AIBU to ask about your migraines?

[maa1992]

I've just come around from one of the worst headaches of my life, this has happened to me roughly four times and usually happens before the start of my period, however this one came after my period ended

My symptoms:

5pm - started feeling really hot and dizzy, sort of pins and needles feeling

Felt like a dehydration headache so I had a couple of glasses of water and a cup of tea before bed, still felt "funny" then my neck became stiff

Uncomfortable dull ache and stiff neck started getting worse, I settled my baby and I fell asleep around 11pm

Woke up at 2am with the most violent headache I've ever had in the back of my head and neck

Wanted to throw up, woke up drenched in sweat - even the back of my hair was wet! (Sorry tmi)

Couldn't talk and my jaw seemed to clench, couldn't even stand to look at my phone because of the pain.

Started crying due to pain, this hurt even more. Took paracetamol. Sipped water because I was worried I was dehydrated

Couldn't lie down so had to sit very still with my knees up

After 3am this seemed to ease, I still have a dull ache but not even a fraction of how bad it was earlier. I feel shattered and weak.

Does this sound like a migraine? Or just a really baddddd headache and I'm being a baby?

Why I'm posting and what freaked me out was that I'm home alone with a 6 month old as DH works nights this week, similar headaches have happened before but randomly and not as bad - I seen the gp and each time they said "it's viral" and there was nothing they could do. It scared me how it just stopped me in my tracks and I've never felt so powerless

Paracetamol did seem to eventually help as I feel a lot better, just abit shaken, has this ever happened to anyone before?

I always thought my pain threshold was high but not where headaches are concerned apparently

I know Mumsnet aren't doctors, just a bit freaked out and looking for some advice if anything x

Iv just started with some freakish things too
Had 2 so far in a week.
Last one last night

First my eyes / sight go fuzzy.
Then very bad pain in the base of my scull
Pain travels up over my head
Numb lips
Funnily feeling in throat / neck
Whole head feels like its in a bucket
Pain behind ears
Ears whoosing...

We can be weird together OP

It sounds like a migraine to me! Especially the being unable to lie down. My husband has chronic migraines and has a few a week. Symptoms are flashing lights, headache (severe), light sensitivity, he cannot lie down due to pressure in head - if this is going to turn into what we call a 'super migraine' then after it calms down, the same cycle starts again but then develops vomiting, loss of vision, loss of being able to speak and being incoherent, he also cries from pain with these ones but by that point I'm not sure he is totally aware of what's going on.

I have read that migraines are linked to hormonal changes and can therefore effect women worse due to periods ect.

I would start a migraine diary so when this COVID business is over you can go to your GP and ask for help.

@Ilovethekittehs oh god he has them multiple times a week? I'm genuinely exhausted after one!! Is there any treatment he can have?

I decided to avoid using my mefenamic acid this month because of covid-19 NSAID issues and had 3 of worst headaches I've ever experienced in my life. Pain in one temple/side of head, nausea, light sensitivity, the lot. Totally messed up. Clearly linked to hormone spikes. Horrendous. YANBU!

I've had migraines for years and mine usually:

Start with a dull throb behind my eyes
I get a sickly feeling in my stomach
Things start looking fuzzy around the edges
Bright lights hurt my eyes
The dull throb turns into a sharp painful tingling feeling all over my head (sort of like my brain's full of needles and they're stabbing my skull from the inside!)
My voice slurs (DH told me this) like I've had a few drinks

I just have to get in bed, total darkness and quiet and sleep it off with a couple of paracetamol and cold water to sip.

I'm not a health anxious person really (despite multiple health issues and ongoing long term conditions) and these are the things that scare me as I literally can't function and they come on really quickly!

I hope you feel better soon how are you feeling now?

@maa1992 yeah, it's not very nice but he just gets on with it! He has had them since he was six so hasn't known anything different which is sad.

He hasn't found anything that works currently and had given up, but we had our first child a few months ago which prompted him to go back to the doctors and he is currently completing a migraine diary in order to try different treatments! Fingers crossed.

Migraines are weird...

Not even sure if that's what mine is...🤷🏼‍♀️

Sounds like migraine. Was it on one side of your head? I get them very regularly and interestingly it’s not necessarily the severity of the headache which makes it a migraine, it’s the addition of other symptoms. I think of it as all my senses being knocked off balance for a while, so as well as the headache I feel dizzy, nauseous, have slurred speech, excessive yawning etc.
The key with migraines is strong painkillers early on in the attack. There are lots of different preventative options as well as different painkillers available, so if this did become a regular thing for you it’s definitely worth seeing a GP and trying lots of different types of medication until you find the right one for you.

Mine aren’t as painful as you describe. In fact I’ve had much more painful headaches than migraines.

My migraines are a collection of

• a tendency towards disproportionate anger over very minor things
• visual disturbances (everything is bright and super shiny, then a kind of zig zag effect in left peripheral vision, followed by blind spots)
• numbness in fingers and nose
• I can’t speak properly; word order confused and I use the wrong words
• I can’t make sense of what I’m reading
• I jumble letters if I’m writing
• a pain on the left side of my head that feels like I’ve been stabbed
• nausea and vomiting if I can’t lie in a darkened room

If I can sleep my brain seems to reboot and I’ll just have a dull headache for a couple of days.

Tbh with your symptoms I’d have been thinking along the lines of meningitis rather than migraine, but if it’s something you’ve had on and off before, I’m not sure. If it’s linked to your period, contraception might help but talk to your gp because some types aren’t suitable.

Sounds like it could be. Best thing is dark room and relax as much as you can no using phone/iPad (when at its worse you won’t want to) plenty of water and I prefer paracetamol (as ibuprofen gives me an upset stomach) and plain food like toast

My symptoms are
A slight dull headache for a few days that won’t shift and just steadily gets worse
A sudden craving of certain foods very greasy food like chips from fish and chip shop and fried egg (foods you should not have)
Nausea and picky eating sometimes go off tea (I love tea and drink it all day)
Blurry eyesight (on the worse day) and sensitive eyes
Sometimes confusion things don’t make sense
Stabbing pains left side
The day it peaks my sensitivity to smell is really strong I can’t stand perfume and feeding the cat makes me heave (I still do 😁)

Sometimes it’s not so bad and I get one once every few months. It can wipe me out and can feel tired for a day or two after. I found the contraceptive pill gave me terrible headaches

I tend to get tension headaches too and headaches before a storm Im not sure it’s its related

I seem to remember reading pain at the back of the head indicates tension headaches. Migraines tend to be side of head/ behind the eye.

Sounds like a migraine to me too. Thankfully I don't get them often now but they can be pretty debilitating. Rest, darkness and total quiet helped me.

Migraine is awful, I used to get 3-4 a month! After years of trying different medications the doctor prescribed propranolol and I haven't had one since, this was 2 years ago

Just wanted to note that you said you felt like your jaw clenched. Migraines can be improved by wearing a night time mouth guard to stop teeth grinding/clenching. Really works for me and I had no idea I ground my teeth before trying it!

Thanks for the replies guys, sorry for the slow response! I finally managed to get 3 hours sleep, I feel sick, dizzy and shakey today and very sleepy.

I'm thinking it must be hormonal because I've only recently started getting them

I get migraines too as does my 15 year old son they are truly awful
We both take migraleve which you can buy over the counter from pharmacy
If we take it early enough I would say 8/10 we can stop the migraine developing
Maybe you could order online from boots so you have them handy for next time
I have also started to use the cooling strips that you put on your forehead these really help me too
Xx

This sounds exactly like when I first started getting migraines (began when my DD was 18 months after a very stressful year). I've had them now for 6 years, on and off chronic, they are awful, debilitating bastards.

The best thing that I use is something called a triptan. There are many types, but a common on which is prescribed is called sumatriptan. They are lifesavers and I seriously couldn't function without them. You take one when you feel the initial symptoms coming- mine are sickness, pain in my shoulder/ neck, this is often the side the migraine comes, for me it is my right side, irritability and a feeling of being uncomfortable in my own skin. It is important that you take one BEFORE the headache really comes in as they won't work otherwise. You need to ask the doctor specifically for them. They usually take an 1 1/2 hours to start to work, but then I can usually then get on with my day. Normal painkillers just won't work. I often take an anti-sickness at the same time as migraine causes the stomach to spasm and can struggle to absorb the tablet.

It is really scary to have one when you have a young baby as you are in so much pain you can't focus or do anything really. Like a previous poster said, it is quite common to get them due to hormonal changes (mine are linked to my period) and women often develop them in their child-rearing years.

I am happy to share lots of other tips and supplements I take to help manage them, if you want to PM me for more info.

The day after a migraine is called a postdrone and can make you feel very weird as your body has been through a trauma, so look after yourself today. And please try not to stress, stress is a monster that triggers them. Take care.

Sorry to hear you're struggling. I seemed to get hormonal migraines right before my period and found that ensuring the windows were open, I was dressed in light clothes and keeping it temp down really helped. I have been known to lie on our very cold tiled bathroom floor for relief

Sounds like a migraine to me. Mine started after having my first child and are almost always linked to my periods - I think it's the sudden changes in oestrogen levels that can trigger them.

The thing to try and do is nip it in the bud, so try and get painkillers in as soon as the first sign of headache starts. I find full fat coke can help.

Take it easy today - I always feel very very washed out the day after an attack.

I think it sounds like a migraine. I think I've been getting them since I had my daughter 4 years ago. Only ever around period time. The headache is awful but before that I am shaky, tetchy and mix up words. Then for 1-2 days after I feel knackered.

It's a really strange thing because migraines can vary so vastly between people; DS14 gets his when he's anxious and stressed or about to hit a growth spurt. As a 6'3" teen you can imagine how often he's had growth spurts over the years, and since quarantine began he's had 8 or 9 episodes because his stress levels are elevated. He goes into my bedroom (it's the darkest and coldest room in the house) with a cold flannel on the back of his neck and sleeps anywhere between 12 and 24 hours once he's medicated. His Dr described it as his brain being like a computer that needed to reboot. He wakes up absolutely fine but if he doesn't take meds quickly enough he'll start vomiting and once we're at that point it's hell to get through because it's too late to sleep it off - his school have reached the point where they're able to spot if he's about to come down with one and deal with it immediately.

Mine are hormone related, and since I had endometrial ablation have reduced right down (I no longer have periods and my migraines were always period-related so it's been life-changing). Triptans are the only things that help, but like DS14 if I don't take them quickly enough it wipes me out for several days after.

Keep a diary and see if you're able to spot patterns or triggers - eventually you'll be able to. I hope you're feeling much better soon.

Could be a migraine, although quite different from mine, which are more like @Barbararara’s.

Taking a high dose of aspirin as soon as it starts has been a game changer for me. I now take 3 soluble aspirin tablets as soon as I get the visual disturbance (first sign for me) and now it doesn’t really develop any further. Migraines can be caused by swelling of blood vessels in the brain so the aspirin stops this, or at least that’s my understanding. Get lots of rest today if you can.

That sounds exactly like my migraines OP, mine always start with a pain in my neck and go from there. Mine are also hormonal, much like yours and will turn up either just before or after my period 😞 they’re awful so you have my sympathy.

Things that work particularly well for me are:

Migraleve - if you get it in time these can work well. They never stop it for me, but can make it bearable.

Sumatriptan - these completely knock me out and I’ll only take one if I absolutely have to, but they do allow me to rest through the worst of it

Space Masks - you can get them online, they’re amazing. I pop one on before bed and they help me sleep. Added bonus of not being yet another medication!

I’ve also just had my daith pierced in sheer desperation as I know there’s probably more chance it won’t work, but I’ll try anything!

Definitely speak to your GP, and if you’re taking hormonal contraception you will probably need to stop. I can’t have the combined pill anymore.

Sounds like it could be a migraine, although paracetamol wouldn’t touch one of of mine, nothing does.

My symptoms are:

• blinding pain behind and above right eye
• light sensitivity
• blurry eyes
• heavy body
• sickness
• dry mouth
• dizziness

And in the middle of it I always crave toast with Jam & Butter!!