To ask was this just a massive migraine

[BeckySharpish]

My sister was rushed to hospital with a tremendous terrible pain in her head that came on suddenly as she was swimming in the sea. She suddenly couldn’t speak or think and was vomiting. She has had CT scan, lumbar puncture and MRI but nothing has showed up. What on earth was it?

I remember being at work one Friday, I got a totally head splitting headache, went numb all down one side, vomited lots, couldn't speak, couldn't hear or see out of my right ear/eye - the doctors thought I was having a stroke. I had scans, LPs, a battery of tests which were all clear, docs concluded that it was probably a severe migraine.

So yes, it's totally possible especially as the tests have ruled out anything more serious

@FuckyouCovid21

I remember being at work one Friday, I got a totally head splitting headache, went numb all down one side, vomited lots, couldn't speak, couldn't hear or see out of my right ear/eye - the doctors thought I was having a stroke. I had scans, LPs, a battery of tests which were all clear, docs concluded that it was probably a severe migraine.

So yes, it's totally possible especially as the tests have ruled out anything more serious

I should have said I was in the hospital for the whole weekend and the tests were run over the course of the 3 days until I was released on the Monday.

This was years ago and I've never had one so severe but I did still get them until my GP put me on a preventative

DH had the same about 15 years ago. It was terrifying. He couldn’t see, was vomiting and couldn’t move his arms etc. Nothing showed up.
He did then start to have migraine symptoms daily mostly involving vision and is on a preventative.
DS was diagnosed with migraine aged 11 again with odd symptoms - mostly vision and balance and ear problems. He’s on topiramate daily.

Thank you for that Fuckyou. It was so so frightening and worrying. She had extreme light sensitivity and she thought she was having a brain haemorrhage for sure. Her kids were with her and were terrified. Their cousin called the ambulance thankfully.

Bump

Noone here is really going to know the answer but if she had all the scans and tests then its nothing to worry about

This happened to one of my family - mirrored a stroke / haemorrhage, worst pain ever etc. All scans clear and they called it a thunderclap headache. That was about 15 years ago. They did get referred to neurologist for thorough tests and then migraine management. Very frightening indeed.

Yep this happened to me. I suffered from migraines anyway but one morning woke up with one on another level. The pain was unbearable, I managed to shout for DP and he found me on the floor. After that I couldn’t speak, could barely move, couldn’t be in the light. Lost the grip in my hands. Was admitted to hospital and they told me they were pretty sure I’d had a bleed on the brain, was in for two nights while they did lots of scans, tests and a lumbar puncture. They found nothing and put it down to ‘atypical migraine’
I have suffered with them quite badly since then and am under a neurologist, but no underlying cause or lasting damage.

I have migraines like that its hell. I'm a bit foggy on the day when it builds up so start medication early now before I feel like my heads been over.

A bad migraine is the worst pain I have ever experienced and I have had 2 children and gallstones.

I had this once as a 14 year old child. My parents had thought I'd taken drugs. I was prone to migraines but this was the worst of all. I got the numbness/eye disturbances previously mentioned and then I tried to stumble to the bus stop which involved crossing a 3 lane very busy road. I could hear cars beeping just didn't realise they were beeping at me.

Mum got me home and into bed and I kept needing to get up to vomit and banged into the doorway on the way to the bathroom. I could hear Mum on the phone to Dad telling him to get home quickly, as something was terribly wrong with me.

Got to hospital and I was speaking gibberish and going in and out of consciousness. Kept in overnight and out the next day, to this day they never found out what happened, but I now know it was a stomach migraine.

It happened again 4 years ago, after a strenuous hill walk, and I'd had an empty stomach before starting, so that probably wasn't smart. I felt it coming on when I was half way back down the hill, and then was feeling rotten on the drive home. Started being sick, and literally couldn't stop, every 15 mins for about 5 hours. I was minutes away from my husband phoning an ambulance and then suddenly I stopped being sick, and went to sleep, woke up the next day, totally fine!

It's very odd.

I've recently been diagnosed with migraines (having almost never had a headache in my life until Feb this year).

My symptoms included: numb face and head, very sharp tingling across face and head, so dizzy the floor went out from under me (while standing still) with vomiting. The feeling of a 'dark shadow' over my head. Light spangles and flashes in my right eye. A headache every day, but varying between 'a bit annoying' and 'hit across the temple with a brick'.

These symptoms cycled for the four months Feb to May this year.

An MRI showed small lesions in my frontal lobe, which are often indicative of migraine.

I genuinely thought I was dying. How could something be SO unpleasant, and not be caused by something TERRIBLE?

I'm not it's the same for your sister, but it's certainly possible.

Could well be, migraines can be evil things. It's worth remembering that they are an neurological attack, not just a bad headache (as people seem to think).

I've never had one that severe thankfully, but frequently lose coordination and words when I have one, like being absolutely plastered - can't see straight, cant think, often vomit.

Sounds like a migraine to me, I’ve had attacks like that in the past.

Thank you all
Yes @MyNameForToday1980 she said she thought it must be something which if it didn’t kill her would leave her seriously compromised. She still feels sore in her head but maybe that’s from the lumbar puncture. It’s properly rattled us all. So sudden and so severe.

Very interesting to hear these different experiences. Thanks.

I once had this - totally out of the blue -and (once they'd stopped thinking it was a brain haemorrhage), lots of people told me it was probably a migraine. But I've never had one before or since. The doctors at the hospital said it could be a virus.

She hadn't had her Covid jab recently has she? Weird headaches shortly after that need to be looked at ASAP (but presumably they have checked this!!)

As it was a one off I'm sure you'll never know. Could've been an atypical seizure, a reaction to something. Obviously really frightening for her.

I had one like that - felt like I'd been hit round the head with a bat! GP sent me for tests immediatly suspecting a brain haemorrhage - but nothing was found. I do get migraines but nothing like that one since - thank goodness.

She had just recently had her vaccination. I can’t remember which one she got.
I’ve heard of a thunderclap headache but it lasted for much longer than they apparently do. She says it was a screaming white pain down both sides of her head and she only had about 1% awareness of her surroundings. Fucking awful. Her kids were terrified waiting for the ambulance on a remote beach as it was getting dark.

I had a colleague who went blind in reception and completely numb down one side. She was brought up to our ward by a visitor. Poor girl was in floods of tears. We rushed her to A&E and it was diagnosed as a severe migraine.

Heat induced migraine can definitely do that, you wouldn't believe the level I was reduced to on a holiday in Greece. DM was convinced I had a stroke.

Well it definitely wasn’t heat induced @Lagomtransplant but it could have been sparked off by the cold sea 🤷🏻‍♀️ I just hope it won’t happen again and what can be done to avoid it.

Just to add, my right hand side eyesight was utterly scrambled, right hand side numb, couldn't produce a coherent sentence, nausea/vomiting and the pain was undescribable.

I have quite regular migraines, but they are very predictable and in a specific order: sight scramble, nausea, headache and that's it. Nothing in the league as described above.

Is she still in hospital now? I would find out which vaccine she had, if it was AstraZeneca, bring it to the hospital's attention urgently.