What the Foo?

[kriadydragon]

I think it's been about... oh... I want to say four or five years, maybe more, since my last migraine. I was visiting my brother and his family when it hit me, and at quite an ironic moment as we were watching a movie in which the main character also got migraines. I was very sympathetic with her at the time :/

Then, after that, no more migraines. Until yesterday...

Yet it was so odd. Is there such a thing as reverse migraines? Because it seemed as though I got the headache first, then the headache went away, then came the flashy light thing that usually signals the start of a migraine. I had already taken a Tylenol for the headache before the flashy light, and was drinking a Dr. Pepper when the flashy light appeared. So I slapped a heat pad onto the back of my neck, drank the rest of my soda and finished the Dr. Who episode I was watching as I waited for the skull cracking pain to kick in.

Nothing. I felt fine :/ No headache. Most odd. Though I attribute it to me heading it off early with the pills, caffeine and heat pad. Mix the three and the migraine doesn't stand a chance. I also don't think it was all that heavy of a migraine, especially since the flashy light didn't totally obscure my vision like it usually does. I'm hoping this means that migraines aren't going to be as much a part of my life as they used to be. It used to be that I would get one at least once a year.

I'm still experiencing remnants of the migraine-that-should-have-been - which isn't usual, as there's always a hint or two of discomfort for at least another day. Nothing major or debilitating, just occasionally annoying. But as far as migraines go, I can definitely say I've had worse. I'm hoping this is a good sign.

Comments

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

***hugs***
have been there, done that in spades in the past,
I hope it is just a passing thing and not the beginning of an ordeal
for you.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*

If anything it must be passing, since it's been so long since my last migraine and this current migraine wasn't so bad. I think they're stress related, as I started getting them in middle school, which was a very stressful time for me. And this past month and the month before has been pretty overwhelming.

In fact, either the day before or two days ago I was thinking "Wow, I'm surprised I haven't gotten a migraine." Yeah, me and my big thoughts :P

[crashbarrier.livejournal.com]

I had one like that last year.. no halo, or anything just wham!.. couldn't figure it out at the time but I came down with a heavy cold a few days afterwards so my other half speculated that it might have been something to do with the infection..

Might be dehydration???

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

No, it was definitely a migraine. I only get the flashing light when it's a migraine. It's just weird that I had a headache first. I'm wondering if it was because of pressure changes. I also get headaches when the weather changes. Not usually that sharp, though :P

[crashbarrier.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I wasn't very clear there. the speculation was that the weird no symptom migraine attack may have been initially triggered by the lurking infection.. which was why I didn't have the usual warning - the "halo"..

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see. I did have the halo, but the headache came first. I hope that doesn't mean anything :S

[crashbarrier.livejournal.com]

hopefully not...

Pressure change could be a trigger... blood vessels constrict and relax due to pressures both internal and external which may be a trigger for the headache. which may be why you had it jump on you rather than "wander up" as normal. if its worrying then perhaps a chat to a doctor.. Headaches are funny things.. and if you believe House then it could be Lupus.... *joke*

I got migraines bad during puberty (when they first turned up - its genetic:(.. the doctor gave me paramax.. which was awesome in getting rid, but made me sleepy..these days I use Co-codamol an rest in a dark room (i get photo sensitive) I suspect it might have something to do with Hormones and possibly blood sugar weirdness (i get hypoglycaemia symptoms occasionally - again genetic - we just occasionally dump sugar out of our blood stream for no apparent reason..) my family is awesome in the collection of random medical stuff involved in it:D

hope it stays down and out and doesn't come sneaking back;/

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

"Pressure change could be a trigger... "

That's what I was wondering the other day when it hit. Pressure changes have a way of really kicking my butt, and the weather's been like a yo-yo lately. Plus the last two months have been rather overwhelming, so I wouldn't be surprised if stress played a part.

"I got migraines bad during puberty"

That's about when mine started, as well.

[radioshack84.livejournal.com]

Ick! :( With any luck you won't start getting them frequently. I've been getting migraines since my freshman year of college (about 5 years ago), and unfortunately for me they've increased lately so I get them about once a month.

Depending on the cause of your migraines (mine are hormonal) you can vary from having the aura before the headache, during, after, or not at all. I occasionally get auras, but usually they don't even coincide with the headache itself. My dad will get really bad auras that completely black out his vision, sometimes followed by a headache the next day and sometimes not. *shrug*

There's really no scientific pattern to it that I've ever heard of, so I wouldn't worry too much about the timing. You're just lucky that Tylenol and caffeine take care of yours. I'm in the process of trying to find something that works for mine without bothering my stomach. Midrin is the current candidate, but I think it gives me some sort of withdrawal symptoms which I definitely don't care for. Anyway, I've rambled enough. Hope you feel better! :)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Mine started in Middle School, which is why I think mine may be stress related as Middle school was a rather bad time for me.

I didn't know you could get a headache before the aura. Mine usually come after. I had attributed the headache to pressure changes, but did find it odd that it was such a bad headache (pressure change headaches don't usually make me nauseas). But once I took the Tylenol, it went away quick, then came the halo.

Have you tried laying down with a heating pad on your pillow? I did that once without consuming caffeine, and I don't recall taking a pill, but it helped get rid of the migraine quicker (enough that I was able to go to the movies ;)). I hear you on finding medicine that works, though. There's medicine for migraines but I've recently (as in today) learned the hard way that they're a bad idea for me. They make me feel weird, kind of spacey (thankfully not dizzy or I'd be real worried) and don't seem to help much. Think I'll just stick with Tylenol and heat pads :P

[radioshack84.livejournal.com]

*nod* Middle school is not a fun time for anyone I don't think. We had literally 3 minutes between some classes, you'd get in trouble if you were even 10 seconds late, and the way our school was set up you'd have to walk about 2 blocks through this skywalk tunnel to get to a different building for your next class. And since you couldn't run and couldn't push people out of the way...well, it was nerve-wracking to say the least. :)

I haven't tried a heating pad, mainly because my head usually feels really hot when I get a migraine and I'm afraid more heat would just make it worse. I have used an ice pack on my neck and sometimes that helps. As for medicine, I used to take Excedrin Migraine and that worked pretty well, but then I ended up with a stomach ulcer so I can't take aspirin products anymore. :P I think you're right to stick with what you've got as long as it works for you. I'm a firm believer that the less medication you can get away with in life, the better off you are. :)

[tringasolitaria.livejournal.com]

Yikes! I hope you feel better soon. I'm glad it wasn't worse.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) I am feeling better. I think that, compared to some, my migraines are pretty mild. They only last for about a day, with some residual headaches the next day, and are overall easy to treat now that I know what to do.

[ninja007.livejournal.com]

sucks so much. I used to get them frequently.

(((HUGS)))

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I used to get them quite a bit in my teens, to the point that I expected to have one at least once or twice a year. I'm hoping that the long time span between my last migraine and this recent one means they won't be so common for me.

[tridget.livejournal.com]

I have a 15 migraine about 15 days out of a month when I have a migraine. That's 5 migraines a month because they always last exactly 3 days. I have tried about every drug and treatment on the market in the last 13 years. It is hard to pinpoint triggers when they are that constant. However, I do know that having any illness, even a slight infection usually triggers a headache (headaches are very infrequent for me.) However, a headache always triggers a migraine. Sometimes, if I nip the headache in the bud, the migraine isn't too bad (relatively speaking.)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I get headaches when the weather changes, so I wonder if the headache led to the migraine... attempt I guess you could say. And then heading it off made the difference :D

I really can't complain about my migraines, since they are so few and relatively easy to treat. I know some get them so bad that they can't even move, and some so bad that it's agony :S

[radioshack84.livejournal.com]

What you described there almost sounds more like cluster headaches. If it is, they've been experimenting with oxygen therapy rather than drugs (breathe pure oxygen for 15-30 minutes right when the headache starts and it goes away). Chances are you've already heard of that, but if not it might be worth checking into. :)