Migraines? Or something else?

Ka Mai Kim · 09-05-2005, 04:16 PM

I don't think I'd ever had a migraine my entire life, until about a year ago. About 4 or 5 times in the past year I will suddenly get this flashing in my eyes, almost like I stared at the sun too long, and also kind of like those floaty things you see sometimes. It's usually always in my left eye though, not as much in my right. This flashing usually lasts a few minutes, and is extremely distracting, and shortly after it goes away my head starts to hurt. It's never been an extremely bad headache, but the overall effect leaves me feeling miserable. I get tired, and nauseous, plus the headache, and I just want to lay down and sleep. I can't remember if anything preceded these incidents before, but I had it happen this past Saturday, and about a half hour before I got the flashing in my eyes, I had eaten a candy bar and felt sick (I try not to eat candy in large amounts, and this was a good sized fundraiser candy bar, so I assumed the sugar/chocolate made me sick). Now, not 15 minutes ago, I got the flashing in my eyes again. It's still there, but it might be fading, I took some excedrine migraine to see if it diminishes the headache and the other symptoms. I always thought migraines were debilitating headaches, and these are mostly just annoying. I can function, it just isn't very pleasant. I just don't know what else it could be. This is the first time I've gotten more than one in such a short time frame, so I don't know if its something I should see my doctor about. What do you guys think?

jlbrown122 · 09-05-2005, 05:19 PM

Kim, I would see a doctor about this. I was diagnosed with migraines when I was 12 years old. I had to go through a CAT-scan and an EEG (measures brain waves). After nearly 20 years of having migraines, I am able to function because I have no choice. Yes, they can make you very sick and effect your vision. My vision is effected differently, I tend to see dark spots (almost like right before you pass out) and it lasts for a few hours. Most migraines will last for several days before they completely got away.

choirmissy · 09-05-2005, 08:57 PM

It definitely sounds like a migraine to me. Chocolate can be a trigger. I would see your doctor. I would also start a headache log listing which days you got headaches, how bad the pain was/is, what you took, and any other sensations like the nausea or the visual auras. I now take preventative medicine and my migraines are down to about 1 per month. I used to take a lot of Excedrin & I had a lot of problems with rebound headaches too. I hope you find something that helps. Even if your headaches aren't debilitating, they still take a lot out of you.

Melissa

Ka Mai Kim · 09-06-2005, 01:42 AM

Thanks for the responses, guys. I told my mom about the headaches, and she also suggested I might want to go see my doctor. I just don't know if I should do it ASAP, or wait and see if I get another headache.

The flashing happened off and on for about an hour or so today after I took the excedrine, and the headache that did eventually show up lasted probably until about 6. I think the fact that I took some pain relievers before I even got the headache helped a lot. I noticed that, while the headache seems gone, if I sneeze or cough I feel residual pain in my temples.

I remembered another incident, which I am wondering if it is related to the headaches. About a month ago, I was taking a shower before work in the a.m. and I suddenly became very light-headed. I started seeing spots and flashing lights very similar to what I see before I get a headache, and I felt extremely nauseous and over-heated. I seriously thought I was going to pass out, and I had to stop taking a shower and lay on the bathroom floor until the feeling passed. I've never fainted/passed out ever in my life, so I was a little concerned. I felt rather bad all the rest of the day, but I can't remember if I got a headache.

jlucy · 09-06-2005, 03:30 AM

sounds to me like you are having "classic" migraine. I have had them since I was 11 and they are no fun. The only up side to the aura you get before (if you can call any of it an up side) is that i know it's coming and I take medication at that moment. You are lucky yours aren't as bad when the pain comes but all the other symptoms still suck. I can't take bcp's becuase they give me horrible migraines one after another so if you are on the pill you might want to look into that or be careful if you try to take it in the future. Nobody seemed to know right away that the pill was making them worse and I had to stay home from school and work for a week because they kept getting worse. Then I went to a neurologist who specialized in migraines and he told me that bcp's can trigger migraines.

Ka Mai Kim · 09-06-2005, 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlucy

I can't take bcp's becuase they give me horrible migraines one after another so if you are on the pill you might want to look into that or be careful if you try to take it in the future. Nobody seemed to know right away that the pill was making them worse and I had to stay home from school and work for a week because they kept getting worse. Then I went to a neurologist who specialized in migraines and he told me that bcp's can trigger migraines.

Holy cow, I have been on BCPs about as long as Ive had these headaches (a little over a year). Even though they are few and far between, I wonder if that is what is causing them. :-\

Arctic · 09-06-2005, 09:33 AM

I too suffer from migraines that started as soon as I began taking the pill for PCOS. Initially, mine were terrible, vomitting and fainting. But now they are just nasty and debilitating. I regularly take days off work. They start if I forget to take my pill and during the whole time I am on the sugar tablets. My ex GP was really quite negative about it. Said that if I wanted to control my PCOS I needed to be on Diane and I should take an aspirin a day to ease possible onset! She has obviously never had a migraine!!!!!! I do not have any aura associated with my migraines, they start as a small pain behind one of my eyes (and this is when I need to medicate) and spread over one half of my head and down my back. I have read there are two types of migraines, the aura associated ones, and hormonal ones. Anyway, a fellow sufferer of mine saw a naturpath and she suggested taking Magnesium helps. But definately see your GP to rule out anything else.

kimmikat · 09-06-2005, 03:14 PM

Just another point of view on causes for migraines... I developed a series of migraines that lasted for several months. They would last for days, the first two days of onset I could barely get out of bed, the next day or two the intense pain would subside but I would be left with a numbness and then I would have one or two 'good' days and another would hit. I was nauseated, vomited at times, my eyesight was affected, noise and smells disturbed me, touching my face also hurt, etc. I went to a few doctors before being diagnosed with migraines. Meds helped so that I could function but it did not eradicate the headaches/migraines entirely.
About this time, I was also seeking a RE to see about a possible PCOS diagnosis which I had suspected for years. Diagnosis followed based on classic symptoms along with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. I was actually two points away from being officially type II diabetic when I was finally tested.
I started gluc XR and within a few weeks my migraines were gone. In the two years I've been on gluc XR, my numbers have improved, my glucose/insulin issues have improved and .... I've had one, yes... ONE migraine in that time. When I discussed it with my doctor, he said that very likely my migraines were in response to my heightened glucose/insulin levels. Added to this, my Dad (who is type I) also had severe migraines with blackouts and blind spells when he was in his late 20's but the doctors never found a cause. In his mid-30's he was diagnosed with full-blown type I diabetes. His specialist now theorizes that he started with insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia, led to type II which led to type I because it was never caught and treated. (Hmm... also leads to the hereditary question perhaps...)
So my purpose in going into all of this is to encourage you to make an appointment with your doctor sooner rather than later. Your headaches/migraines could be caused by chocolate, BCP, hormone fluctuations, the weather, or even glucose issues. But, your doctor (who may need some encouragement to test per my experience) should be able to tell you and what your next step should be.
Best wishes on figuring this out.