Miagraine w/aura

Well Ive had issues with my condition for a little over a year now though mine is extremely severe causing stroke symptoms but I can tell this. Im highly suspicious of MSG. MSG is in everything it would seem but, specifically Ive found things tend to go haywire for me after eating certain types of Ranch Dressing. IE MCdonalds had that new Habanero Ranch I tried that the night before all hell broke loose on me, 12 hours later I could no longer walk.

Ended up having symptoms of stroke,they thought it was one for a while but weren't able to prove it.So fast forward regular ranch doesn't seem to cause as much an issue but other types do later on I ate some Marzetti Buttermilk ranch that came with a salad from Arbys. Though it didn't cause full on stroke symptoms it did cause a lot of migrainous Symptoms.

It is hard tell though if a food is truly a trigger unless you eat it at the same time everyday and get a migraine at the time. Also the days you dont eat it and skip it,you end up not having one then I would be suspect of it. You may just be having migraine come on from early morning after waking and never realize it till the Aura kicks in, you can have migraine without Aura even if you have Migraine with Aura.

Best of luck to you in figuring it out. Try cutting out anything with MSG and see if that helps any. Heres a list of common triggers for most people from this site.
https://migraine.com/infographic/top-migraine-food-triggers/

Hope that helps some.

I'm currently 19, and I had my first mígraine when I was 14 and it's always been preceed by an aura. However, since my mid 17s I haven't had any more migraines other than the tension headaches here and there because I've discovered a trick. Before that I used to get migraines anywhere from within the space of 6 months to 4 days. I don't know if it will work for everyone or if I'm disrupting some essential neuro-biological process (lets hope not) by doing it.

I noticed that before I got a migraine, I was in a state of mind where I felt dissociated and I didn't feel pain (<-this is the key part)and sometimes I would have olfactory hallucinations, this was during the early onset of the aura phase. I believe the whole aura phase is called "cortical spreading depression" (search it on wikipedia). I didn't lose my ability to feel, just my ability to feel pain. I found this out because I randomly bit myself one day out of pure desperation and anxiety after noticing the aura, and I realised I wasn't feeling the pain I should be feeling. It was during this point that the zigzags would usually appear and spread (before I discovered the trick that is).

After noticing this, whenever I got an aura or felt even the slightest feeling of dissociation or olfactory hallucinations, I would pinch myself (yes, pinch myself). Sometimes I would feel the pain of it, then I knew everything was fine. Sometimes I wouldn't, in which case I would simply pinch myself more and try to make it hurt, eventually I started to feel the pain andalso noticed that the aura dissapeared. Noticing the aura in its very early onset will require some level of self-awareness and alertness.

THINGS TO CONSIDER
I've never allowed the aura phase to progress because I've always pinched myself whenever I noticed the slightest sign of possible aura so I don't know whether it would work mid-aura.

I've also been scared whenever I noticed the aura phase starting, which would in turn elevate my heart rate so maybe that's what stopped the migraines from happening (but i doubt it).

It could also be that I've been completely cured of my migraines and these 'tricks' have nothing to do with it (I sincerely doubt it).

I believe sleep has the biggest part role to play with migraines personally, so you should consider monitoring your sleep habits and how it correlates with your migraines if my trick doesn't work for you.

From the time that I was 16 to 18 years old I had Migraines with SEVERE Aura that would result in a debilitating headache. I kept seeing ceiling fans out of the corner of my eye, I would look and it would disappear. If I looked straight forward, they would come back. They were so real in fact, that once I said to a classmate... "When did they put ceiling fans in hear". The symptoms would follow the same pattern every time... Aura, Tingling of limbs, lips and head, inability to speak properly and then finally a sledgehammer headache on one side of my boy that would last 12-24 hours. I had 4 migraines and after that things went dormant.

Last night, July 5, 2015 I felt the all to familiar tingling in my hands and new immediately what was going on. I was having my first migraine in twenty years. The signs were somewhat different this time, the migraine began with a tingling sensation in my thumb, which engulfed my hand in about 2 minutes. Followed by the inability to speak or express my thoughts fluidly. I immediately ran to the kitchen and downed two glasses of water with a giant cup of espresso, a blood pressure pill (vaso-dilator) and 500 mg of magnesium. I'm not sure if it stopped the migraine or lessoned the severity but all the symptoms were extremely mild in comparison to the migraines I had twenty years ago. The aura was the last symptom and occurred for about 10 minutes. It was all followed by a moderate pounding headache which I still have 15 hours later.

When I was younger, I never nailed down a trigger, though I suspect it was a chemical in the bug spray we used in the barn. With the exception of an increase in ham (nitrates) and diet soda (aspartame) all the things I have in the refrigerator are things I have eaten all my life. It could be dehydration, stress or lack of sleep too, I've been dehydrated lately, and not been getting much relaxation or sleep in the past 2 months either.

I agree with Eagle6205, I try to stay away from Ranch dressing because of the MSG but I personally haven't had any issues in 20 years eating it so I'm not sure it's a trigger for me. However, my mother discovered her trigger was MSG and she gets debilitating migraines about once a year.

The problem is locating your trigger, it can change and it can be multiple triggers. It's like hitting a moving target. I personally think that the best bet is to have a more natural diet, stay away from junk food, lighten up on the meat and dairy, stay healthy, exercise, get sleep, and decrease stress.

Carrie,
There are Migraines some people get referred to as "ocular" or "retinal" Migraines. You get the aura, but the head pain never comes. My dad actually gets these (lucky him). He knows if he drinks too much red wine, he'll likely have one the next day.

I can understand being scared of when it may happen again because it makes your vision impaired. You never want to have one while driving! Here's some info on these types of Migraines: https://migraine.com/migraine-types/ocular-migraine/

Since you have more frequently been getting these (some with pain, some without), it's probably time to go see a neurologist. Keeping a headache and food diary will be helpful to bring along with you to your appointment. If these continue, it may be a good idea to be on a preventive medication.

-Katie
Migraine.com Moderator