Migraines, what are yours like?

[Jux]

I have had a few migrainey days this week, yesterday and today being the worst.

I get the aura and pressure in my head, sometimes it's very quite painful. My eye also feels pressure. This can last about half an hour, and then I'm kind of OK, but left tired. Then it'll happen again a few hours later. This kind of sporadic migraine can go on for several days. These last two days the gaps between have been shorter -maybe an hour at most.

My doc has recently changed my medication and put me on propranolol, since when it's been worse. I spoke to him earlier today and he expressed astonishment that a migraine could be so short. He says that a migraine usually would make you lie in bed in a darkened room for at least an hour. Mine don't usually, for which I am grateful.

Do yours? Does anyone have migraines which behave like mine?

Sparkling and brita - sounds like migraine to me...

TheWonderfulFanny :( that sounds awful! ((hugs))

Gosh, some of you are having an awful time.

My cousin recommended that I eat a banana or a plain live yoghurt after a migraine. Apparently they are 'neutral' foods and will help reset your system. I do often, and it does help me feel better.

Just had another one; lasted about 15 mins.

I know what you mean, Fanny, about typing being easier than talking. Neuronal pathways are slightly different for each, so that would help pinpoint which areas of the brain are affected, or some areas anyway.

DH used to get these and now has longer migraine type headaches (not saying you will)

Sparkling, yes I lose words and sound as if I'm drunk. I don't get visual aura but I get very hungry and sounds become distorted and hurt.

TheWonderfulFanny - I've got my neurology appointment on the 9th October, one the one hand I'm very nervous and scared if what they might find but also really hopeful for finding a treatment finally that works!

Mine start with my eyes going blurry, tunnel vision, and stars before my eyes I also can't 'speak straight' as I call it. My head then hurts and I start to feel sick - if I can't medicate and lie down in a dark room it can last for a long time - days even but if I catch it it will pass off. I have recently been given propranolol again - it worked before and I'm glad to say it seems to be again as I haven't had one for about 3 weeks now!

Sparkling, last time I had a migraine I was slurring so bad that DH thought I was having a stroke (lost use of my left arm too)!

Normally I get a day of headache in the back of my skull & over my right eye. If I catch it early enough & dose up I can sleep it off.
If not it turns into full on tunnel vision & can't stand any noise/light.
Only started getting them 2 years ago & haven't had a 'proper' one for a while.

DH loses the vision in his right eye with his.

WonderfulFanny (and everyone else seeing someone about)- Good luck in finding something that helps!

That's a relief to hear actually Horse. It's quite frightening, and I just have to give up speaking altogether for ten minutes. I am not alone.

My left hand just goes numb.

Sparkling, Britta, poorbuthappy, All of those sound like migraines. It's a lot commoner than people think.

Not many people have mentioned an anti -sickness pill - worth taking when you get the aura along with whatever pain relief you need, even if you don't feel sick at the time. It helps you to absorb the other pills so they will work better.

I got no help from triptans till I started to take Buccastem (prochlorperazine) at the same time - it dissolves in your mouth so you can take it even if you're vomiting.

Mammy - I'm at the point where home surgery with a blunt chainsaw appeals!

Btw - does anyone on the thread keep a migraine diary? I tried to set one up on the migraine trust website but their confirmation email isn't coming through, and I don't know what sort of records I should be keeping

I have terrible migraines with aura - of the slurred words, numb left-hand side, would take eye out if I could variety. I have to sleep them off for a few hours once I've taken the meds. Mine tend to cluster so I'll have loads for a while and then a big gap.

I've seen specialists at Queen's Square in London and at the moment the only thing that works for me is Zomig. Wonderful stuff and doesn't make me feel as sick as things like Imigran.

I am very fortunate compared to other sufferers.

I usually just get the aura which can, on occasion, spread across both eyes.
This usually lasts about 20 minutes. I don't get nausea or headache but feel generally "out of sorts" for the whole day.

It's more about being inconvenient for me than anything - especially if I'm just about to leave the house to get the bus or do a presentation at work and I can't see anything!

Before I had lovely lovely sumatriptan on repeat prescription, they totally ruled my life - anything up to three days and nights of constant severe pain, light sensitivity and nausea, sometimes with only a day or two's respite in between. I was suicidal. Now I'm on nortriptyline with sumatriptan when needed. They start off with a horrible sense of pressure, dizziness, brain fog and dissociation, usually with drowsiness as well. If I can take a sumatriptan in time and have ten minutes in a quiet dark room, this will usually sort them out, but if not they progress within an hour or so to pain (almost always on the left), nausea and massive sensitivity to light and smells. Once I'm in that stage they can drag on for days, waxing and waning in severity. Not fun!

I keep a food diary when I remember, seems to be foods starting with C that set me off mainly cheese, chocolate, cake etc. I can't drink coffee or coke or any alcohol. I am careful what volume I have the tv on - to loud or to quiet can set it off, don't look in certain directions with my eyes, if I eat sugary food before having normal food, not enough sleep, falling asleep during the day is a guaranteed way of getting a migraine - always wake up with one, having my hair up, crying, sunshine, the list is endless!

I get 2 different kinds of migraines -

A few weeks ago I had an episode of cluster/ice-pick 'headaches' (sometimes known as suicide headaches.. - reassuring!)which, although only last about 5-10 seconds, can happen up to 20/30 times a day. I honestly cannot describe the pain - I always get it in my right temple and I suppose, hence the name, feels like someone stabbing an ice-pick through my temple. The pain is so horrific that it kind of paralyses my face - probably not literally, but the pain is so bad that it feels that way. Like I said, it goes again within seconds - which is good, but leaves me with a dull pain until the next one hits!

Second type I get is just a normal migraine - thankfully I don't get any major auras. Its strange as any type of migraine or headache I get, its always in my right temple - when I get a migraine I can actually touch the pain in my temple. Although pressing it makes it worse, massaging it can relieve it for a few seconds. I can't take any of the serious migraine stuff (Imigran, migraleve etc) because it always gives me the weird side effects of going all hot and panicky, palpitations and breathlessness. I find that dispersible aspirin works wonders if I manage to catch it in time - other times it barely even takes the edge off it.

Sorry to hear there are so many other sufferers too!

I have really weird migraines... I just get the visual / speech disturbances with no actual headaches. My friend is a senior nurse in the NHS and I asked her about them because I was honestly concerned I was having a stroke, the first time this happened. Fortunately I was with her at the time! Suddenly, I couldn't speak clearly, then had really odd visual effects like only being able to see one of my eyes in the mirror, the other just looked like a flap of skin was there instead of an eye. She knew what it was immediately and said there's a really wide variety of symptoms of migraines and not to worry about it.

I don't get them often but when I do, it's always the same thing; speech / visual stuff, but no pounding head etc. They also last for just a few minutes, not hours. My sister on the other hand has the lot going on with her migraines, which are frequent: throwing up, pounding head, light auras etc etc etc...

Ask your GP, OP, but I reckon your migraines are nothing unusual - they seem to present in different ways in different folks.

KateShmate, my brother gets cluster headaches, so I know they are far worse than any migraine. His come in 6 month clusters and then he's free of them for about 18 months. He's anticipating his 6 month period now. Doctors don't have anything which helps and he's given up asking. He says if he drinks white wine it helps a lot. Something to do with vasoconstriction, I think.

Cailleach, yes, it does look like migraines vary widely. I do think I'm lucky with mine.

I'm just coming out of another - about 10mins (think I had another one in between too). I'm logging the fade-in/outs today so I can be more precise when I next talk to my doctor, as I don't know whether these are separate or just one long one which comes and goes.

I have just remembered some of my conversation with my doc. I was like a drunken, biddable, idiot! I kept saying ummmm, and OK like a real twerp, with no real idea of what I was talking about, all in a silly, breathless, slurred and almost little girl voice

3 (I think) since 8ish.

Sometimes aura, sometimes not. On right side, pain right through my skull, watery eye whicjfeels like it is popping out. Used to last up tp 3 days. With triptans they usually go away now but I feel totally wiped out.

Before, during and after I also crave sweet fruity foods and have a dry mouth. Had one this week and drank whole carton of apple juice.

I've never been diagnosed with having migraines but I do get a really bad headache, normally feel sick, can't think, have to lie down, parecetamol doesn't touch it. When it gets really bad I have some codeine left over from a previous problem that takes the edge off it and helps knock me out!!

These 'headaches' are normally worse around the time of my period.

What do you think? Migraine or just bad headache?

I haven't had one for years but used to get them occasionally. I feel like a bit of a fraud though as mine were curiously pain free but I got really bad visual disturbance - I took a couple of painkillers and tried to sleep for a couple of hours as I just couldn't think straight or do anything. My DP gets them occasionally and his are really painful, no aura or visual problems but he will sometimes vomit - DSS is the same. They both swear by aspirin if they don't have access to migraleve or similar.

I think I must be getting off lightly: every month just before my period I get aura (spreading zigzag lines) which lasts for 20-30 minutes and can be repeated several times. No pain, but feel 'spaced out'. Told GP, who just shrugged: it's my age, apparently

Jux Glad someone can understand! I know it must seem that its brilliant because it goes away after a few seconds - but I would give a 10 day migraine for just 1 cluster 'headache'. Thankfully I have just come out of my 'cluster' and haven't had one for 2/3 weeks. I haven't really kept track of them as until this year I didn't know what they were. Hopefully if I start to, then I can keep track of them as your brother does!
Am glad to hear that white wine helps - my favourite, what a coincidence! I would drink myself into a White Wine 'state' when I have a cluster period, if it wasn't for my 5 DD's

Girliefriend, would you go to your doc about them? There are pills you can take which make it better, or help a bit at any rate. Worth getting it dx properly.

Kate, good idea. I think if you know when a cluster is due then you might be able to do something. I know my bro switches to white a few weeks before he expects a cluster. It doesn't get rid of them, but he says they are less awful, not quite so suicidal. I have heard there's an op of some sort which has helped some people. Bro won't consider it, though.