Hours Before a Migraine
Hi Guys,
I am new to this forum. I am actually not sure if I am suffering from migraines or tension headaches, but what I know is when I do have a headache I feel like the entire world is about to collapse and all I can think of is taking a 400mg Advil and sleep. Well actually I can't sleep unless the pain is gone and if I wait too long before taking anything for the headache I get nauseated and pale.
What I did notice is that hours prior to a headache I get severely weak and lethargic (kinda confused) like I am about to fall asleep. Then it starts, boom boom boom and it only gets worse and worse, I cannot think, talk, focus, breathe NOTHING all I can do is focus on the pain. Usually its from the neck up to the eye socket and the sides of my temples. At times it is just one side and sometimes both. There is no way I can sleep with the pain. The ONLY thing that helps is medication.
I am 27 years old and I have suffered for my entire life. I get them at least once a week or 2-3 times a month. It's bad and even a day after my headache is gone I feel the area that it was hurting, as if my head is sore from the pain.
What are your opinions? Is this some sort of a migraine? My doctor doesn't think so, but I really don't know anyone who has severe headaches like I do?
Any similar stories? Please share!
Hi Headaches87,
First let me welcome you to the Migraine.com disucssion forum. You'll find lots of support, information and compassion. Now, let's see what I can do to help!
Seeing as you've had this head pain for quite some time the first step is to get an accurate diagnosis. Having an accurate diagnosis allows us to get the correct treatment and then learn all we can about our particular type of migraine and/or headache, of which there are more than 300! When you get a minute you may want to take a look at this information about diagnosis; https://migraine.com/blog/the-validation-of-a-diagnosis/ and https://migraine.com/blog/how-long-did-it-take-for-you-to-get-your-migraine-diagnosis/.
Some of the symptoms you describe can indeed be found in a migraine attack. It's not uncommon to be lethargic, disoriented, dizzy, difficulty finding words and many others. These symptoms can be found during prodrome or the first phase of an attack. The thing about prodrome is you can experience this phase 48 hours before the attack. You can read more about prodrome here; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-attack-prediction-premonitory-symptoms/. Information on the other phases (aura, headache and postdrome) can be found in this link; https://migraine.com/migraine-basics/migraine-phases/.
Let me share what we call the essentials of migraine in this article; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-management-essentials/.
Please let us know what the doctor says!
Nancy
