I got them in the years surrounding puberty with auras, then the headache, followed by copious vomiting.
Now I only get auras (a bright point of light that looks like a circular saw blade that expands until it moves out of my visual field) but only a vaguely unsettled feeling afterward instead of pain.
Sometimes I go months without, then get them in a run of several. I’d like to know what’s going on in your brain when this happens.
I consider myself lucky in this respect that I now skip the headache and puking parts.
I don’t get traditional migraines. I get menstrual-cycle related ones. And since my cycle is super irregular I can’t plan on taking preventative steps. And I won’t go on hormonal birth control with headaches at my age. I’d probably stroke out.
When I get my migraines or migraine-like pain, it hurts like a mother and while I don’t have true auras, I’m sensitive to noise and light. Weirdly, when I was a smoker, a cigarette would help for the couple minutes I’d smoke. Eating usually helps. I think there’s something about the chewing. Gum? No. It has to be real food. I get really nauseated too. It just feels weird and not like a regular headache.
Usually it lasts a day or two. I pop some midol and drink extra caffeine and it’s good. The last one I had was either a week long with breaks or 7-8 separate ones. It started up again today. It came out of nowhere and was super bad. But what’s super weird is that I’m getting them at almost the exact same time every day for about the same length of time. I can’t pinpoint if it’s hormonal (as hormones fluctuate predictably) or environmental (pollen?) triggers. Or both.
I’m between jobs right now so while it’s annoying and really inconvenient for me doing things like housework and errands and stuff like that, it’s not been a huge life-ruiner… yet. I’m super nervous about going to the doctor and there being nothing they can really do. I don’t get sick enough often enough to qualify for disability, but I can’t currently function like a normal adult. And then it could be all gone tomorrow for a year.
Also? Since eating is weirdly one of the things that alleviates my pain, it’s super easy to gain weight and nearly impossible to lose weight. Throw in being incapacitated more often than not since Easter, I’m not going to fit into any of my summer clothes.
Some people who have chronic migraines like this actually have an undiagnosed heart defect, usually an atrial septal defect. Correcting it usually ends the headaches immediately. Has he seen a cardiologist?
I used to get migraines in my 20s. They were the behind-the-eye type headaches and queasy feeling, only going and lying down in a quiet room would give me any relief. At the time I sat under fluorescent lights at work, ate McDonalds for lunch about every day, and drank several Dr. Peppers each day. I greatly reduced or eliminated those from my life and no more migraines. YMMV.
One of the most important control measures when I get a migraine is to sit up with my neck and back straight. Even if my brain and body are crying for sleep since migraines typically wake me up in the middle of the night.I usually sit in front of the TV to wait it out. (But nothing with explosions or shouting). If I manage to prop myself up with pillows so I don’t have to exert any effort there’s a chance I might fall asleep that way. If I mistakenly think the migraine has abated enough that it is safe to lie down I can feel the pain ramping up as soon as I get horizontal.
Does anybody else find that they need to be sitting up straight?
I got a visual aura and photo/phonophobia/scent sensitivity on the way to see the latest Avengers movie. I figured the whole viewing experience (horribly loud, bright, stuffy, inescapable as I’d carpooled) was going to suuuuuuck.
Bought the biggest slushie they had and sucked it down fast as possible. The resulting brain freezes pulled the rug out from under the migraine, which never truly materialised. Got a repeat slushie to have while watching, just in case.
I’m better at preventing migraines these days, but one unexpectedly pouncing when I’m doing something I can’t or don’t want to stop is still an ongoing issue, so the brain freeze thing is potentially life changing. Ice packs have always provided some relief once a migraine’s really set in. Actually stopping a migraine in its tracks is a whole 'nother level.
No. God, no. I have to be lying flat. I’ve lain down in restaurant bathrooms due to oncoming migraines before, uncaring what state the floor was in. In the break room at work, at friends’ places, wherever, don’t care. I have to get flat, and my body will take over and lie itself down if my brain is too distracted by the migraine and forgets to do it itself.
Jennshark, I’d be really interested in hearing what RX was effective for you. I have similar headaches and haven’t found relief since the Sudafed stopped working.
amijoe - I wanted to repeat this, in case you didn’t see it. There are some nasal sprays, including numbing agents, that might work for you if the Chill Method works. Something to check out.
I used to get them occasionally, but not often enough that I felt the need to be on a preventative or even get a prescription.
But now, I’m getting them more often. Now that I’m working in front of a computer screen all day, under fluorescent lights… yeah. I’ve been thinking about scheduling an appointment with my doctor to discuss it and maybe get on something. For now, I just power through. It’s not easy; I had a bad aura and couldn’t see my computer screen once. Yeah, that’s fun.
That happened to me once, after the regular sparkly aura passed off. I took my pills so there was no pain, but I couldn’t focus on what was right in front of me–the computer screen. I said “I can’t read. I’m going home.” So I did, and slept for a couple of hours, and my vision was fine after that. It’s never happened again.
Yes. I have had this issue and I don’t believe that it that uncommon. I am using a fairly effective combination of preventives and treatments that have reduced this type of headache to almost nothing. But I have had it more than I can count. So tired but can’t lay down. Developed an entire nesting procedure to sleep sitting up on the couch. Now even have an adjustable bed to sleep upright at the first hint of a headache.
I am taking toprimate and metoprol as preventatives. And depending on the headache type I take either imitrex(actually the generic) or prednisone.