Migraine aura

Armchair23

You can, and people often do have migraines without headache.
You can have ocular migraine and ones where all the symptoms are related to nausea and diahorrea.
I've been a migraineur for over 50 years and I think It's a good thing if we try and take 'our' migraine symptoms out of the equation when we try to talk to others.

Yes it's really annoying when someone has a hangover or a headache and says it's a migraine.

If you have the time or interest Oliver Sacks book Migraine is an amazing read.

peachyprice

I get the aura with no headache. Like you I get zig zag lines, usually only in my left eye that start on the edge of my vision and close in, I sometimes get ringing ear at the same time. Afterwards I feel very tired, generally icky and a bit of a space cadet. The first time it happened I thought it was a brain tumor or something

shandyclover

Longtime migraine sufferer here. Was especially bad in my teens and 20's. I would lose sight in my left eye and have geometric patterns floating in my right. One particularly bad attack it effected my speech as well - very scarey! Now I know what it is I don't worry so much and if I feel a migraine coming on I generally try and get home as I know my sight will be effected. I've learn to avoid the triggers if I can, and have a lot less migraines than I used to.

[Deleted User]

I used to get migraines fairly regularly.., if I treated them with codeine as soon as they started, they'd usually just make me feel a bit odd for a day. I've had a few bad ones but not as many as most.

But in the last few years, I just stopped having them. No idea why.

Then i went for an eye test and happened to mention that my vision just seemed to disappear in one eye, and I'd see blobs etc (no zig zags as far as I am aware). I'd feel a bit 'off colour' for a couple of days too.

She told me this was migraine aura and having read this thread I understand what she meant a bit more now. As there was no or little pain, I just put what she said to the back of my mind rather lol. I tend to be too busy to stop for anything but a life threatening event lol.., but glad I read this thread so I recognise what I've been getting is another variety of migraine.

1234catlady

Woke up today with no headache or nausea but feel very drained and just not quite right. Still can't stop thinking about that aura. It really got to me and like I said, I already have anxiety disorders so its made me feel quite scared.

catkins

I am in my early 60's and have only been getting migraines for about the last 9 years. Usually I get terrible head pain, pain all down the side of my face and jaw, vomiting, dizziness, unable to even sit up etc. I don't get any auras or eye problems.


Other times I just get the auras. Obviously that's much better than the other symptoms but I do find it annoying. Sometimes it can last as long as an hour.


It's quite common to feel drained, tired and not quite right the next day or even for a day or so. Also I often don't feel right the day before I get a migraine. My OH often warns me he thinks I am about to get one because apparently I start slurring my speech, forgetting words and my eyes "look weird" - his words

teddysmum

Years ago, when going through a stressful time, I had the zigzag lights and once a blind spot, where part of my car dashboard 'disappeared' (parked up immediately, of course) but never any pain.

Armchair23

It's bad enough when a group of people have totally different symptoms that can all be called migraine, add in any one of those perople having different symptoms at different times and it's not surprising that diagnosis and treatment is not always that effective.

Please DONT get complacent when symptoms change make sure you know there isn't another problem, see your GP even if you don't think it will help.

Some of the symptoms like catkins are VERY scary to you and your loved ones, some of them are very much like a stroke.

You CAN have bloodshot eye, slurred speech and a facial droop with a migraine but please never take it for granted that's what's happening. Let someone else rule out a stroke or other problems.

https://www.migraine.org.uk
http://www.migrainetrust.org/

Have a look at these sites, legit and informative (I hope).

And for what it's worth cheese, coffee and red wine never made any difference to whether my daughter or I had migraines, we just got so bored with hearing this trotted out I can't tell you.

I wish happy migraine free weeks and months to you all.

1234catlady

I managed to get out for a little bit earlier. This may sound silly but I was absolutely dreading going out as my aura started when I was out yesterday and as you know I suffer from panic attacks and just like after having your first panic attack or first really bad one, you get scared to do what you were doing when it happen, e.g go outside. I panicked the entire time. Managed to get a chippy though and just wolved it down. Had nausea for most of the day and all throughout yesterday so it feels good to get a big meal in my stomach now.

Still no pain really other than a tension like pain every so often. The headache I woke up to yesterday morning a few hours before the aura was a lot worse.

barbiedoll

Many members of my family suffer from migraine to varying degrees, they really are ghastly.

I totally agree with Armchair23 about not taking symptoms for granted. My son had a horrendous migraine, right in the middle of his GCSE's last year. I've seen migraine attacks my whole life, my mum suffers badly with them, but his attack really frightened me. He had the slurred speech, the vomiting, the visual disturbances, the weakness down one side of his body and the acute head pain. I took him to hospital to rule out stroke, meningitis etc, it was one of the most scary times of my life (and his.)

Stress seems to play a big part, as does dehydration and missing meals, lack of sleep, disruption to your usual routine and (for women) monthly hormonal changes.

But do try not to let it rule your life. There are far more drug options nowadays, if you're young and you get regular attacks, there are tablets that you can take to minimise them. The aura can be very frightening but you can learn how to cope with it, it will disrupt your life on occasions but you will recover.

Your GP sounds quite sympathetic, so ask about different pain relief options. I know it sounds a bit horrific but someone I know has anti-vomiting drugs which they take via a non-oral route (suppositories) as they can't keep anything down during an attack.
Migraine can be a horrid condition but sufferers do manage to cope, as will you.

Glad you feel better today!