Migraine sufferers, advice please.

[sidicks]

The thing that really bugs me is the people who think 'migraine' is basically a 'bad headache', with the perception that you should just take a couple of aspirin and 'get on with it'.

I've been lucky enough to only have been what I would consider 'really ill' a couple of times, one with a severe case of tonsilitus and once after my tonsilectomy when I picked up a secondary infection and eneded up back in hospital on a drip.

However, I find that the pain from a bad migraine is so debilitating that even doing nothing in a darkened room is hard enough. Even in the two circumstances described above, I think I could have managed to do something useful if it had been necessary!!

Sidicks

[robdickinson]

Dont mean to worry you but...

If you've never suffered from migranes befoer and just got one afetr a heavy night, go see your GP.

Could be high blood pressure or something else thats causing it that could realy cause you problems in the near future if not sorted.

[blackburnbmw]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Presumably work are understanding?

I can't imagine ringing up and orchestra and telling them I'm not coming in for the evening's concert as I have a migraine I'd never get booked again!

My work is understanding....but they can't really argue with 3 consultants and the mound of hospital letters and 15 years of chronic migraines. If you can contemplate carrying on with daily tasks, work, driving, etc, I suspect you have a bad headache rather than a migraine.

[qube_TA]

scorp said:

qube_TA said:

I get migraines a lot, some lasting several days (usually as a result of broken sleep). I get loads of pressure behind my eyes which makes looking at an object very hard, I have to keep an eye closed to avoid double vision. Motor control gets a bit wacky too so I wouldn't drive. I think that a lot of people who've never had one can't really appreciate how rubbish they are and how it totally stops you from functioning.

Interesting you say that, i had a migraine recently (my first one) which involved or was triggered by reading the same thing for an hour or two, i work with computers for a living. My vision disapeared in one eye as well as peripheral vision for about 30 minutes and i had to lay down for a while, no pain at all though.

Edited by scorp on Sunday 18th May 20:28

They are usually one one side of the head, in my case it's always the left, regular headaches are more global.

I'm sure they're some form of epilepsy, the brain seems to have a problem and goes into crisis and crashes, it takes a while for it to reboot and return to normal.

[maddog993]

silver surfer said:

For thoses migraine sufferers who have 'Auras' and visual disturbances prior to an attack of migraine that occurs at least once every fortnight should discuss with a cardiologist to see whether you have a small 'hole in the heart' which can be closed very easily and reduce the attacks of migraine considerably.

The 'hole in the heart' is called a PFO in medical terms.

SS

Patent Foramen Ovale closure isn't yet a recommended 'simple' therapy for 'Aura' migraines as research hasn't progressed far enough (yet) - though the link is undeniable.
(Also in relation to cardiac/migraine matters, it's worth noting there is also a strong link between migraine and Mitral Valve Prolapse.)

Though the overwhelming majority of migraines are not related to PFO or MVP

[robdickinson]

maddog993 said:

silver surfer said:

For thoses migraine sufferers who have 'Auras' and visual disturbances prior to an attack of migraine that occurs at least once every fortnight should discuss with a cardiologist to see whether you have a small 'hole in the heart' which can be closed very easily and reduce the attacks of migraine considerably.

The 'hole in the heart' is called a PFO in medical terms.

SS

Patent Foramen Ovale closure isn't yet a recommended 'simple' therapy for 'Aura' migraines as research hasn't progressed far enough (yet) - though the link is undeniable.
(Also in relation to cardiac/migraine matters, it's worth noting there is also a strong link between migraine and Mitral Valve Prolapse.)

Though the overwhelming majority of migraines are not related to PFO or MVP

My wife was almost in the trial for that but she hadnt tried enough profelaxis drugs to enter. Heavy excercise often leads to a migrane for her.

[sleep envy]

sidicks said:

I don't tend to suffer from any of the usual triggers, but generally i am at risk of having a migraine attack if I have had a lack of sleep. I certainly find that after a period of severe stress, I'm susceptible, but it's normally after the stress has finished, as if the body does what it needs to do and then gives up!!

yep, pretty much every time for me

my work generally goes in fits and starts - 2 or 3 weeks of coasting and then a month of intense, short deadline targets which sees me working ridiculous hours and ends up with me in bed for a few days with a migrane

symptoms I get is loss of peripheral vision but with a hazy splodge in the middle (so I can only see out of a circle if that makes sense), loss of balance, extreme headaches, nausea and a bad case of dodgy guts

have tried pretty much every remedy by my GP believes it's exhaustion

[missdiane]

silver surfer said:

For thoses migraine sufferers who have 'Auras' and visual disturbances prior to an attack of migraine that occurs at least once every fortnight should discuss with a cardiologist to see whether you have a small 'hole in the heart' which can be closed very easily and reduce the attacks of migraine considerably.

The 'hole in the heart' is called a PFO in medical terms.

SS

I have known about a hole in my heart all my life, had it fixed last year, still no change to teh auras though, they did say the proceedure may help migraines, but alas, no

[Thudd]

I've only had a couple, but i've got one coming on now. Can feel the pressure increasing behind my right eye.

The first one was a nightmare. I had no idea what was happening.
Started with feeling a bit odd - apparently I was looking very flushed.
Then my vision darkened around the edges and I started to see thin rainbow shooting stars around the edges but the middle was very confused - like static. Banging headache started and aversion to light.
I had to go and lock myself in a darkened toilet until I started to feel better.

Not convinced I should have driven home, but when I was feeling a bit more stable I did. And it started to snow, which was really bizarre.
Biggest thing for me was the distraction. It was quite a bit like a mild acid trip, but in a bad way, with lots of pain.

Overnight sleep seems to sort me out.

[scorp]

sleep envy said:

yep, pretty much every time for me

my work generally goes in fits and starts - 2 or 3 weeks of coasting and then a month of intense, short deadline targets which sees me working ridiculous hours and ends up with me in bed for a few days with a migrane

symptoms I get is loss of peripheral vision but with a hazy splodge in the middle (so I can only see out of a circle if that makes sense), loss of balance, extreme headaches, nausea and a bad case of dodgy guts

have tried pretty much every remedy by my GP believes it's exhaustion

That correlates quite well with my working patterns too. Same symptoms as mine too, was really weird trying to read as all letters in the center of my vision kind of melted into the surround image.

Edited by scorp on Monday 19th May 16:50

[sleep envy]

scorp said:

was really weird trying to read as all letters in the center of my vision kind of melted into the surround image.

yep, got a feeling I'll be laid up next week as the final push finishes a week tomorrow

[YarisSi]

I don't suffer migraine but help out at the City of London Migraine Clinic. There the experts and provide outpatient care and do drug research for the companies. Anyway they have loads of stuff on there website (www.migraineclinic.org.uk), youtube, wiki and facebook.
Si