Dealing with aura migraines

I’m not even sure if there’s a specific term for this in American English, but I actually got diagnosed with it yesterday

On top of the "standard" migraine I've dealt with for years, after running some scans and tests following an episode, they told me it's actually a migraine with aura

The symptoms were pretty wild—this bright light totally blocked my vision in my right eye for about 20 minutes, and then this sharp, stabbing pain hit the left side of my head along with a super stiff neck... the headache finally cleared up this morning, but my neck is still feeling really tight

At first, I was terrified it might be a stroke, but after all the testing, they concluded it was just the migraine

Man, the pain is just unreal!!!

Does anyone else here deal with migraines with aura, and how do you manage them—like, what triggers it for you or what helps take the edge off...

I haven't been taking any painkillers, and I can't really use standard migraine meds right now because we're trying to conceive...

I reckon you could probably pop some Tylenol just to take the edge off, but seriously, don't go overboard with the dosage... just be careful

I went through something pretty similar after my blood sugar crashed once—total nightmare—and honestly, I have no clue how I’d even survive the migraine without painkillers. It's just brutal...div>

rustymoose54 said:I think it’s okay to take some Tylenol to help ease the pain, just be careful with the dosage.

I went through something pretty similar after my blood sugar crashed once, and honestly, I don't know how I'd manage the headache without something for the pain, it was just awful...

How much can I safely take?

I have another follow-up appointment at the clinic in a few days, but if this hits me before then...

They actually gave me an injection for the pain yesterday—otherwise, I probably would've just passed out...

You can take some Tylenol, but honestly, you should check with your doctor about the right dosage first.

Last time this happened to me, my vision went blurry in my right eye too. It was right as I was pulling into work—and let me tell you, even death probably wouldn't be a good enough excuse for me to miss a day! While I was parking, I ended up lightly clipping my friend's car.

That whole thing with losing my sight was absolutely terrifying. I’m already basically blind as a bat without my glasses, so it really spooked me. I was in a pretty bad way for about two days.
The absolute worst moment was about 15 years ago when my husband found me on the floor, semi-conscious and just sobbing. I don't actually remember the crying or rolling around on the floor part, just a lot of pain.

To be honest, I can't really give you any expert advice. You’ll have to figure out your own triggers and see which painkiller works best for you.
My biggest struggle is that every four years or so, I get used to whatever medication I'm taking, so I have to start the whole process all over again.
If I could go just one single week without a headache, I’d sign my life away to the devil!

Why not give acupuncture a shot?😲

I’d probably suggest trying acupuncture. It actually worked for my mother—and she isn't exactly the type to go chasing alternative medicine... It helped her deal with some menopause side effects, too. Fingers crossed!

I’ve been dealing with this since my teenage years...
I always lived with this underlying fear of losing my sight entirely, because honestly, it’s terrifying when everything just goes dark for about twenty minutes, followed by a headache that feels absolutely brutal.
Back in high school, I went to see an eye doctor who told me it was a classic case of migraine, advising me that whenever it happens, I should just lock myself away in a dark room and lie down; but most of the time I'm out and about, making it impossible, so I just have to endure it and wait for my vision to return...
I never actually sought out any specialized testing or anything, so this is really the first time I’ve heard that there’s a specific name for this or that anyone else experiences something similar. It’s actually a bit of a relief to know...
electricdriver78, are you on any oral contraceptives?
For me, those episodes used to happen almost several times a week while I was taking them, but ever since I stopped, it’s become very, very rare—it mostly seems to trigger when I’m out at the beach in the sun, or if I spend too much time staring at my computer screen without giving my eyes a break...
Hang in there, girl! 😉

urbanseal6 said:I've been dealing with this since I was a teenager...
I always used to worry I was actually going blind because losing your vision for about twenty minutes is terrifying, and then the headache hits and it’s just brutal.
Back in high school, I saw an eye doctor who told me it was just a classic migraine, and she suggested that when it happens, I should just lock myself in a dark room and lie down... but since I'm rarely home when it strikes, I usually just have to suffer through it and wait for my sight to come back.
I never really went looking for answers, so hearing that there's actually a name for this and that others go through it makes me feel a little better.
electricdriver78, are you on birth control?
For me, it used to happen almost every week when I was taking them, but ever since I stopped, it's become super rare... mostly just when I'm out at the beach in the sun or if I spend too much time staring at my computer without giving my eyes a break.
Hang in there, girl... 😉

urbanseal6 - honestly, I didn't even realize this was a thing until it hit me...

When it first happened, I actually thought I was having a stroke—all the symptoms felt identical, and my blood pressure was up to 160 over 80... which is scary enough considering my family history is full of heart disease and a couple of strokes at young ages, so that's why I panicked...

I haven't been on birth control for maybe ten months now...

I've had migraines since puberty, but never with those weird eye symptoms before...

Maybe acupuncture could help if things get desperate, but I am deathly afraid of needles... believe it or not, I once asked my dentist if he could do a root canal without numbing me just because I'm so terrified of those big needles...

He just laughed and asked if I'd ever actually had a root canal before... 😁

Next time I go in for a checkup, I'll ask about what dosage I can take... but I was reading about aura migraines yesterday and they recommend the same stuff as regular ones—dark room, silence, rest, and whatever pain reliever works for you, which is pretty much my go-to...

But that pain... it feels like someone is literally drilling into my skull...

At least they did some brain scans, so now I can show my husband the proof that his wife actually has a functioning brain... though whether or not that's true is debatable...
😁

Oh jadesailor14, could it really be like that? 😲 - that sounds absolutely awful...

electricdriver78 said:Oh, jadesailor14—can it really be that bad? 😲 That sounds absolutely awful!

I guess you just get used to it eventually, right? Like getting used to a rough ride.

I actually gave acupuncture a shot. The little pinpricks aren't too painful. And if the idea of needles totally freaks you out (honestly, I was fine with anything before I had my first baby, but now just seeing a needle makes me jumpy for no reason!), there’s also laser acupuncture.
It didn't do much for me, though; I think I'd probably need a whole new head!
My vision is a bit blurry, and I have this weird eye twitch that only feels like it can be fixed by birds flying around, which I'm definitely not a fan of.
Plus, I spend at least eight hours staring at a computer screen at work, and then even more once I get home.
My sinuses are also completely shot. Add a few other things to that...
So, my migraine is likely just a perfect storm of everything hitting at once.

My oldest daughter deals with frequent headaches too. Her doctor found some narrowed arteries in her neck, so her pain is actually caused by poor circulation.
You should probably get your blood vessels checked out, too.

jadesailor14 said:You just get used to it eventually, kind of like how you learn to live with a rough patch at work...

I actually gave acupuncture a shot once. The needle pricks aren't even that bad. And if you're really squeamish about needles—which I was, because even though I wasn't scared of anything before giving birth, now just seeing one makes me jumpy for no reason—there’s also laser acupuncture.
It didn't do much for me, but honestly, I probably need a whole new head...
My vision is pretty blurry and I have this weird ocular drift that only feels right when I'm looking at things like birds, which I'm not a huge fan of...
Between staring at my computer screen for at least eight hours at the office and then more once I get home...
And my sinuses being completely shot. Plus a few other things.
So my migraine is likely just a combination of everything hitting at once...

My oldest daughter deals with frequent headaches too. Her doctor found some narrowing in her carotid artery, so the pain comes from poor circulation...
Maybe you should get your arteries checked out, too...

I finally got an appointment with an internist—my doctor wants to run every test imaginable... I guess we'll see—sometimes he even brings in med students to stare at patients like they're specimens under a microscope...

I actually found a website that had a perfect picture of what I was hallucinating for those twenty minutes on this page, if you scroll down to the image with the black background labeled Fig 3—that was exactly what I saw... it wasn't quite that dark in front of my eyes, but those zig-zag lines were dancing in my field of vision for a good twenty minutes...

electricdriver78 said:My internist wants to run every single test under the sun. I guess let them look. Sometimes they even bring in med students to stare at me like I'm some specimen in a lab.

I actually found a picture online that looks exactly like what I hallucinated for about 20 minutes on this page. If you scroll down to that image with the black background labeled Fig 3—that’s exactly what I saw. It wasn't quite that dark for me, but those jagged zig-zag lines just danced around my field of vision for a solid 20 minutes.

It's an absolute match for what I go through. (I have a diagnosed migraine with aura). Only difference is I usually end up throwing up after those attacks hit.
I noticed some girls mentioning this happened more often while they were on birth control, but it's been the opposite for me; since I started taking them, I haven't had a single attack nearly as intense as the ones before.

My girlfriend deals with migraines with aura. She gets hit with these absolutely brutal headaches whenever the weather shifts. Is there any way to actually cure migraines with aura, and if so, how?

Usually, you’re just treating the symptoms with painkillers. If things start getting seriously messy, you can always go see a neurologist for some actual testing.

I suppose I should finally open a thread about this.
Greetings, everyone.
My migraines first manifested just over a year ago, starting with visual disturbances—flashing lights followed by a sort of blurred vision. Within a month, it happened twice more, and since then, it has recurred perhaps two or three times every few months. However, things have shifted recently. After over 25 years of smoking roughly 30 cigarettes a day, I decided to quit. It’s been about three weeks since my last cigarette, and now these migraines have become a daily occurrence. In fact, as I sit here typing this, I believe the aura is currently active, though the actual headache hasn't taken hold yet. If anyone has navigated similar experiences, I would appreciate it if you could share them with me.
Best regards,

Aaron Rodriguez62 said:I suppose I should finally open a thread about this.
Greetings, everyone.
My migraines first manifested just over a year ago, starting with visual disturbances—flashing lights followed by a sort of blurred vision. Within a month, it happened twice more, and since then, it has recurred perhaps two or three times every few months. However, things have shifted recently. After over 25 years of smoking roughly 30 cigarettes a day, I decided to quit. It’s been about three weeks since my last cigarette, and now these migraines have become a daily occurrence. In fact, as I sit here typing this, I believe the aura is currently active, though the actual headache hasn't taken hold yet. If anyone has navigated similar experiences, I would appreciate it if you could share them with me.
Best regards,

You absolutely need to get a full neurological workup done—I'm talking blood work, an EKG, an EEG, a CT scan, and an MRI. Once you have all that data, you can actually make an informed decision on whether you just need acute treatment with triptans, like Zomig, or if you need to start on preventative medication.

Aaron Rodriguez62 said:I suppose I should finally open a thread about this.
Greetings, everyone.
My migraines first manifested just over a year ago, starting with visual disturbances—flashing lights followed by a sort of blurred vision. Within a month, it happened twice more, and since then, it has recurred perhaps two or three times every few months. However, things have shifted recently. After over 25 years of smoking roughly 30 cigarettes a day, I decided to quit. It’s been about three weeks since my last cigarette, and now these migraines have become a daily occurrence. In fact, as I sit here typing this, I believe the aura is currently active, though the actual headache hasn't taken hold yet. If anyone has navigated similar experiences, I would appreciate it if you could share them with me.
Best regards,

Go see a neurologist immediately; experiencing migraines with aura on a daily basis is simply not normal.
My mother deals with them, though she only suffers once a month. You might also want to look into your pillow; make sure you're using an ergonomic one.

When it comes to migraines, what you put in your body is huge. I’m talking nuts, wine, cheese, chocolate—stay far away from all that stuff. You also really need to watch your sleep and stay hydrated. Like, actually drink enough water.

I've been dealing with these things since I was a teenager, usually with that weird aura thing too.
Eventually, you just learn how to listen to your own body, I guess. For instance, if I wake up feeling like I'm right on the edge, I won't touch any food that might trigger a flare-up. It’s just not worth it. Same goes for avoiding places where people are smoking or where there's loud music and those obnoxious light shows. If I walk into a club like that, I'm basically doomed.
I've also learned that keeping a consistent sleep schedule is everything. I try to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time. If I'm up by 7:00 AM during the week, I try not to sleep past 7:30 or maybe 8:00 on the weekends. If I sleep in late? Yeah, 100% migraine. Guaranteed.

It's true, though—if you wake up with a migraine, your whole day is pretty much trashed. Sometimes it drags on for three days straight...

You definitely need to get all the medical tests done and everything, even if most of the time the doctors just give you pills and tell you to listen to your body. There isn't much else they can do.