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Anyone else get them?
I've got one coming on now. Starts with bright flashing lights and swirling colours and zigzag lines in my vision. Sometimes its just a smallish spot on the edge of my vision, but sometimes (inlcuding today) its a big patch right in the middle. Watching my fingers type is like watching some spin out, drug induced vision, as my fingers appear and disapear from view, and spawn rainbow zigzags and swirly things that spin off and spawn more of themselves...
I ... probably shouldn't keep looking at the computer either...
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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At least you save yourself money on Drugs. And all you have to do is put up with some pain. ;)
Seriously though that is bad. I don't get migraines (thankfully) but I do have bad sinuses and get some pretty nasty pain in my cheeks and under my eyes now and then. I think my kids may have inherited my sinuses too, so I don't feel very good abaout that. =(
I don't get true and proper migraines. I get stress headaches that act very much like migraines, including an inability to tolerate sound (even at the level of birdsong outside a closed window) and light (any kind, any level) and loss of vision to some degree (up to 25% of my full field of vision in one case). I'm glad I don't get what you have, Mothman, but I sympathize. I'll probably see the stress headaches return as I get closer to done with my thesis. The spots sound like fun, though.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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The swirls have faded from my left eye now (though the vision is still a bit blurry), and have drifted across to the right hand edge of my vision – they’ll probably be all gone soon.
The back of my eyeballs ache slightly, as does my head (dully, subtly) at the temples and the top of my neck.
Tell me when you get to the "lose feeling in the right-hand side of your body" stage. That's when things really get exciting.
Look away from the computer - my guess is you've been looking at spreadsheets or AutoCAD or something all morning. Get out from under the office's fluorescent light. Pre-emptively pop three panadols. 10 minutes to lunchtime - find somewhere dark and quiet and ride it out. All these things will help*.
Good luck my man - hope you get better soon. Migraines are f*($en rough.
* Also, if you wear glasses, it might be time to go get you eyes tested again.
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The swirls have faded from my left eye now (though the vision is still a bit blurry), and have drifted across to the right hand edge of my vision – they’ll probably be all gone soon.
The back of my eyeballs ache slightly, as does my head (dully, subtly) at the temples and the top of my neck.
Tell me when you get to the "lose feeling in the right-hand side of your body" stage. That's when things really get exciting.
Look away from the computer - my guess is you've been looking at spreadsheets or AutoCAD or something all morning. Get out from under the office's fluorescent light. Pre-emptively pop three panadols. 10 minutes to lunchtime - find somewhere dark and quiet and ride it out. All these things will help*.
Good luck my man - hope you get better soon. Migraines are f*($en rough.
* Also, if you wear glasses, it might be time to go get you eyes tested again.
All good advice - I think I need to get away from the office for a bit - unfortunately 95% of my work today is in front of the computer. And yeah, I think it was the AutoCAD that did it.
Right on with the glasses too. Last time I started getting reguar bad headaches (not migraines) that was the issue. If this keeps up I'll get an eye test.
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Anyone else get them?
I've got one coming on now. Starts with bright flashing lights and swirling colours and zigzag lines in my vision. Sometimes its just a smallish spot on the edge of my vision, but sometimes (inlcuding today) its a big patch right in the middle. Watching my fingers type is like watching some spin out, drug induced vision, as my fingers appear and disapear from view, and spawn rainbow zigzags and swirly things that spin off and spawn more of themselves...
I ... probably shouldn't keep looking at the computer either...
I've gotten migraines since I was in third grade - for about 25 years now. Back then, I averaged one per week; since I've gotten older they've gradually lessened to about 1-2/month or so. Typically come in spurts; sometimes I'll get one two or three days in a row (or the same one will last for two or three days), then won't get one for a few months. Medication is hit or miss for me; I have prescriptions, but if I don't catch the headache in time, it usually won't get rid of it. In the end, it usually seems like sleep is the best cure; hope you can get yourself to a dark room and get some rest soon!
But they all suck. I truly sympathize.
Have you ever been tested for other causes? Food allergies is a big trigger for many people (my aunt gets migraines from tomatoes, for instance, and red wine is a known trigger for some).
Take care, and I hope it goes away soon for you!
Director of Game Development
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Mothy, I get them too. I normally get a spot on the edge of my vision that will grow to cover most of one eye in a thirty minute period. It looks like colored static on a TV screen pretty much. I think the term for it is scintillating scotoma (which sounds like a spell name, frankly). 90% of the migraines I get are never associated with any pain, but it is very disorienting.
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Got 'em since I was 14, mostly pain with only slightly impaired Vision and sometimes sickness.
Actually the migraine got better (I only get it about once every one or two month compared to two or three times per month) when I developed diabetes (the ugly type - meaning type one / youth diabetes) about three or foru years ago (I was diagnosed three years ago, blood testing showed nothing four years ago).
Wow. That sounds like one heck of a headache. I get migraines, but I've never had any swirly colors. A tiny spot on my nose will start to go numb, and if I don't get an imitrex soon enough in the process, nothing will help. I get extremely photosensitive. Trying to look at a computer screen will cause screaming, agonizing pain then. Not to mention the nausea. Plus I start snapping at people to stop yelling even if they were talking in a whisper. Yeah, lots of fun. Thankfully I don't get those very often. The swirly colors sound interesting if not a lot of fun.
Last year I started getting them frequently. Turns out something is messed up with my ears (pressure in inner ear) & that jump starts them if I do anything to make it worse (loud noise of a lawnmower, concert, etc & I'll have one within 2 days). After research, I believe I've had them all my life though - strong chemical odors & certain foods would give me screaming headaches that only abated after long sleeps. Regular headache meds wouldn't touch them at all.
However in the last year, I've had GREAT success with a migraine drug called Imitrex. Even the low dose (25mm) version kicks it out within 30 minutes. I still feel sort of hung over for another 10-12 hours, but the migraine goes away. Some folks it works wonders for & some it does nothing. Also the dosage can vary wildly. It's a bit hit or miss/trial-error to figure out what will work for you.
I don't get truly intense pain & have never gotten the visual aura effects you describe (My Mom does though). I had one instance where my hands tingled/itched about 45 minutes before the pain hit, but that's not usual for me. Generally I just get to a phase where I'm VERY slow thinking - instead of reading words, I get "fascinated" by the individual letters & can't expand my focus or concentrate enough to understand words. I get really angry during these events too (Sorry kids). I'm also very sound-sensitive too. And for some reason, when I'm in one, I deny that it's a migraine. My wife has to suggest I go take the meds & I get really mad at her...but she's always been right about it when she spoke up.
Be "glad" you have the aura that happens before it really gets going...you can use that as a queue to take the blocker medication & stop it before it gets worse.
I've had some of the fluorescent lights removed above my cube at work. I also use only dark backgrounds (less eye strain for me) on my monitor. I am a programmer, so I can't get away from the computer too often.
Drink more water, avoid caffeine, etc etc.
But do see a doctor about them. It's treatable; they have some new drugs in the last 2-3 years that might help.
I hope you can find something to combat it. It sucks having your own brain fighting you. Good Luck!
Yep, had them as long as I can remember. Mine usually start with spots or tunnel vision and the bad ones get up to greatly reduced vision, impaired reflexes, nausea, and of course the joyous feeling of someone driving a blunt tent spike through my skull from the inside. Mine can sometimes last days. My triggers are light (especially cloud-filtered), strong scents (I can't even go in candle or perfume stores), and of course stress. Ironically, sound doesn't bother me, so folks that come in to check on me by flipping on the light and talking softly are doing exactly the opposite of what I need!
Since I've had them so long, I've developed some techniques to alleviate the pain and stave off the headache if I notice it in time. I've got a pressure point on my right jaw just below my ear, for instance, that can ward them off. I also figured out that if I force the "roaring" that occurs in your ears sometimes when you yawn with your eyes closed it helps (I repeat this until the "roaring" goes away, but sometimes doing this too much leads to a weird clenched muscle in the middle of my lower jaw). And of course dark is good. A have definitely found that staying hydrated is a key prevention method as well.
Now, when all that fails or I don't catch one early enough, Zomig is now my prescription of choice. I've had it stop a bad migraine in its tracks in under an hour. I tried Imitrex, but it wasn't as effective and sometimes made me feel weird, like the time I felt like I was floating above my bed and spinning around like a slow-motion top.
Heh, you know I do. ;) Migraines bad! My advice is if you decide to drive home, put a towel on your lap (usually now I just pass out in the back seat to save myself the trouble). Things have been good this last month (crossing my fingers) since I switched to the new thyroid medication.
Oh, and yes, being at the computer will exacerbate it.
If you absolutely can’t lie down and wish for death for the rest of the day, there are various drug cocktails I take to stave it off just a little. I can list them if everyone’s ok with the fact that I’m not a doctor and don’t advocate taking such a large handful of pills to anyone.
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When I do any kind of heavy aerobic exercise (running, in particular), I get nasty sinus headaches that, if I'm not careful, turn into migraines.
It starts out as a dull pain behind my eyes, building into an intense pressure. If I don't stop, the migraine starts at this point.
Stage 1: blurred vision - I can't differentiate between shapes, only color and motion
Stage 2: snap to hyperclarity - everything looks glow-y and shiny
Stage 3: motion trails - it's all zippy and acid trip -like
Stage 4: intense pain sets in - sledgehammers and freight trains. This usually lasts for about ten to fifteen minutes
Stage 5: cooldown - hangover from hell progresses to cold shakes
The entire process from sinus pressure to shakes takes about twenty minutes to half an hour.
Anyone else get them?
I've got one coming on now. Starts with bright flashing lights and swirling colours and zigzag lines in my vision. Sometimes its just a smallish spot on the edge of my vision, but sometimes (inlcuding today) its a big patch right in the middle. Watching my fingers type is like watching some spin out, drug induced vision, as my fingers appear and disapear from view, and spawn rainbow zigzags and swirly things that spin off and spawn more of themselves...
I ... probably shouldn't keep looking at the computer either...
Seniargim
I get them, as well, though not as severely as I once did. I've had waking blackouts where I would go through my whole work day in such pain I had no memory of it. I still have one or two per month, though. I take Norco for my chronic pain issues and it doesn't even touch the migraine pain most of the time.
I stopped getting migraine headaches around the age of 30. Unfortunately for others, I have no idea why.
Trigger Conditions:
1. Exhaustion
2. Poor Diet
3. Heat
4. Loud Noise
5. Stress
6. Dehydration
7. Rapid blinking lights or flourescent bulbs oscillating to visible eye.
If I happen to hit the 'perfecta', a migraine is guaranteed within half an hour, and it lasts for days. And yes, they are the *wholekitthinkI'mhavingastroke* MOAMs -- but with enough warning to be able to identify and hopefully mitigate some of the triggers.
...I typically get them once a month, though that number has been tapering off a little bit.
Up until 2012, I would get two to three *a week*, sometimes even twice a day.
That's when my co-worker put me up to a challenge to go 'cold turkey' on over-the-counter pain medicine during the time of Ramadan in said year.
The first two weeks were sheer agony, not just migraines but everything hurt.
The third week I could start to kind of feel a distinction between *pain* and *my body pretending pain for more drugs* and by the end of the fourth week I was in much better shape pain management-wise.
Two weeks later, the week before GenCon, the perfecta struck again, so I grabbed a couple of aspirin . It did nothing, if anything it made things worse.
August, 2012 was the last time I took any sort of pain pill. As noted above, the pain is about a monthly thing now, and my treatment such as it is -- getting to a dark quiet room with an icepack and shutting everything off.
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I get migraines, been worse the past year or so, getting hit roughly monthly, attacks lasting days instead of hours, and slow recovery.
My doctor figured out that the pain was causing my blood pressure to rise, and so the migraine pain would graduate to hypertension headache. I've been taking some pills to regulate my blood pressure, and my last migraine was 4 hours instead of two days.
I don't take pain medication for it, it doesn't do anything useful. Darkness, quiet, time and comfortable ambient temperature are the only things that have any effect.