DH ill - do I let him sleep or go to the hospital ?

[FoghornLeghorn]

DH at home with DD's, rang me at work complaining of banging headache, impaired vision and dizziness. He called me back a while later to say he'd started vomiting as well. I'm now home from work.

He says the headache is like a migraine (he used to suffer when he was younger but not had for years), coming down over right eye in particular, he's got his head stuck in pillows at the minute because he says looking up into the daylight hurts.

He just wants to go to sleep but I'm concerned (meningitis?)- have done self help test on NHS Direct website which in answering the first question says to go to the hospital but he wants to sleep for a while a see if he feels better

did it come on suddenly out of the blue - like a thunderclap?
or did he first get a bit of visual disturbance/flashibng lights etc and then headache

if its the most sever headache he's ever had, it came on suddenly without warning tehn he def needs to go to A+E to rule out a subarachniod haemorrhage.

if you do go you need to make clear that this is unusual, came on suddenly, worst ever etc can't stand light so they take it seriously.

good luck

This is weird, I had something similar on Saturday. Blinding headache, dizziness then vomiting (only once though). It got better within a few hours (paracetamol, lie down, water) but I still felt shaky the next day, when I discovered ... bloody tonsilitis flared up again! It felt a bit like the worst hangover ever, which the dehydration would explain. So the OP rang a big bell, then the 2nd post really clanged it. For me, I think it was a combination of 2 hours in the car, putting up a big tent in the (slightly overcast) sun, not enough water and impending tonsilitis. Yuk!

But, having said all that, it might be best to check with a doc.

Sounds like how bad Mum gets when she has a migraine, she suffers from cluster. My grandad and dad have had to stop hospitals from giving her a lumbar puncture because they do seem to be similar.

The problem can come from not drinking, if you are happy he's having a migraine then watch to see how much he can drink, if it's not a lot then you need an ambulance (you would have to move him on your own otherwise and he would be in a lot of pain in the car) so he can be hydrated at the hospital. If you are worried it's not a migraine, then call an ambulance (same reasons as above).

NHS always say go to the hospital, so it saves time not calling them and pretending you did cause you know what they will say!

any news foghorn?

TM how is your dd (she was wheezy?) she is v pretty bTW

Thank you. She's 22 months, still not right but is permanently on steroid inhalers now.

Yes, FoghornLeghorn, let us know how it's going.

bump for foghorn...guess no news means she is seeing to dh.Fingers crossed x

We got home about an hour ago - just getting DH in bed and DD's settled !

We saw someone on minor side then had to be seen by someone on major just to be on safe side. It's cluster migraines aparently, he had another episode in the hospital which was quite fortunate as they were able to see exactly what happens.

He's been told to rest up to try and get rid of the headache - if the vision problem still persists then they will refer him to a neurologist but fingers crossed it's all over with now

poor you .. scary

Glad you got it sorted.

Migraine does look pretty bad if you're not used to it.

Ah so glad to hear that outcome and at least they saw exactly what's happening and are able to help.

Hope he gets better fast xx

Wow, I made an Internet diagnosis. Not that I'm pleased about it, cluster is horrible and is why I get mad about people going "oo ah my head hurts I think I have a migraine"!

Get him to speak to his GP about beta blockers, they've done wonders for Mum's, they don't come very often and tend to lay her up for a lot less time now. Mum has extraordinarily low blood pressure (less than 100) and has severe asthma attacks but it was felt it was more important to treat the migraines and worry about the side effects later.

Thank goodness

Try magnesium supplements 500g per day.

Also chiropracter can really help.

if it is cluster it is really really painful - worse than migraines even so needs to be managed properly. oxygen can help.

he should be referred to neurologist if it is that

poor thing!

Thanks all - having never suffered from a migraine myself I can only imagine how bad it is ..... DH wont ever ever take tablets but he's been taking them regularly today so it must be pretty bad.
He said it's really scary when his vision goes

they are comparable to bad labour pains, you just want to die so the pain stops and every time you move it hurts more.

Hope he feels much better soon.

He needs to learn to notice the first signs of visual disturbance and start knocking back all the different types of pain killers asap to try and head them off.

d'oh luvaduck, just reread your question, not sure where the age came from . I've been having a bad Hughes day since last night

TBH, I've only just noticed this thread and am really glad that your DH has been seen at hospital- I too was immediately thinking 'that sounds like a subarachnoid haemorrhage'.

Cluster migraines are evil- your poor DH.

I get migraines and frequently get tunnel vision on he affected side- it can be really scary. I hope he improves soon.

CarGirl with cluster you don't normally have warning, they tend to be very fast coming. Most painkillers don't work, even morphine can be ineffective to some people. The best treatment is prevention - such as beta blockers.

OUCH