Migraines

[DrFishnets]

I have been suffering from migraines since my early 20s. In my early 20s it was only migraine headaches I got then in my late 30s I started getting migraine aura which is when my vision becomes distorted and dim and I loose focus and see multi coloured jagged shapes dancing in my vision and a feeling I’m going to faint. This last from 30 minutes to an hour then it goes away.

The first time I got that I thought I was having a stroke and it put me in a full panic attack which resulted in a visit to A&E (Emergency room) at my local hospital. Other symptoms I get are feeling dizzy, sedated and nausea. I have been trying my best with diet and relaxation techniques because I’m not a fan of pharmaceutical drugs. It usually appears if I’ve had lack of sleep or I’m emotionally stressed about something. Anyone else relate to this?

[crfriend]

I get these things, too, but I'm fortunate is that I don't get pain or nausea -- just the vision disturbances. I've had them since I was in my 20s, and they're usually tripped by stress.

[Stu]

I can join this club. The first time you get the flashing zig-zag lines and then lose the central part of your vision, it's quite scary. The advantage for me is that it is usually painless (no other symptoms) and it goes away fairly quickly. I am told that, if these become too frequent, there is a medication based on ergot, which is a precursor for LSD. Also, a couple of things to be aware of - from the neurologist who gave me a brain scan:

1. sufferers may assume they are having an aura attack when something else is happening, like a mini-stroke (A transient ischaemic attack or TIA), and ignore it when they shouldn't. So it's a good idea to be aware of the differences.

2. this can be hereditary. You may pass it down to your kids. My eldest daughter also suffers from this and she says it's my fault.

[DrFishnets]

1. sufferers may assume they are having an aura attack when something else is happening, like a mini-stroke (A transient ischaemic attack or TIA), and ignore it when they shouldn't. So it's a good idea to be aware of the differences.

My mother suffered a lot with mini strokes and sadly died of a brain tumour. I really took it bad when she died as I was very close to her. Anyway, the symptoms I get when I get the visual disturbances is double vision, the jagged wavy coloured shaped spinning and dancing in my vision and everything going dim as if I had looked at a bright light. When I have the visual disturbances I also feel dizzy, nauseous and sedated. Fortunately, it doesn’t form into a headache. I only get the headaches seperate. I believe it’s just a migraine I’m having as the symptoms of stroke include paralysis on one side of the face which I don’t get.

[Bart_Allen55]

I've had those aura episodes too, and they're terrifying. Stress and lack of sleep always seem to trigger them for me too. Have you found any good relaxation tricks that help?

[DrFishnets]

Have you found any good relaxation tricks that help?

Playing guitar helps me with relaxation or doing something to occupy my mind. However, I have anxiety, depression and panic disorder and those relaxation techniques help with that too.