“Migraines”

OP’s next thread: Cancer, does it exist?

OP, are you the one whose friends won’t fuck him?

I had migraines in my late twenties and early thirties. Then they stopped. No clue why they started or stopped. I still have a lingering dread that I’ll get that same aura that preceded the migraines.

OP, I would happily send you my migraines if they start to recur.

A lot of people exaggerate and call their headache a "migraine". But yes, they exist and can be as bad as a minor stroke.

Yes serious migraines do exist OP.

My sister has to take medication for hers and seeing her with a migraine is heart wrenching because she is obviously in so much pain and misery but often has to go on as she has 2 small children and a husband. But it's very difficult to watch.

Then there are the ones who say “Oh, I’ve got a migraine,” usually when they want to get out of a social obligation". These people do not experience migraines and are using the word as a bullshit excuse or they just use the word to describe a normal headache if they are not using it as an excuse to get out of something.

I have had them for years - since I was in my 20's and had no idea what was going on. I was told "only women get migraines...". My partner would refer to them as "spells" because they came on so unexpectedly and really devastated me. The nausea, flashing lights and aura and inability to do much of anything, were a handicap when they didn't have a name beyond "spell".

I participated in a Clinical Trial through Dartmouth College and was diagnosed. Just knowing what was going on helped immeasurably.

Mine were triggered by seasonal changes, barometric pressure, certain foods and sometimes by excessive stress. Imitrex subcutaneous injections helped a great deal but ultimately it was Botox injections that did the most. They are paid for my insurance because of my long history of migraines, and I have them 3 times each year. If I find it necessary to go beyond the 4 months in-between, the migraines start again in force. Even with Botox, there are still a couple of instances when something will trigger one - for instance fowl. Something in Turkey, in particular, can cause a massive migraine, no matter what I take.

They are real and have cost me, in the past, vacations, friends, and meeting work-related deadlines. They are unlike any headache you can ever have or any hangover for that matter. They impact lives and having the option I have had since that clinical trial in 1997, has made a huge difference.

Yes, they are real and they are god awful. I had them for years, and they finally stopped almost completely about 5-6 years ago. But just a few months ago one sucker-punched me again.

[quote]They are real and have cost me, in the past, vacations, friends, and meeting work-related deadlines.

Do you at least feel GUILTY that this condition caused aggravation to your former friends? I know I would feel better if my friend expressed guilt and remorse over not living up to social obligations because of a bad headache.

R3 I have no idea if this is true or not but I know two people who swear migraines fade in and out of your life in cycles. One friend told me it's five years on-and-off. My mom told me she suffered with a seven year cycle.

Harmonic chanting with crystals is the answer!

You seem oddly desperate for attention, OP.

I thought I suffered from migraines for years but then I realized they were actually weather-related; I was at the mercy of high winds or barometric pressures. I went to a sinus specialist who told me I wasn't going crazy, that people often confused these debilitating headaches with migraines - when suffering, you need total quiet and darkness.

I had endoscopic sinus surgery ten years ago and haven't had a headache since then. I was told by the doctors that the surgery might have to be repeated in five or ten years but so far, so good. Look into it; it's a painless outpatient procedure.

I had them, or more accurately cluster headaches, for a couple of years. They seem to have ended now. I’ve actually had to go to the hospital when I had a particularly terrible one. There is a drug cocktail that the hospital can give you. For a while I took imitrex, and oxycodone for them. They’re so terrible you literally pray for death.

Like R3, I suffered through migraines in my mid-20's through early-30's. Then, inexplicably, I stopped having them. My migraines were debilitating. For a couple years, I tried to fight them off through positive thinking and aspirin or Tylenol, which did next to nothing to mitigate them. One day I was on the way to a routine checkup at the doctor's office and I felt one coming on. I debated turning around, but went on. As I sat there his answering questions, the visual distortions started.

Imitrex and Topamax were not around yet. My doctor suggested that I take a strong sedative at the first sign and "sleep it off." That's exactly what I did for about ten years. Mine always started with a metallic taste in my mouth that, no matter what I ate or drank, did not go away. Then any noise felt like it drilled straight into my skull. Before I started treating them with real medication, I would often spontaneously vomit.

Eventually I got it down to a science: one Fiorinal (Butalbital, aspirin, and caffeine) capsule, one amitriptyline tablet, and large dose of diazepam was the ticket for me. It knocked me out to be sure, but instead of being out of commission for 3-4 days, I went to sleep and woke up 12-18 hours later feeling okay.

OP instead of wondering if a know medical condition is real, you should be checking into why you lack empathy.

A migraine for me feels a little bit different. It's like my head is filling with air and I have all kinds of strange sensations that make it impossible to open my eyes comfortably and be functional. Darkness, old friend, is anything I can stomach when I get one.

[quote] “Migraines” Do these really exist? I’ve only ever gotten mild headaches

The whole world is just making them up

Of course, if it doesn't happen to you, it can't possibly happen to anyone else

My experience is limited to sick headaches.

OP also told Trump that Covid19 never existed, it was just an elaborate hoax perpetrated by the Democrats.

If you ever get a migraine, trust me you’ll know it’s real. I do agree that sometimes people will say they have a migraine, when it’s really just a bad headache. These are the same people who say they have the flu, when it’s really just a bad cold. No true migraine sufferer would fake it, they know how bad they are.

There are two types of migraines--classic--which have the auras, hallucinations,etc. and common, which are just extremely painful and last way longer than classic. I've only had one classic migraine--damn it was strange--but had lots of common ones, starting when I was a kid. The really bad ones will last up to three days. My primary symptom is the sense a fucking drill is going through my temple. I've taken various meds, but found I was starting to get a rebound effect, so I tapered off the meds and now try to avoid triggers--low blood sugar, lack of sleep.

I've never used migraines as an excuse to get out of a social engagement, though sometimes I've delayed them--I save medication for those situations.

OP sounds odd. Not.about.you.

[quote] Of course, if it doesn't happen to you, it can't possibly happen to anyone else

To be honest, I’ve always felt like I’m the only person who truly exists, and the world and everyone in it are just figments of my imagination. I have no proof that isn’t true. How can I know that anything is real except for me?

[quote] you should be checking into why you lack empathy.

Because my empathy has been severely abused and is now depleted forever.

I get them occasionally. I know when it starts, it is not a normal headache, I can feel it in my eyes. Then I get nauseated and I have to take an edible and go lie down.

I'm lucky, I have had just the one. And that was more than enough. There's no way I'd be up to tackling a social ocassion with one. Just lying down in the dark is about all I could cope with

I think “sufferers” might just be feeling the effects of old age. Maybe they should consider a new hairdo.

They do exist but you can tough it out if you have to work. You just have to pop medication all day and take it easy. I used to get them a lot as a young teen and as an adult I’ll get one every few months. If I’m lucky it’s on a day off because the only thing that actually gets rid of them is taking Advil and sleeping for a few hours.

I was an asshole/idiot like OP -I used to ridicule my friends who pleaded migraines, thinking they were just being drama queens over a headache. Then I got one.

I began seeing flashing lights and auras. My speech became slurred and I had muscle weakness on one side of my body. I could see text and know what it said, but I couldn't read it aloud. I was rushed to the ER and spent two hours with the stroke team. They did three brain scans looking for bleeding. Finally, one of the doctors thought to ask me if my head hurt. I said yes -and she sent the team packing. Strokes don't hurt. The diagnosis was hemiplegic migraine -a rare, genetic-type migraine that mimics a stroke. They gave me drugs, but I was incapacitated for three days -and the headache itself lingered for another ten days. I have since had four more episodes. If I can take the medication immediately then they tend to resolve in 24-36 hours. It is extremely painful and frightening, as I lose the ability to communicate clearly and I become extremely susceptible to light and sound.

Migraines come in different forms and have different symptoms and triggers. I have a friend who gets Botox injections into her scalp every two weeks, but still spends two weeks of every month with severe migraine pain. Needless to say I am a hell of a lot more sympathetic now! A migraine is not just a bad headache, or a cluster of headaches.

R27, Depends on the migraine. I can tough most of mine out, but there are people who are throwing up as a result of their migraine.

Fun weird fact--migraines do actually cause tiny amounts of brain damage. I learned this while I had a migraine.

I normally don't wish migraines on people, but I wish a couple on the OP.

Definitely. Seems like they can be hereditary too. My mother had them, I get them and my son gets them.

You just know that they discovered Botox as a treatment by mistake: "My wrinkles are gone- and so is my headache!".

The first one I had felt like someone was hitting me in the head with the blunt side of an axe.

I can’t stand light and feel nauseous. Thankfully, they have reduced over the years and are now rare. I still have heavy duty meds should one, once again, decide to visit.

I used to have debilitating migraines. They'd start at 3 in the morning and end at 9 in the evening, very precisely. Two of the triggers were red wine and lights flashing at a certain frequency. I could easily avoid the red wine, but there was also an unknown factor that was at work. During those 6 hours that I endured the pain I would vomit at frequent intervals. It was utter hell. Finally I got a prescription for zolmitriptan, and that fixed the problem. I still get the "aura" which precedes the actual pain, but that's not a huge deal, just weird. There's probably an inherited factor, because my mother had terrible migraines as well.

Don’t any of you feel badly that your headaches inconvenience others? I know I would be more lenient if a friend expressed an appropriate amount of guilt about not being able to get over his little headache.

Okay, they’re real. I get it. Time to bring the thread back to me. Enough sob stories. The thing is, you have to figure out a way to not inconvenience others. You can’t go around canceling on people or not responding to messages. It’s not right. Not everyone will be as understanding and lenient as I am.

R34 no, fuck off and hope you get one once (that'll be all it takes)

If you don’t feel guilty, then how can I have sympathy?

I have a sick headache!

Maybe if you ever actually have a migraine you'll change your mind. Not being able to speak, move or even breathe because it all makes the pounding pain worse, along with sensitivity to light (it literally feels like looking in the sun times 30), having neck pain, being nauseous and just wanting to die will definitely make you unable to go to social gatherings. You should've just sat there and ate your food, OP.

You know, severity varies right? Like one migraine can be vomiting, lasting days, while another you can sort of function on. I do think doctors and people misdiagnose headaches as migraines sometimes, but OP, they do annual brain scans that track the ongoing brain damage. There's other physical differences, like the digestive system shutting down. They are hereditary, with a 50% of passing then down from the mother's side. The suicide risk is also 50% higher.

My worst is days with violent vomiting and wanting to shoot my head, ending it. I take nasal spray to keep from throwing up other meds. Sometimes it takes two. They are very, very expensive, and bad for you to take too much because they dilate blood vessels.

So do I feel guilty? I guess. It's hard to say because I want to kill myself during the worst ones and I'm just as sad for myself for missing out on holidays or outings. I won't have children because of of them. Had an aunt that died in front of the family during one because she missed any signs that she had a massive aneurism.

R37 you should be asking yourself that.

Why don’t you just tell your friends that? If a friend told me they felt so badly about disrespecting me that they wanted to kill them selves, I know I would feel compassionate.

R42 at this point, after decades having them, I don't need to say anything. Most friends have taken me to an er. I actually can't work normal schedules because of them, or when I've pushed on, had to deal with the public embarrassment of puke everywhere. I'm the more rare (fun) chronic type. Those types are the ones that get approved for botox (15 or more a month.)

I can no longer drink most alcohol, or eat most junk foods, which sucks. The weather really exacerbates mine. Will probably have to move to a better climate when I can't take it anymore.

I hate to sound mean OP, but when people have chronic diseases or illnesses, it's not about anyone else. Besides, most "friends" are fair weather anyway, so you end up having fewer and fewer, no matter how sincere you are or legitimate it is.

It's a very depressing, lonely thing to go through. That's why I won't have bio children. Luckily I have a partner that is caring. So there's that.

Haha, migraines are bad because of the pain plus the nausea. It’s nothing like a mere bad headache. It’s more akin to a painful minor stroke. My last migraine was so bad I woke up at 4am and it took me until 8:55am to reach for my phone and call work. I couldn’t even respond to my partner. Each movement was agony. The nausea was incredible. My stomach was empty so I couldn’t vomit.

I get about 4 a year now, as a child it was weekly.

OP is bipolar and unmedicated.

R34 R35 R37 With all due respect (and yes, I know this is all playacting and pretense on your part) nobody who experiences migraines gives a flying fuck whether you approve, or not.

[quote] nobody who experiences migraines gives a flying fuck whether you approve, or not.

Well, they should!

Headaches are for spouses. Migraines are for work and social situations

What symptoms make migraine headaches different from just plain old headaches? Are they just more frequent?

R49 Lots of information upthread.

R49 With me, they occurred on one side of the head - the left side. I'm right handed, and I've been told that right handed people have the pain on the opposite side of the head. Vomiting was frequent. They were often preceded by the "aura" a bizarre series of mainly visual effects. In my case, a jagged black spot would occur in the center of my vision, and slowly it would grow, until I had only the edges of my normal sight left. This spot reminded me of a black flower. Sometimes, especially when I woke up with the migraine, this aura would be absent altogether. After the aura left, the pain would begin. My eyes were sensitive to the light, and my hearing was abnormally acute. I remember once lying on the bed with a vicious migraine, and it was the day my housekeeper would come in. I could hear her all the way out in the living room walking across the carpet, and the sound actually made the pain in my head seem worse.

I'd vomit every hour, precisely, as if it was timed. I've been told that my face was not just pale, it had almost a greenish tinge. The favorite time for my migraines to start was three in the morning. The day before the migraine occurred, I'd feel hyper and antsy. The headache would end almost precisely nine hours after it started.

My migraines could also be triggered almost instantly by lights blinking at a certain frequency.

Not sure if this is true, but I once read that often a migraine sufferer has someone in the family who is epileptic. My great uncle had epilepsy. I also was told that the brain waves of someone having an epileptic seizure are very similar to the brain waves of a person experiencing a migraine. Migraines can be inherited. My mother had serious migraines.

Sorry that should have read that the headaches would end 18 hours after they began, not 9..

I have floaters, numbness in my hands, bright spots, numb lips and I feel like I'm having a stroke. Never got them till after I had a baby. Now I get them once a month. Imitrex is starting not to work. They are hell and I always feel really dumb after one is over and then I wonder if I get used to the new brain damage.

I get them on occasion. It's like a stabbing right behind my eyes. If I sit perfectly still, it's not so bad. But moving my head up or down is like somebody jabbing my head with a hot poker.

I can usually function, so long as I wear sunglasses and don't move.

I can tell that they're coming on. During the day I have this sour feeling - that's the only way I can describe it.

R4 I agree entirely. I don't get headaches, but I've noticed that in the last ten years or so, EVERYONE seems to be getting migraines. While I do believe some of them are genuine, I also believe most people exaggerate completely.

Oh dear, OP....how to put this....you are an asshole.

R53 When my BFF or I feel a strong headache (not necessarily a migraine) coming on, we soothe each other by talking about our glioblastomas.

I get headaches, which a headache specialist has diagnosed as migraines. I just say I have headaches though, so I don't have to contend with OP and his ilk, who seem to think anything that can't be seen is somehow fake.

I hope OP gets migraines. Or even better, fibromyalgia. And then has to deal with assholes like himself.

I had three episodes of migraines and it was the worst. I read that men often get them in short periods and they go away. I had one burst and then nothing for three years or so. I then had two incidents in a week. The light sensitivity, the pain, the nausea were all present. I honestly thought that if this was something I would have to experience the rest of my life I could not continue living. It's been 25 years since the last episode. The absolute worst pain I've ever had to deal with.

Since then I've had a bike accident with spinal compression, I broke three ribs, and went through 18 months of chemotherapy. I'd take any of them over those spells.

R49, the distinctive symptom of a migraine is the severe pain on one side of the head. Tension headaches are felt on both sides, sinus headaches are usually in front. Migraines last longer and can come with a variety of other symptoms--nausea of some degree is extremely common. Classic migraine sufferers (the minority) get auras and other visual, auditory stuff. Common migraine sufferers don't get the weird stuff, but our headaches are more inclined to last longer. With women, migraines are often linked to their hormonal cycles, but there are all sorts of triggers--big weather swings can be a trigger for me--it's like being a walking barometer--but in agony.

As for OP and his concern over broken engagements--I do apologize, but I don't feel guilty, per se any more than I would feel guilty about needed crutches after breaking a foot. It's not like I seek migraines out. Anyone who's seen me with a migraine knows I'm in extreme pain--I get extremely pale--it's kind of alarming to people. It's really way up on the pain scale--worse than broken bones, sprains, dental abcesses, strep throat.

[quote] My eyes were sensitive to the light, and my hearing was abnormally acute.

Me too. I’ve never had a visual aura but very occasionally I’ll get a bad headache that is made even worse by light or sound and I have to drug myself and put on a sleep mask and ear plugs. I can hear my partner click a mouse at the other end of the house. He thinks he’s quite put-upon.

[quote][R3] I have no idea if this is true or not but I know two people who swear migraines fade in and out of your life in cycles. One friend told me it's five years on-and-off. My mom told me she suffered with a seven year cycle.

This appears to be true. Migraines also seem to be hereditary, my father got migraines for many years, they suddenly stopped when he was in his 60s.

Pre-menopause, my sister would get them on and off, her gyno called her migraines "hormonal migraines". I also get migraines on and off, they just hit me out of nowhere, they are not tension headaches or sinus headaches, I get those too. Sometimes my migraines are accompanied by vertigo attacks! Years ago, there were few drugs for migraines.

The worst migraine I had lasted two days. I could barely move, the slightest sound felt like my head was being hit with a hammer and like one of my eyes was being hit with that same hammer. I usually get the migraine on one side of my head. It starts above my right eye.

For many migraine sufferers, making yourself vomit seems to ease the distress. That worked a few times, but not always. I never got the auras, but light always bothers my eyes when I have a migraine, I have lie down in the dark. I also sometimes get chills and severe nausea with migraines.

It's a really debilitating condition OP and you are lucky not to suffer from it, do you not believe anything you don't personally suffer from is real or something? What a bizarre and ignorant stance.

That said, I suspect some people do use it as an excuse to get out of obligations, but no more than they might use any other excuse - it doesn't mean it is a made-up condition.

Anyone who thinks a migraine is just a bad headache too, is ignorant. They can be absolutely crippling and people who have chronic frequent migraines can sometimes even qualify as being legally disabled.

R34 there is something broken and wrong inside you as a person. No one should feel guilty if they have an illness that is out of their control that means sometimes plans get disrupted.