Migraine

[PerkyOchrePeer]

I get migraines. They don't last long and I don't get headaches just visual disturbances. I get them every few m9nths. I want to know what causes them but a GP at my surgery won't send me for investigation to a migraine clinic because my migraines only last about 15 mi uses. I had one of these migraines earlier today. I am fed up with it. I want to find out what's causing them but no doctor will take me seriously. About a year ago I had a migraine that lasted an hour so I went to A and E and by the time I saw a doctor she told me she could do nothing to help me and sent me away. I was fuming

Reading other migraine threads someone said prevention is better than cure, but until I know what causes mine I cannot prevent them. I know with some it's chocolate or cheese but that not the case with me. I only started getting them since the menopause

What would you like to get out of this thread?

It could be hormonal changes. Lack of good quality sleep (since you’re menopausal). Intolerance to foods.

The usual advice is keep a migraine diary. Unless the migraines are really disruptive to daily life you can medicate within over the counter medicines and don’t need to see an GP. Experience will eventually help you identify when a migraine coming on and manage the symptoms.

To be honest I’ve no experience of short-duration migraines as mine last for hours.

I got sumatriptan for my migraines, it stops it in its tracks within 30 minutes. I've always had them - for me it's stress, low blood sugar (I'm guaranteed one if I skip breakfast).

It's basically the pain plus blood flow to the brain which causes pressure and makes it worse. Sumatriptan I think narrows the blood vessels so reduces the blood flow in the head. Been a bloody miracle.

I don't think a daily preventative is needed if they are every few months. I've been getting them twice a week and still not on one yet.

It's difficult for them to diagnose a cause because often there is no visible/certain cause.

I don't live in the UK and where I am they won't give you any medication until they do a raft of tests with a specialist.

I had umpteen blood tests, an MRI with dye, the one where they put electrodes all over your head and the neurologist's conclusion- hormonal.

My gp in the UK, before I left had asked me questions and diagnosed exactly the same.

Probably best to keep a migraine diary and see if you can see a pattern.

My migraines have evolved into this sort of thing, where the aura / visual and speech disturbances are the main part and last around 2/3 hours until I’m left feeling drained and exhausted. The extreme pain and vomiting/upset stomach of most of my life have lessened and I’m not sick any more with them.

My triggers are weather related especially snow. Food wise it’s not cheese and chocolate but other things which I identified decades ago through keeping a detailed daily diary. Sometimes exercise could trigger one so I don’t do intense cardio stuff any more.

I guess what you’re saying @PerkyOchrePeer is you want to rule out any brain issues. I had various scans as a teenager/early 20s because mine were so severe and debilitating but (as awful as they are) it’s ‘just’ migraine.

When your attacks are mostly aura, the usual treatments (triptans) don’t seem to work - at least they never did for me and I’m going back to when Imigran came out as an injection, right through to the ones you melt on your tongue. I even had suppositories for a time despite me telling the doctor I had to sit on the loo with a bucket in front of me because the symptoms were pretty violent both ends!!

Mine also increased in frequency til I got my HRT routine sorted.

Keep the diary and see what you can note as a pattern.

@YellowZebraStripes Sounds horrific, Zebra. I was given beta blockers for a while, has that ever been suggested to you?

I do keep a diary and I went through the menopause at 48 and I'm now 62. I don't think it's foof

What do you mean with visual disturbances? Like scintillating scotomas?

You went to A&E because a migraine lasted an hour? And they’re usually 15 minutes? I’d be grateful they’re over so quickly

With mine I just get aural. I take ordinary painkillers and usually 10 to 15 minutes it goes away. I am not left exhausted. The only thing ut leaves me with is anxiety because u dint know why they happen. I had one at work a few months ago and had one 2 months ago just as I was about to travel to the airport on a long haul flight. I'm not nervous about flying but I was worried thati had all my documents to go abroad and didn't leave anything behind. I've had migraines when I've not been stressed and this last one happened when I woke up at 3am and it was humid but I've woken up when it's been humid before and not had a migraine. As I say, they are annoying and seem to happen fir a variety of situations. I really want someone to tell me what causes them

I was chatting to a colleague at work and she got them but saif she hasn't had one for 6 years. I said to her what caused it and she said she didn't know. My dad has only had one in his life when he was doing some decorating without ventilation and my mum only had one when she was pregn̈ant with me

I know a woman aged 87 and she has never had a migraine ever before

I have had chronic daily migraines, was severely debilitated and bed bound for months, yet the waiting list to see a neurologist for me was almost two years.

I paid to see a private neurologist and was put on medication which has taken 8 months to get to full strength and start working.

Everyone has different triggers, no one can tell you what youra are until you keep a detailed diary.

Be aware of the common and uncommon triggers so you can see any patterns including
-not getting enough sleep or change in bed time
-Not eating at the usual times
-Illness such as viruses
-change in weather pressure
-dehydration
And the more common triggers related to stress, food, alcohol, exercise etc

You could go private but if will be a waste of money unless you keep a diary first.

Why are you taking painkillers if there is no pain? What do you think an A&E department can do to investigate the cause for an aural disturbance?
I get scintillating scotomas, they take about 15-20 min, they come in clusters, sometimes I don't have any for months and then I get 3-4 in a week. I don't do anything about them. I get them more often in the office than elsewhere, so it might be the artificial light, or ti might be the fact I spent too much time there.
I also get migraines that make my left eyeball feel like it's exploding, make me throw up bile every hour for an entire day and I still feel like I have been run over by a bus three days later. Thirty years on from my first one of those, I still don't have a clear trigger for these.

The thing about triggers is what triggers one migraine might not be the trigger for the next one.

Instead of asking the GP for further investigation and referrals, ask for something you can take to shorten the duration, although being honest they are already pretty short and don't seem to cause much issue for you so I'm not sure what they can offer.

Perhaps that's why they've not done much, because for short duration, aura only migraines there isn't anything to be done.

I would really recommend keeping a diary. The thing with triggers is that it can be cumulative, so to use your potential trigger examples, a combination of lower stress and lower humidity might be enough to tip you over the edge, whereas a higher level of stress alone doesn't.

If you did end up with a referral to neurology, they'd also want the migraine diaries, so could be useful for the future.

I know a woman aged 87 and she has never had a migraine ever before take painkillers because a doctor said even if I have no headache I should take a painkillers to help reduce the aural

Try taking Migraleve instead of painkillers as soon as symptoms develop. You may find it significantly reduces the duration/stops symptoms progressing further. Works well for me.

My symptoms don't progress further

Ok but it can also help reduce the duration of the migraine and end it quicker.

They last 10 minutes. That is pretty quick compared to other people who have then for hours. When I was about to travel abroad I had one and took a painkiller and it went in 5 minutes

Ok so what’s the problem then? You are trying to get help for something that is mild irritant at best. Crack on and be thankful you don’t get migraine as bad as the rest of us.

Yes and when I was going abroad I was concerned that although my mugraine went before I got to the airport, being up in the air with air pressure would make it come back but it didn't. I am wonderin̈g if I am making a fuss for nothin̈g but the aural disturbances are not pleasant. I avoid sitting next to people on public transport who have strong odours such as perfume or a smell of garlic or curry as these strong smells could be trigger factors

In short, yes you are making a fuss for nothing.