AIBU? A&E? Migraine?

[AIBUaboutthis4]

My young adult daughter has been suffering from excruciating migraines for the last half a year. They’ve been getting worse and nothing seems to be helping her when she gets them. She had one at the weekend and half of her body was completely numb. She could walk but not very well and she said she didnt feel like she was walking on her foot properly because she couldnt feel it. She fell over when she tried to walk normally. She was also vomiting and couldn’t lie down or bend over because of how severe her pain was. She was screaming with pain and almost manic with it.

I wanted to take her to A&E to at least alleviate her pain but she was adamant she couldn’t go ‘for a migraine’.

I suppose what I’m asking is, would we have been UR to go to A&E for this? She is under her GP but they have been completely useless to be blunt and watching her hysterically howling in pain was horrific. How do other migraine sufferers know when to go to A&E or 111 for help? I’m not expecting A&E to fast track any investigations for her, but when she has a horrific migraine like that, what should she do?

if any fellow migraine sufferers could offer any more advice on the situation for my daughter it would be greatly received.

I've suffered with cluster headaches, migraines and retinal migraines for 20 years and honestly, the way you've described your daughters symptoms warrants more testing. She needs an MRI which is pretty standard when you have a change in symptoms.

She needs a referral to a neurologist asap ..
GP's are notoriously bad at diagnosing headache disorders , and even if this is 'only migrane' you need someone qualified to actually diagnose that ..

Thoughts are with your daughter - i know how bad headaches can be .. I suffer with chronic cluster headache syndrome and have been there screaming and banging my head on the floor MANY a time :(

I'd take her.

I was taken to A&E with what I thought was a migraine a few years ago, after a friend called an ambulance for me. I couldnt walk straight, couldn't see properly, felt I was being pushed from the head down and was being sick. When I got there they did a brain scan and found a cyst on my brain so I'm under neurology now, and have regular reviews.

After my experience I'd say it's always worth getting checked out, even if it's just a case of getting medication that can help for her so she doesn't have to feel like that.

This happened to me when I was 19. Made my way to A&E and then collapsed and was told i'd had a TIA. Made a full recovery but I had been on the pill at the time and they told me to come off it and never go on it again.

Given it has now passed I'd go back to your GP and insist on a referral. Sometimes you need to be firm.

I don't think you'd be unreasonable to go to A&E if it's new but if something she gets regularly, what would you actually be looking to get out of it? Also I would have thought A&E a horrible place for her to be with such symptoms given the noise, lights and atmosphere

My 15 year old dd suffers from chronic migraine as diagnosed by the national migraine centre as I got nowhere with the GP. I took her to A&E as she had memory loss and weakness and numbness, just advised to see the GP, they agreed she needs a neurologist referral but so far we have waited 6 months and not even an acknowledgment of a referral.
It is very debilitating and she is trying to study for her GCSES at the moment.

If you can I would recommend an appointment with the National migraine centre, you can pay privately and get an immediate appointment or you can request a 'free' appointment but you join a waiting list. It is a charity so they accept whatever you can pay which is what I did. I think it took about 8 weeks and we had a zoom call with one of the migraine doctors.
I will now go to the GP and request what they have suggested. Our GPs highly respect the migraine centre, the NHS route is virtually non existent sadly. I learnt alot from the migraine centre.

Please take her. I was in a similar position in November. They had me on a bed and given pain relief within 5 minutes and assured me absolutely I’d done the right thing attending as I was an “emergency” as it could easily have been a bleed on the brain. This is despite the huge queues. I didn’t make a fuss when I got there - I just looked like hell.

i'd take her to A&E and if possible one that has a good neurology dept attached. Much quicker than a GP referral. I feel her pain.

I have hemiplegic migraine and this sounds similar. But I only know because I once went to A&E after being fobbed off by my GP. If nothing else they can give her injections of painkillers and antiendemics. Good luck.

Absolutely take her to A&E. She shouldn't have to suffer like that without adequate pain management. Also, her neurological symptoms and pain level warrant further investigation by a neurologist. Please also help her push for that.

Please let us know what happens if you do go to A&E

PUSH for a brain scan and do it now.
With two brain tumours in the family...sorry I don't want to scare you....it is very important that an underlying problem is not present.look at the brain tumour charity for advice.
Again I'm sorry and don't mean to be scaremongering I really dont,but please get her checked that this isn't something else.
Also,get an eye test arranged asap.one of mine was picked up at a routine eye test due to position of tumour.hope this gets sorted very soon and it really is a migraine and nothing else.💐

My adult dd had very similar symptons. She rang 111 and after speaking to a clinician she was told to go to A&E - the numbness and tingling in fingers and toes was particularly concerning. She was in A&E all day, sent home as there were no beds. Had a phone call asking her to come in for a 24 hr assessment which lasted 4 days. She had various scans and tests including CT and MRI. Apparantly these symptoms can be indicators for a number of things and in dd's case they strongly suspected epilepsy but all scans were clear and unremarkable. She was told to go back to GP.
Luckily the GP she eventually saw had a friend who had the exact same symptoms and he was aware of the treatment needed. My dd has a rare type of migraine and she is taking tablets which means she is now (mostly) headache free after having a constant migraine on one side of her head for three months. If she hadn't responded to the tablets the gp said he would have referred her to a Neurologist.