that sounds barbaric. I had a migraine last week off/on four days but not like this scenario. You did the best you could and I wish good health for you and your man best wishes

Can you push for a neurologist appointment. I only had one visit with a neurologist and he right away prescribed Migraine medication. I started with Sumatriptan and took them as soon as I could feel it all starting with excellent results. Now I take Naratriptan. and also a daily Candesartan to reduce the number of migraines I get. I was up to about 12 migraines a month, that has now halved. The Naratriptan worked in less than a hour if taken in time.

Not sure what neurology could suggest. He has seen them before and a regime of ergotamine tartrate and soluble aspirin seemed to work brilliantly. However, they discontinue ergotamine all the time and nothing else has ever worked.

He has had 5mg of morphine and a lumbar puncture. Hates the morphine and is still in a lot of pain.

I need to move my car. £13 so far on the car park. Can't afford much more.

This is so unbearable. Staff are lovely, particularly the consultant who is v funny but my goodness they're rammed. No wonder they're in special measures.

Sounds like he needs to switch to more prevention next. Maybe he's a candidate for botox injections? Not much help for today though.

Can they give him something for the nausea? I find that once my nausea is under control my pain subsides (no idea why).

Nausea isn't too bad.

He manages fine with diet and exercise as far as possible but he's a copper and has moved in recent months to a 2 days (7am-7pm), 2 lates (3pm-midnight), 2 nights (10pm-7am) pattern and it's certainly increased his migraines.

Ex copper here, I know his pain. What pattern was he better on?

Didn’t want to read and run, my family have a long history of migraines with aura and nausea. All of us use cupping ( blood letting but sometimes dry cupping). Don’t want to give you false hope or claim it’s a miracle cure but it works for us ( dad, aunt and me)

Haven’t had them as severe as we did before cupping and know that a lot of other migraine sufferers use it to elliviate symptoms.

All the best

P.s This is NOT medical advice just something you may want to look in to.

Oh god yeah poor sleeping patterns definitely make migraines worse.

He was in Intel for years and worked more office type hours I suppose with the odd night cover here and there but he fancied a challenge. Loves his current specialism, hates the shift pattern.

He might be open to alternative therapies. I don't think he can bear the idea that this is how his migraines are now. He's had them his whole life and they're awful but manageable. This is unbearable.

Ask him if the Job is still fucked 😉 😂

Hopefully itbwill settle down as he gets used to shift work again, but he'll need to see Occ Health to discuss ASAP. He can't continue like this. He may need to think about reasonable adjustments and even declaration of disability under the Equality Act (I know, I know, I've just had to do it too). He will want to get the Federation on board, as he may need their support if he hasn't got it already. They'll have a welfare and equalities officer for this sort of thing. If he's a member of the Group Insurance, does he qualify for any extra support or healthcare that way? Has he had a trip to Flint House or one of the other rehabilitation centres (if he pays into the scheme)? I went after a particularly horrific bout, to try to deal with stress management and muscle rebuilding. Also good for alternative therapies n

Have the mentioned status migrainosum (not sure how to spell it) it's when the migraine goes on too long, as in this case, and the brain needs to be "switched off" if you like. Usually treated with high dose iv anti epileptic meds. Might be worth asking about if you feel they are going to send him home in the state he's in?

I hope he's better soon Showy

You're doing great, show of hands

Sorry if I missed it but Has he not had any triptans? Vaso-constrictors?

I get given injected sumatriptan in hospital if oral doesn’t work.

I have no advice but just wanted to say , it sounds awful.