How does a migraine feel?
I’ve had migraines with aura since I was a child. I can’t say for sure that other people experience them the same way I do, but when I talk to other suffers, many report similar experiences to me – and some experience different symptoms.
A migraine can be a very, very frightening experience because many of your senses are affected. You can’t function as normal – your sight, speech, sense of smell and touch may all change.
How migraines feel for me
Sometimes my symptoms don’t immediately alert me that I have a migraine as they could be attributed to other things. I may feel very cold, or more commonly, feel really hungry and actually be able to eat a huge amount of food and still feel starving. Or I may feel sick at the thought of eating and want to throw up when I smell certain things like fried food or coffee. This stage is a bit like having extreme morning sickness.
I’m often short tempered too in the early stages, and find myself snapping at people for no reason. A bit like having PMT!
The first definite sign that I have a migraine usually relates to my sight, before I even have a headache. I’ll start to see blobs or find it hard to read words (sometimes without visual disturbance). Sometimes, it looks a bit like an out of tune TV. It creeps up from one corner of my eye and slowly creeps across both eyes. It can take seconds or minutes to develop, and this stage (often what people call the aura) lasts for between 10 minutes and 2 hours. I’ve had one very extreme case where it lasted for several days at which point we decided to call out the doctor and I learned about Zomig! Migraines that last for several days or weeks are known as Status Migrainosus (intractable migraine).
For a good few of my migraines I’ve had some other scary symptoms. My face and the left side of my body has gone completely numb. I’ve heard this description of symptoms before from people who’ve had a stroke and I did think the first time it happened I was having a stroke. My speech becomes slurred and I don’t make a lot of sense, I’m told. My coordination is badly affected – I struggle to pick up objects – part because I can’t see properly but part because my aim seems to be all wrong – and I definitely can’t read. Trying to read, with any little part of my sight that is left, actually makes me feel sick.
When it eventually does clear, the visual disturbances go quite suddenly – over the course of about a minute. My sight then returns to normal. Any other symptoms, like numbness, tingling, paralysis etc also feel less noticeable about this time. But my lack of coordination usually stays with me a while. I also find it difficult to concentrate or think straight and I’ve discovered that driving is a definite no-no.
The best thing for the first visual stage, for me, is to go to sleep in a very dark room. Sunglasses help if you need to get up. I find it clears quicker if I sleep, perhaps because I’m more relaxed.
Usually after the visual disturbance, I get the headache. The headache isn’t like an ordinary headache. It feels like your brain is going to explode. There’s a real feeling of pressure and I don’t like anything touching my head – I have to have a really soft pillow if I’m lying down. The headache lasts for around 2-3 hours.
There’s also a nausea stage – sometimes this starts at the beginning of the headache stage, and sometimes a lot later on. This ranges from feeling mildly sick, to actual vomiting. Light seems to make me more prone to being sick (for example, if I try and use the PC after I’ve had a migraine). Strong smells, loud noises etc also seem to make me more nauseous. The nausea stage for me lasts at least a couple of hours – and often carries on right through the evening.
A typical migraine will put me out of action for a whole day. Sometimes I can feel the affects of the migraine for 2 or 3 days afterwards. I have used Zomig to take away my migraines – you dissolve Zomig on your tongue and it clears the aura very quickly. But I find that after using Zomig, the symptoms that follow the aura are usually more extreme, and I also feel more confused and disoriented after using the Zomig, so in the past year, I’ve just gone for sleeping in a dark room when they come on, reserving Zomig for the extreme migraines where I feel numbness and partial paralysis.
If you experience symptoms like these, it is recommended that you keep a migraine diary. An example is provided by the Migraine Trust and can be downloaded here:
http://www.migrainetrust.org/module_images/FactSheet5aMigraineDiaries.pdf
Stages of a migraine
The stages of a migraine that I’ve described above fit into four stages that are used clinically.
Premonitory Stage of the Migraine
This describes certain physical and mental changes such as tiredness, craving sweet foods, mood changes, feeling thirsty and a stiff neck. These feelings can last from 1 to 24 hours.
Aura Stage of the migraine
This may last from 5 to 60 minutes. Symptoms may include visual disturbances such as flashing lights or sensory symptoms such as pins and needles.
Main Attack Stage
This consists of head pain and associated features which can typically last anything between 4 and 72 hours. The head pain is typically described as throbbing and one sided.
Resolution and Recovery Stage or Postdrome Stage
Most migraines fade slowly although some can be resolved suddenly by vomiting, for example.
These four stages are described on the Migraine Trust Factsheet, ‘What is Migraine’ which can be downloaded for free here: http://www.migrainetrust.org/module_images/Factsheet1WhatisMigraine.pdf
