Migraines - how do they affect you?

[LadyDeeDeeDee]

Hi,

Thinking of going to my GP as I'm wondering if I'm getting migraines. I went a few years ago as I noticed some regular headaches that seemed to have other symptoms alongside, but was told no, it couldn't be migraines. But a few times over the last few months I've been felled by headaches that are just horrendous. I know symptoms of migraines can vary a bit, said be interested to know what yours are, and if you are a sufferer, what you do about it.

Thank you.

Hi. Long time sufferer here.

Symptoms can vary but migraines are always one sided only.

In addition to this I get: stiff shoulder and neck, aura (lights or spots round my eyesight), blurred vision and pain behind the eye of the side I have the migraine on,
sensitivity to light, nausea and extreme hunger, delayed speech, diareah, and I become emotionally sensitive. Fun times!

Good luck with your diagnosis and treatment, headaches are the worst.

Download a migraine app and track your symptoms. I found my migraines changed over time so for instance they started out as migraines with sickness then just terrible migraines. With the help of the app I worked out they were Menstrual Migraines. You can track your symptoms on the app so it can help you to anticipate a migraines and it will help you evidence your migraines for the GP.

If you go on to the NICE guidelines, you can see how your GP will treat them step by step.

Have a look at the Migraine Trust Website as well. They offer Employment Advice If they're affecting your work.

I take Propranolol as a profalactic and Tristan's as an abortive med.

Look in to the Premoditary Phases Of Migraine too.

*Triptans

The severity of my migraines varies but I usually get the following:
Phase 1 - irritable, fatigued feeling. I feel like I could just fall asleep, difficulty finding words for things, spacial perception off. Sensitive to smell/crowds/noise.

Phase 2 - the actual migraine - pain on one side of head, feeling of thirst, sinus pain same side as head, nausea & diarrhoea, weak feeling in legs. Sensitivity to light. This last a couple of days.

Phase 3 - The headache is gone but I’m left feeling very wobbly for a day.

Ah yes forgot about the weak leg. I also get a weak leg and that lasts for a few days.

I've been getting nausea and dizziness with the headaches, which is why I'm wondering if they're different to a "normal" headache. They seem to start with a minor headache, which goes away on its own, but then comes back a couple of hours later with a vengeance, alongside dizziness, nausea, and alternating between feeling hot and cold. Because there seems to be a bit of a pattern happening, I wondered if it was migraines. The whole thing lasts about 4-5 hours maybe, and is followed by feeling like I've got the world's worst hangover.

I'll try and track symptoms, thanks for the app recommendation.

In order of occurrence:

Confusion
Zig zag lines in vision
Get get my words out/can't write or type
Severe headache/feeling sick
Numbness in one side, including tongue
Severe fatigue (continuing to next day)

First symptom for me is usually being very very tired / groggy (don't always pick up on this), followed by the aura - zigzag moving flashing lines, then the headache (usually about half an hour after the aura)- intense pain concentrated behind one eye, and nausea. If I deal with the pain as soon as the aura starts, usually gone in a day, but left feeling very groggy. If I don't, then can last up to a week.

On very very rare occasions (has happened 3 times in 20 years), I get aphasia (lose the ability to understand / speak. On one spectacularly weird occasion I couldn't understand or speak English, but could speak German (which I spoke fluently as a small child, not anymore).

I get a zigzag aura that lasts about 30 mins then comes a one sided headache on opposite side of head to where I lost the vision. I feel nauseas like a travel sick feeling and sometimes a bit dizzy. Just generally feel wiped out for 24 hrs.