Migraine with aura- anyone else get these

[dizzy daisy]

I'm having an awful bout of health anxiety and I suppose just GAD after many years more or less free of this.
I've had a number of issues in the last few years bereavements, miscarriages etc etc which all could have contributed to this. I'm into my 3rd month of dealing with this and just recently started counselling to talk things through.
I think I've worked out what's brought this on and it's migraine.
I've had migraine for years and probably about 9 years ago I started to get migraine with aura. I was terrified with that shimmery, zig zaggy thing in my eye and then the headache hits afterwards. I thought I was having a stroke or had a tumour or something. I was unable to get hold of my GP surgery so called shat was then NHS direct. The dr called me back and went through s number of questions and said its nothing to worry about and was probably an inner ear problem or visual effects of migraine. Advised to see an optician so that they could confirm nothing was wrong with or behind eyes. I saw optician who agreed was probably aura.
Anyway to cut a long story short I had one a few months back and they always really frighten me so much. Since then I've been anxious and I've just now realised that I'm panicking everyone time I see a flash of light or anything at all in my vision - like I'm terrified I'm starting with another migraine!! The stupid thing is I know the more stressed and tense I am the more likely I'll have another one.
Does anyone else have migraine? Can anyone relate to this?
Thanks xxx

[feelthelove]

I'm having an awful bout of health anxiety and I suppose just GAD after many years more or less free of this.
I've had a number of issues in the last few years bereavements, miscarriages etc etc which all could have contributed to this. I'm into my 3rd month of dealing with this and just recently started counselling to talk things through.
I think I've worked out what's brought this on and it's migraine.
I've had migraine for years and probably about 9 years ago I started to get migraine with aura. I was terrified with that shimmery, zig zaggy thing in my eye and then the headache hits afterwards. I thought I was having a stroke or had a tumour or something. I was unable to get hold of my GP surgery so called shat was then NHS direct. The dr called me back and went through s number of questions and said its nothing to worry about and was probably an inner ear problem or visual effects of migraine. Advised to see an optician so that they could confirm nothing was wrong with or behind eyes. I saw optician who agreed was probably aura.
Anyway to cut a long story short I had one a few months back and they always really frighten me so much. Since then I've been anxious and I've just now realised that I'm panicking everyone time I see a flash of light or anything at all in my vision - like I'm terrified I'm starting with another migraine!! The stupid thing is I know the more stressed and tense I am the more likely I'll have another one.
Does anyone else have migraine? Can anyone relate to this?
Thanks xxx


I know exactly how you feel and how frightened you get because i have been getting aura since i was 25 years old and I'm 52 this year its the worse thing for me because the fear just sets anxiety and panic on even worse and then im out of it for days and i search ways to prevent them and as yet nothing has stopped them happening . At one point in my life i would have a month then it got to a few months and then at one time i went 15 months without one and i thought i had cracked it but then i got one and i was just as terrified and the panic was terrible.Since then i have had them 2-3-4 times a year , the doctor doesn't seem worried and never has, and yet i am always dreading another one and it affects my daily life for fear of another starting, i often think it is one starting when the sun hits a car window and it leaves that bright light , i know an ingredient in supermarket bread and it is called calcium proprionate which is a migraine trigger i don't eat any bread now i just don't trust it . Maybe you could look into that it might be a trigger , and also the additive is also disquised as an e-number .xx

[dizzy daisy]

Feelthelove thanks for your reply. In the same really, probably get 2-3 per year but they freak me out so much I just dread having another. I'll definitely look into the additives. I've also recently read that taking magnesium, b2 and Cq10 can for some people help prevent or reduce attacks. I've started taking these out of pure desperation!!
For me I noticed a significant increase in migraine when I moved office into a really bright open plan environment. The desks, walls, everything was also white!! And really bright lights too. Even people who didn't have issues with headache complained of headache. I had to wear sunglasses at work and that really helped but I felt stupid. I decided to change jobs due to this and was really enjoying my new job - sunglasses free when a migraine hit after a few months!! I think this really disheartened me and since then I've been terrified of having another. The have such a horrible effect on your life don't they.
Thanks so much for your reply, it's nice to talk to people who know how horrible and frightening it can be x.

[Phuzella]

I've had them occasionally over the years but since Christmas I've had them quite often. I don't get bad headaches but I get the aura and feel dizzy and generally yuck a few days before and after it. Anxiety certainly doesn't help as I've been very stressed lately.

---------- Post added at 15:35 ---------- Previous post was at 15:33 ----------

Oh and a very stiff neck and shoulders too

[feelthelove]

Feelthelove thanks for your reply. In the same really, probably get 2-3 per year but they freak me out so much I just dread having another. I'll definitely look into the additives. I've also recently read that taking magnesium, b2 and Cq10 can for some people help prevent or reduce attacks. I've started taking these out of pure desperation!!
For me I noticed a significant increase in migraine when I moved office into a really bright open plan environment. The desks, walls, everything was also white!! And really bright lights too. Even people who didn't have issues with headache complained of headache. I had to wear sunglasses at work and that really helped but I felt stupid. I decided to change jobs due to this and was really enjoying my new job - sunglasses free when a migraine hit after a few months!! I think this really disheartened me and since then I've been terrified of having another. The have such a horrible effect on your life don't they.
Thanks so much for your reply, it's nice to talk to people who know how horrible and frightening it can be x.

you're welcome, it does help to know you're not alone, i have heard that too abut magnesium, if i could afford an intolerance test i would because they show foods that can cause aura , let us know how you get on with the magnesium etc x

[countrygirl]

I get silent migraines in that I just get the visual aura of zizag lines that lasts about 15 minutes and no other symptoms at all! I had my first one about 20 years ago that scared me witless and thankfully I can go years in between then have a little run of them usually when I am super anxious.

My friend had her first one about 2 years ago like mine and has had another one since - incredibly common but yes a bit scary at first.

[Phuzella]

Countrygirl , do you get any dizziness or vertigo??

[countrygirl]

No I get no symptoms other than the visual one although thats freaky enough. Dizziness etc is very common though - I know one lady with migraine with aura and she loses the use of one side of her body as if she has had a stroke:scared15: but its only while she is having the migraine. She gets the aura about half an hour before the headache etc so knows she has to get somewhere to lay down. She has had this since she was in her teens and is no in her 50's.

[.Poppy.]

I've had migraines since I was 11 (am 24 now) and they've varied in severity but I never really got the aura.

When I was a freshman in college, about 19 years old, I got my first aura. I really didn't know what it was at first. I came in from a sunny day to do a group project with some friends in a cafe and my eyes just never adjusted. I had those "sun spots" and remember thinking it was strange. An hour later the pain arrived, worse than it had been in awhile but doable.

Then, two years later, I woke up to the zig zags in my vision. It was terrifying. Worse was when the zig zags disappeared and I just had a blind spot. I called my dad in a panic and he took me to the eye doctor who confirmed it was a migraine. The pain set in and it was BAD. I honestly thought I was having a stroke - couldn't speak properly, very dizzy and out of it. I was panicking so much my hands went numb. It was very, very scary and ultimately I called my mom and she took me to the hospital. I saw a neurologist and had an MRI but all was well. "Just" a migraine.

I still get headaches but haven't had any kind of aura since then. I think if I did I would freak out immediately - the idea of that level of pain and loss of control is absolutely terrifying.

[rsanchez]

Daisy I have the same situation as you with regards to bright open office. I've suffered from migraines since my late teens, I am now 25 years old. I used to have them very occasionally, maybe 3-4 times a year. Since changing desks at work a few months ago to a desk next to a window, which is across the street from a white building that casts a really strong glare midday, I have started getting migraines 3-4 times per month.

I started suffering from migraines since before I started suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, so over the years I never was too concerned about them. I just knew that when I started seeing those shimmering zig zags my day would basically be ruined but if I went to sleep as soon as possible then I could avoid the headache. It was an inconvenience for sure, but never something I was afraid of.

However, over the past few months the greatly increased frequency did start to concern me. I went to the doctor with my concerns and she agrees that the bright lights could have been what triggered greater frequency of migraines.

Similar to you, I am also starting to take magnesium supplements. I'm specifically taking chelated magnesium because it's supposed to be better absorbed by the body. You're not supposed to see results for a while though, up to a few months, so I hope we'll both see relief from magnesium.

I'd say the biggest thing is not worry about migraines as detrimental to your health. They are a huge inconvenience when they happen, but it doesn't mean you'll have a stroke.

[dizzy daisy]

Thanks all of you for your replies. Wow I feel better knowing there are others with this horrible problem.
I get the dizziness with migraine too, mainly I get it to start and then the zig zags come and then the headache and slurred speech, nausea and that awful feeling of exhaustion for days afterwards.
The brightness for me is defiantly a trigger, fluorescent lights are a real nightmare, flashes on cameras can do it, if it's sunny and you get glints of light of water that can trigger me. I'm defiantly looking into the intolerance stuff as I think maybe some foods or additives might well trigger me too. If I'm tired that can make me worse too.
I'll defiantly keep you updated in the magnesium, b2 and cq10. I hope for all of us it can make a difference.
For me I worry about having to take time off work if they become more frequent too, but I know this worrying is probably going to make things worse.
Has anyone tried the daith piercings? A colleague mentioned them to me as someone she once worked with had horrific migraine but is now migraine free after having this piercing.
I've also heard that tinted lenses can help reduce them. I have to say, I decide to wear sunglasses in the office as it was so bright and it did help so maybe tinted lenses could work?
Thanks so much guys, it really has helped me to know you all have the same issues and we're all still safe and well xxxx

[rsanchez]

I've never heard of the daith piercing, much less with regards to migraine relief. That just looks painful to get done so I think it won't be an option for me! :ohmy:

Tinted glasses can be an option. I'll sometimes wear yellow tinted computer glasses at work to make it easier on my eyes.

[emmalj0]

I get aura every time. Iv had this since a child

[dizzy daisy]

Thanks fur the reply Emma. I don't know why I'm getting so stressed about it really because I've had them for years. Every time I freak out as much as the last time though. I think I just get so frustrated with them as they do have such a horrible impact on the day and they days following really.
Sanchez it's interesting to know that you use the yellow tinted glasses for work. Did you get them prescribed from an optician or did you just buy a general pair? I'm interested to explore this option for me as the sunglasses did help out last time. I always have my sunglasses on my head now for work, like a comfort blanket really I suppose. I always explain to people that I get migraine as I feel like they assume I'm some kind of diva ha ha.
I know what you mean about the piercing sounding painful. I read an article on them saying opinion is split on this. They suggest trying to pinch the area where the daith piercing would be when having headache or migraine first to see if it offers any comfort as this is a pressure point for natural remedies such as acupuncture when relieving head pain. They say if you do find it comforts then the piercing would probably help you.
How many of you have been diagnosed by GP and how many by neurologist?
Mine was diagnosed by an A&E doctor in the end. I'd been having horrible headaches when I was 16 and it felt quite sinussy to me. GP said couldn't see sign of infection but I was probably having inflammation due to hay fever, this went on for weeks and then they said I was becoming very anxious and therefore diagnosed stress/ anxiety too which was making it worse. I was basically there every week in lots of pain and so they referred me to ENT. After various tests they said there was no infection but I had a thickening of the nasal lining which probably caused me to be very sensitive to pollen and even things like changes in temperature. This is actually true, I do get quite headachy in cold or hot climates I suppose. Anyway I had another horrible headache for days and I just went to A&E in the end as I was so fed up. They ran through a few basic tests such as balance and coordination etc and he looked through my notes - he said if it were anything sinister ENT would have picked it up and what I was describing was actually migraine. He said because I was so upset thinking all kinds it was making it worse and that was that really.
I did mention migraine to my GP a few weeks ago and she didn't seem at all concerned. I was going to say I was freaking out about having another one but then got scared of her possibly referring to neurology - I am worried about having MRI ha ha. Isn't it strange that some of us welcome these tests an others shy away from it. Xxx

[GingerFish]

Yes, I've had these from when I was a child. I get a few migraines with just the visual aura and no pain at all after it maybe twice a year roughly and a migraine without an aura and just pain, once a month. It doesn't matter how often I experience the aura, it still terrifies me each time and I always feel like it'll never go away. Mine always start with a black dot in my vision like a sun spot and within a minute or so, I can only read and see half of things and become blind on the other side and then zig zags and colourful dots appear and slowly they move out to the aide of my vision and within 15 to 30 mins, they are totally gone. Each time I get a sun spot or dot in my vision I stop for a minute in case its an aura coming on. Bloody horrible and scary things they are :(

The last one I took was in July last year and I was in the middle of a breakdown from my severe OCD and panic disorder at the time and even though I knew it was an aura because I had them before, I totally flipped and broke down even further. I went to the doctor demanding to be seen and was convinced it was a stroke or something even though I knew it was a migraine. I hadn't slept or ate well for weeks so that was the icing on the cake and that is why I really overreacted to that one.

[dizzy daisy]

Hi ginger
That sounds basically the same as me. I get the ones with aura and the ones without. I've had one without today- I feel like I've jinxed myself by moaning about it. I've been so bloody tense fur months now it was bound to compound into a headache sooner or later.
Yes, mine with aura start with a dark spot in my vision, then my vision goes strange like everything is too bright and I get a blind spot then the flashing zig zags appear and slowly move out to the outer edges. Absolutely hate them so much.
That's the nasty thing is that they're horrible enough in there own but when we're in such an anxious state to start its just so much more distressing to deal with it.
I definitely think that sleep deprivation also does make me more prone to them too. I also find that if I'm really stressed at work, even if this hasn't made me anxious, but I'm just under pressure as soon as I take time leave and enjoy a relaxing day - bam the headaches hit- it's like a release of pressure or something - although these tend to be the type without aura, just crippling pain, nausea etc - horrible things.
Thanks so much for sharing with me. I honestly feel more able to cope knowing that others also have this too - although I dont wish this on anyone, not even my worst enemy!!
Xxxx

[feelthelove]

I read somewhere that anxiety disorder is linked to migraine aura .

[dizzy daisy]

Well for me at least the two seemed to develop around the same time. I don't know if the headaches made me develop anxiety or I'd developed headache because I'd become anxious. It's like what came first, the chicken or the egg.
I'm now feeling rubbish, but we'd invited family over for dinner so I'm trying to solider on. I hate this crappy thing xxx

[rsanchez]

About the yellow tinted glasses, I didn't get any prescribed, just bought a pair.

[dizzy daisy]

Thanks fir the advice Sanchez.

Ginger- what happened when you approached the GP when you had your migraine in July? Did they send you for further testing or did they just reassure you that it was migraine?

I'm over the headache this morning, just feeling washed out now which is upsetting as I've been feeling quite fatigued for the last few months and was starting to notice a little improvement with that- boo hoo xxxx

[rsanchez]

I notice that with migraine, I do feel out of it mentally for the rest of the day, sometimes even for the day after too.

[Phuzella]

I've just had yet another aura :( I have a feeling the windy weather might be to blame. Anyone else find this? ?

[dizzy daisy]

Oh no. That's horrible. I find that brightness is worse for setting off auras, but when the weather turns cold it really makes me very headachy. Xxxx

[Phuzella]

I'll be glad when summer's here:)

[Theriex]

I just had my first aura two days ago. Scared the hell out of me, zig zaggy wavy rainbowy lights that got bigger and blurred some of my vision. Of course I also have GAD so I started to freak out and think I was having a stroke. Called an ambulance, by the time I got off the phone my vision had cleared up. I went in anyways and they told me that it was an aural migraine. I did have a slight headache afterwards, not really painful at all, just annoying.

Unfortunately, I had another episode the day after (or last night), exact same thing, same symptoms. I've been extremely anxious now and depressed. I'm feeling very fatigued and didn't actually get out of bed until around 5:30PM. I also feel unsteady, shaky and just off which i'm trying to attribute to my anxiety and the after-effects of the migraine.

Has anyone ever had them consecutively one day after the other?

This is just terrible.

[dizzy daisy]

Hi T
They are frightening and because we have health anxiety anyway of course it sets of horrible panic too. They do tend to wash people out for days too which is annoying. For me my last migraine with aura a few months back really washed me out and this triggered a horrible bout of anxiety which in still dealing with now. I had another migraine without aura just a few days ago too.
Poor you having two so close together. Try not to worry about this as it can happen. I think the more we worry the more likely we are to trigger them too xxxx

[Theriex]

Thanks.

I was doing great until I got those auras. I've only had the two but since then I've been dealing with terrible anxiety and the depression that goes with it. It's not like I haven't felt like this before so I try to tell myself that eventually I will get back to normal. It could take a couple weeks or even a couple months but then I'll be fine until the next time something starts up my anxiety.

I'm starting to think that I may have SAD since it's always in the winter that I end up messed up. Not enough daylight, too much white and grey instead of the longer days and vibrant green and blues of spring/summer.

[dizzy daisy]

Oh yes that's exactly the same for me. Those stupid auras triggered of this anxiety and it's been hanging about fur a few months now. Like you I'm trying to tell myself I've had it before and eventually it will subside again. It's so frustrating though isn't it. I too had some low mood to deal with but thankfully this seems to have improved at least. The anxiety has been improving slowly, but sometimes I have a blip and I feel like in going backwards. The last 2 days have been hard anxiety wise xxxx

[Theriex]

Thankfully I was only thrown out of whack for about a week. I'm still always somewhat worried about it happening again though, but for the most part i'm pretty much back to myself.

I'm sure you'll get there and start feeling better soon. :)