Migraines really scare me :(

[Anxious_gal]

when I was 11 I got my first one.
I became scared of using one on my own, that was the start of the agoraphobia.

The thing that scares me is the aura, my vision goes very dim, the I get the zig zag lines, this doesn't last the half an hour I read about, it lasts hours and hours :(
I hate not being able to see it's my biggest fear.

Does this happen to anyone else?

I also get confused, can't form sentences, forget the names of objects etc.
This is scary too, I belive I get the type of migraine that mimics a stroke.
Can't remember the actual name.

One trigger seems to be missing my noting coffee !
I guess it's the withdraw lol
Sometimes missing sleep and even over sleeping,
Using my computer seems to maybe be a trigger too even though I've the brightness level very low.

I have gone a few months without one but now started getting them on the very last day of my period. So I'm guessing it's hormonal but still wondering why after months of being migraine free :(

It really really sucks.
I'd like to know of your experiences with migraines and what your symptoms are and how long they last.

[Ingenious]

My migraines always start with the aura. Or more specifically, I'll be reading or watching TV and some part of my vision seems "missing" like a blind spot. Sometimes, if I can quickly lie down in a dark room, I can nip it in the bud. Other times, drinking a string sugary coffee seems to work (but taking medication never does, and paracetamol in particular makes it worse). But usually the blind spot turns into a shimmering blob, sometimes with patterns. This expands outwards leaving a hole in the middle which thankfully I can see through, but the ring expands right out over the rest of my vision (taking 30 mins to a few hours). Oddly, I don't really get a headache at that stage.

Then, other symptoms kick in, I turn dyslexic and have problems reading, I find it very hard to understand what people are saying, I can't add up, I get sensitive to light and my eyes ache, I can feel quite out of sorts, and sometimes get nausea.

Usually for a day or two I'll have a hangover like head that hurts but only when I bend over or strain on anything.

Another type of migraine I get is where there is a pinpoint blob in my vision which i can see when I blink - this can last a couple of days, but there are no other symptoms.

Triggers for me are usually dietary changes or medications. I started some migraines when I started taking vitamins, also when I took some herbal remedies. Generally anything considered good (including, Ginseng, B vitamins, tonics) within a few days will trigger a migraine. If I'm on the verge of a migraine and waiting for something to tip me into one, using a PC/laptop first thing in the morning sets me off if the screen is too bright, so will watching TV, and especially if I'm hungry.

I also used to find walking in brisk cold wind on a bright morning could trigger one, but am unsure whether it was the bright sunlight, the wind on my head, or the restriction on my head from wearing a hat (or all of those!).

Luckily on average I only get a major one about once every three months.

[Kelley]

Hey mishel
I just started getting the visual migraines this year! I'm now 34 and have gone through my life without any apart from 1 when I was 11 or 12 (pretty sure it's what it was)
I've been freaking out all year over them cause they're new to me! It started as one every 3 months until august but then I also got two in September too!! Mine start where I lose a section of my vision then within 30 minutes they turn into either coloured zig zags or wiggly type vision to flashing and loss of clear vision in my perephial. I usually also get some numbness in my hand and lip. I will also get a mild one sided headache afterwards. I hate them, they scare me tremendously and then the fear stays with me everyday after worrying when the next one will happen and if it does will that mean that something bad will happen to me!!

It's really good though to share stories and take comfort in others that suffer the same. The worst part can be feeling alone and scared.

Kel x

[steveh31]

I used to get the aura and had a huge one so freaked out I had to call for help I looked in a mirror and all my left of my face looked distorted it was the scariest thing.

I once had a migraine in middle of nowhere had to call 999 the operator was great the ambulance men though were extremely unsympatheic and rude and refused to bring the ambulance to where i was and i had to walk half blind to them.

On the up side be grateful for having classic migraine because Common migraines are the worst and friend of mine has common migraines so bad he ended up being put into an induced coma for 12 hours because of the pain his headaches are so bad they send him into shock.

So classic migraines are better to have.

[eternally optimistic]

I also get confused, can't form sentences, forget the names of objects etc.
This is scary too, I belive I get the type of migraine that mimics a stroke.
Can't remember the actual name.


Hi Mishel

the above is very frightening. I have suffered head aches for a very long time but they have subsided recently.

I experienced the above when I was pregnant, and I got my husband to rush me to A&E because I thought I was having a stroke. It was a really scarey moment.

I can remember reading something but, I couldnt string the words together in the order that I read them and my words wouldnt come out. I had numbness in my arm too which was frightening.

Luckily, this has happened a few times and not regular.

Have you been to see your GP, I worked with someone who took regular medication which helped with their really debilatating migraines.

Hope you feel better soon.

[blueangel]

I'm a long-term migraine sufferer as well, and mine got much worse when I went perimenopausal - to the extent that I was getting one every few days.

I get migraine with aura, and always get the visual disruptions first. These usually last somewhere between 20-60 minutes, but I've occasionally had them last for a few hours, which is very alarming. I tend to get the zigzag lines and I can usually tell which side of my head the headache will be, as it's the opposuite side to where the aura starts. I'll also get agitated, confused, may get pins and needles and can have problems getting worse out.

When I'm coming out of an attack, I get freezing cold and crave carbohydrates, so I can only guess that migraine really disrupts your body chemistry.

I've taken beta blockers for years and they do seem to help. For mishel, I think I'd go back to the GP and see whether there's anything else he/she can suggest as it's really debilitating.

[.Poppy.]

Mine also started when I was 11 - I would have them every other week or so and have to go home. The pain was just awful - my eyes would have trouble focusing, and I would throw up constantly. And then I would just feel better. I missed much of my 5th grade year, including all of the fun events/trips we'd have - I would get so excited, I guess, and get one.

After that they slowly got better. When I was in high school I went on birth control for a bit (for acne) and was on it until I started getting the really bad migraines again. After that, I still got them but they were more manageable (provided I took the medication and then slept afterward) and weren't as painful.

I never really got many visual symptoms other than having trouble focusing, but last year (my freshman year of college) I had to meet up with a group to work on a paper. I went from outside (where it was bright) to inside (where it wasn't *as* bright) and after a few minutes I know something was just...wrong. It wasn't that I couldn't see, but it was exactly like when you go from somewhere bright to somewhere darker - there are those blotches in your vision. But they wouldn't go away, and they seemed to move around just a bit (it's really hard to explain) but I was scared.

It took me a minute to realize that, maybe, something was about to happen. And five minutes after we finished up - it was a quick meeting - the migraine hit full force. It was awful. I had planned to meet my brother and give him a book but he was in class so I had to sit in my car and try to keep it together until I could get him. Luckily by that time my vision was better and I could get myself home and into bed to wait for the meds to kick in.

I also get issues with computer use - eye strain. It's horrible. It doesn't seem to matter if the backlight is dimmer or not, it's always an issue.

There's only one way to sum it up: migraines are awful. Plain and simple. I've met many people who were very helpful to me at various events, usually school related, where I've gotten sick because they have been there as well - and then there are those who call every little headache a migraine - no headache is fun, but I think if they were to experience the full effect they would realize there is a very clear difference.

[rooby]

I get the aura start first before the headache, it can take different forms such as sight distortion or the zigzag spreading pattern. I really empathise with your fear as I too absolutely dread and hate them. for me the aura is the most scariest thing. i too have lost speech, mixed up words, get words or phrases stuck in my head, I get the numbness in face, lips, teeth pins and needles.
I got so many of them a while back I was in a constant state of panic and ended up paranoid about them. They started constant panic attacks, it got to the stage that I didnt no if i was starting a migraine or a panic attack as the symptoms were so similar.
I ended up in a/e one time and had every test ct scan lumbar puncture but it was "only migraine". The consultant said that migraine causes depression and depression causes migraine. viscious cycle. I have tried different antideps but cannot find one that really suits me.
You are certainly not alone in your fear.

[Anxious_gal]

Wow thank you for all your replies, I have not read them yet, I had my wisdom teeth out under general , yesterday, so still feeling a bit sleepy, but hopefully will get around to replying soon x

[Rhys1879SAFC]

I haven't had a one for around a year now (touch wood).

I get an aura too, a blind spot in my vision, I remember once looking at a door handle and only being able to see half of it. After the aura (which lasts about half an hour) I get numb hands, arms, and face with a severe headache which lasts all day.

They are horrendous things migraines, especially when they arrive in a cluster.