.Poppy.
10-03-13, 00:14
I have gotten migraines since I was 11, and I am now 21. The first year I got them pretty badly and I would get physically ill and have to miss school. After that first year, they tapered off in severity but I've had them ever since.
Only a handful of times since have I had them to the point that I couldn't go to work, school, etc. For the most part, they've been bearable and I've been able to go about my regular business. I've also NEVER had a visual aura before getting a migraine with the exception of a brief one a couple of years ago.
Anyway, last Wednesday I had a migraine like I've never had before. It started with a visual aura (colored zigzags) and a blind spot in my vision. I went to the eye doctor because my head wasn't hurting yet and I was terrified - then the headache set in. I took a pill, went home, and laid down.
About an hour in, I was calling my mother in a panic. I wasn't able to see very well, I was in extreme amounts of pain, and every now and then my hands were going numb. The WORST part was that I wasn't able to speak or think in coherent thoughts. I was usually aware of it, but I wasn't able to find the words that I was trying to say or I wasn't forming my sentences correctly. That was probably the most terrifying for me.
Ultimately, I went to the ER where they said it was definitely a migraine, gave me an IV and told me to follow up with my doctor. Yesterday (Friday) I did. He said since I've gotten better - I have only had a slight headache since - he was sure nothing major was wrong but he referred me to a neurologist next week just in case. He said that stroke-like symptoms with migraines are possible, but not overly common.
I'm just not sure what to think to be honest. This was so out of the realm of any pain I'd ever experienced before - and I've gotten migraines for awhile. The "stroke-like" symptoms scare me the most, as does the thought that this could happen again. I'd always been told that migraines got *better* when you age, not worse. I guess I'll see what the neurologist says but I am just at a loss.
Has anyone out there had similar experiences with migraines?
Only a handful of times since have I had them to the point that I couldn't go to work, school, etc. For the most part, they've been bearable and I've been able to go about my regular business. I've also NEVER had a visual aura before getting a migraine with the exception of a brief one a couple of years ago.
Anyway, last Wednesday I had a migraine like I've never had before. It started with a visual aura (colored zigzags) and a blind spot in my vision. I went to the eye doctor because my head wasn't hurting yet and I was terrified - then the headache set in. I took a pill, went home, and laid down.
About an hour in, I was calling my mother in a panic. I wasn't able to see very well, I was in extreme amounts of pain, and every now and then my hands were going numb. The WORST part was that I wasn't able to speak or think in coherent thoughts. I was usually aware of it, but I wasn't able to find the words that I was trying to say or I wasn't forming my sentences correctly. That was probably the most terrifying for me.
Ultimately, I went to the ER where they said it was definitely a migraine, gave me an IV and told me to follow up with my doctor. Yesterday (Friday) I did. He said since I've gotten better - I have only had a slight headache since - he was sure nothing major was wrong but he referred me to a neurologist next week just in case. He said that stroke-like symptoms with migraines are possible, but not overly common.
I'm just not sure what to think to be honest. This was so out of the realm of any pain I'd ever experienced before - and I've gotten migraines for awhile. The "stroke-like" symptoms scare me the most, as does the thought that this could happen again. I'd always been told that migraines got *better* when you age, not worse. I guess I'll see what the neurologist says but I am just at a loss.
Has anyone out there had similar experiences with migraines?