Migraine auras

[Pigwig]

Hi everyone, have just suffered from another migraine aura this morning and am feeling very ill. I began to get auras when I was pregnanat and they have continued for the last 18 mths after my son was born. Does anyone else suffer from auras i.e. zig-zag and wobbly lines in one or both eyes?? Can anyone tell me their experiences and if they think they know what triggers them. I was told during pregnancy that it was hormonal but that doesn't explain why I still get them. I do think stress could be a problem because I tend to suffer after a period of stress such as lack of sleep, ill baby or work related problems. Please help!

I don't suffer from this but DH is an alternative therapist and counsils people who suffer from these sorts of problems.
This is a list of things you may be aware of (sorry if it's too basic) but that might help you pinpoint the problem.
Do you drink a lot water ? -
Do you drink tea ? - 50% of people he sees get better after giving up tea completely
What sort of relaxation exercise do you do ? Have you tried yoga or meditation ?
Have you consulted anyone about this ? If GP can't help, a good homeopath or other alternative therpaist might have a solution....
ALL THE BEST !!!

Pigwig, I get the zig zags!

When I am absolutely knackered, is the only trigger I can think of. It doesnt happen often. If you lie down that helps, for as long as you can - middle of sitting room floor with tiddler running round, not easy!

Agree with Pupuce about lots of water, think of flushing it away. I have given up caffeine (tea and coffee).

Years ago I got very bad migraines with every period, so agree with it being hormonal. They have since disappeared (thank god) but instead every now and then I get these awful zigzags.

A brilliant tablet I used to get over the counter was Migraleve, come in two colours, I used to take one of the mild ones and then lie down in dark room. They were excellent.

Dont know if any of my rabble has helped, but just to let you know its not just you. Have you seen the Dr about it?

Hi Pigwig, I get migraine occasionally always preceded by visual disturbances. These are a very good indicator of what is to come as I need to go to bed basically and lie still until it passes. I'm not very functional once the headache kicks in. I haven't pinpointed any particular trigger although I didn't have them until I went on the pill for the first time (I came off it after the first aura incident). Sometimes it also involved bizarre facial sensations when it feels as though I have no control over my facial muscles and it's all contorted (not apparent to anyone watching though!). I haven't tried alternative things but tend to take as many painkillers as is safe together (eg ibuprofen and paracetomol) and with some strong coffee (caffeine dilates the blood vessels which can alleviate some of the pounding). If you get them frequently a diary may be helpful so you can see if there is a pattern: foods, sleep etc. And come off the combined pill if you are taking it.

Hi, Pigwig, I'm a veteran migraine sufferer. Been getting them since I was 12 and still going strong in my 40's. I don't get aura very often now -the last one was driving round the M25 - eek! There can be lots and lots of triggers, food, bright lights, perfumes, hormones, almost anything, really. My particular trigger is missing a meal.

To try and identify your trigger/s it's worth keeping a diary for a month or two. Note down in brief everything you do. Time you get up, what and when you eat, any problems and of course your migraines, how severe and how long they last etc. Looking back over the weeks you may be able to see a pattern emerging and help identify the cause.

You don't say whether your aura is followed by a headache/vomiting. If it is and you need painkillers, take them as soon as you have the first twinge or flashing light. Don't wait-and-see, because you're far more likely to nip it in the bud if you medicate at the first symptom.

It's definitely worth seeing your doctor as they can give you good painkillers and preventers these days and also the Migraine Society is useful. Alternative therapies are worth considering. I've had a course of acupuncture which was quite good and have begun reflexology. Feverfew tablets are of use to some sufferers, as well. HTH

pigwig, I was lucky because mine disappeared during pregnancy, but I'm sure they're hormone-linked. Whenever I get the beginnings of an aura, I try to eat something, preferably complex carbohydrates which stay in the system longer, unlike eg chocolate/sugar which gives you a very short-term sugar 'high' & can make things worse. This usually does the trick. Stress doesn't help either (so long days at work, forgetting to eat sandwich at lunchtime, deadlines looming =migraine). my wobbly lines used to completely disrupt vision in one eye, so it was impossible to work/drive. luckily I have fewer these days. my mum no longer gets them, as she's post-menopausal.

My migraines are "post stress" As soon as a stressful event is over I get a week of the buggers. No post exam partying for me. I'm with Suedonim, medicate at the FIRST sign of an aura, then try and get to a dark room and sleep it off if you can. I've found Migrileve (sp?) useful, or ibuprofen works if you take it early enough. I was prescribed a coedine-paracetomol mix tablet for them when I was pregnant which did sweet FA to the migraine, but which deals with dh's hangovers a treat.

Pigwig - I used to suffer from this. I had a swirling pattern with flashing bright colours and also reduced vision usually only in one eye. However I didn't actually have any pain. In my case it was definately stress as I was working too hard in a job, studying and I was overdoing it at the gym too. I was also having sleep problems. I noticed it would come on just before lunch so I think low blood sugar is a trigger. I'd go for a check-up if I were you but don't worry it is unlikely to be anything serious. For me it went away after having it for maybe five years and it has never returned since.

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Try the panic attack remedy of breathing in and out of a paper bag when the first zig zag hits - something to do with breathing in more carbon dioxide. I find it can hold off the full blown migraine long enough for me to get home to my medication/darkened bedroom.

Thanks to all who responded to my cry for help. What a relief to find so many of you suffer similar symptoms. The first time it happened to me I was absolutely terrified. It still frightens me everytime I get one though. Eulalia like you, I don't always get a headache after the aura but I think this is more to do with taking paracetamol as soon as the lights start. I didn't get any early enough yesterday though and I still have a headache 24 hours later!!
Slug the post stress thing sounds like what I get too. I've had a week of no sleep and 3 visits to A+E with a very sick baby. I came back to work with the prospect of lecturing to a particulary ungrateful class, so I suppose it's no wonder I got a migraine.
Cheers everyone!!

I read a piece in the Sunday papers a few weeks ago which said that migraine sufferers often have too-low levels of magnesium and that taking a supplement could help. Sounds like a good idea - anyone else come across this one?

I saw an eye specialist last night who diagnosed my auras as 'occular migraines' - he suggested stress as a possible cause but I guess the cheese/chocolate/alcohol culprits may also be involved. He said paracetomol would stop them as it works on the same bits that cause headaches. My mum gets the full headache & nausea thing after her auras but if she takes Disprin Direct (the one you don't need water for) immediately it completely stops it - recommended by another woman who'd had them for years.

Pigwig - i have now had 2 bouts of acupuncture and it has been brill, no migraines, no auras and in fact no headaches at all since I started having it. I had headaches almost everyday and migraines a few times a year - auras, nausea, headache for 36 hours etc - mainly due to old neck injury I think.

I've got the mother-and-father of migraines today! I'm off to bed for a bit.

I get distorted vision with migraines - if I try and focus on something it goes all blurred and I end up looking out of the corner of my eye. They are usually followed by pain and vomiting. I occasionally get numbness as well. My triggers are tiredness and missing meals. I am sure there is some hormonal influence as I first started getting them at puberty and they occured monthlyish. My yogo teacher suggested massaging a pressure point on the back of the neck (difficult to explain exactly). I did this last time it happened and took paravcetamol and escaped without having a full migraine.

Thanks, Bron. I didn't resurface until 9.30pm! I was almost in tears with the pain. Still, I've a reflexology session to look forward to, in the morning.

How are you now, Suedonim? Hope you're feeling a bit a better. A really bad migraine is unbearable, so you have my total sympathy. Try to rest if you can.

Feeling much better today, thanks, Chanel. Still the occasional twinge but nothing like yesterday's belter. I've been for my relexology session too, which is incredibly relaxing and seems to help.

I'm interested that so many people seem to have hormonal headaches but the solution seems so elusive. My mother's and my headache history is an exact copy of each other. Began headaches just before puberty, migraines started at about 17. Migraines every month at the onset of a period, other headaches scattered throughout the week. If I have a migraine every month without fail, surely it must be something my body is doing that can be identified and addressed. I only had two migraines while pregnant.

For those who recommend feverfew, how is it taken and how regularly? I'm assuming it's an ongoing thing as a prevention rather than cure?

I'm still breastfeeding so my options for medication are smaller. I had a shocker last Wednesday but it kicked in before I went to work so I was able to lie down and sleep it off. If I'm already out and about I usually try to struggle through it.

Help! Although I contributed to this thread a while back saying I had kicked my migraines with the help of acupuncture, now I am pregnant they are back with a vengeance! I have had four since I became pregnant (Im around 12 weeks), I used to get the odd one every year or so.

Any tips on getting rid of them during pregnancy - what you can and can't take etc? I am a bit wary of acupuncture whilst pregnant. Clearly they are hormonal...they are so debilitating, luckily they have mostly occurred at the w/end so dp can look after dd while I rest in a dark room for a few hours. Have spent most of today limping around with dark glasses on looking and feeling like a complete weirdo.

Enid, you poor thing. I don't know what is or isn't safe to use during pregnancy. Could you go to a complementary health place and ask for their opinions? I'm sure there must be something they can do, maybe massage? Take care.

Poor you! I am lucky - my migraines dissapear while pg and bf - think I'll bf ds until he's at school!!
Acupuncture while pg is sometimes ok. My ds is a doctor who also trained in acupunture and he did it on me for headache, backache and morning sickness, and it was great - it's so good not to be taking drugs but still getting a benefit, esp as the migraine tablets I take cant be used in pregnancy.
I also used aromatherapy - bergamot and chamomile in a burner, but found massage awful as I couldn't bear someone touching me whilst I had a bad migraine.
Hope you find something that helps !!

Enid, so sorry to hear your migraines have returned. I suffered alot while pregnant too, I remember reading at the time that a walk in the fresh air can often lift a headache. This definetly helped me in the early stages of pregnancy. I have just had 2 migraine auras with a pounding head this weekend, I still havn't fully recovered so I can fully sympathise. Good luck with the pregnancy