Type of Pain you get when having a migraine?
I have found over the years my migraines have evolved when it comes to pain and symptoms. I used to get all the general symptoms one sided pain, nausea, tingling/numbness in face and hands, aura's and so on. Now every migraine is different except the nausea that is always there. But the pain is more severe and all over like my head is exploding or I get the hairline headband pain and prickling feeling. Sometimes the pain is in my ears or where the jaw connects by the ears. But the biggest fear now is it is two ,sided and it's not just a normal headache. I do take rizatriptan and the pain goes away but always comes back and I end up suffering longer then the allowed amount of triptan I can take. When it's over I go through a day or so of stiff muscles, then a good day of feeling better. But because I felt so good I try doing everything I had to put off and wind up waking up with another migraine and the vicious cycle continues. I'm posting this because this page has made me realize I'm not alone but now I'm wondering if any of you have had changes to the way your migraine presents itself? And what pain do you feel? Thanks for sharing with me.
Hi Bridget,
Thank you for sharing with us! This is a wonderful, compassionate community where you will find support and education. Welcome!
Be assured, you are not alone - in fact new numbers indicate there are upwards of 38 million people who have migraine!
It is not uncommon for migraine patterns (and for that matter, triggers) to change over time. However, any time we have new and/or different symptoms it's time to discuss them with our doctor to make sure there is nothing else going on.
Seeing as you mentioned you don't feel good after an attack, I wanted to share with you this information; The effects of a migraine attack can long after the headache phase is gone. A migraine attack actually has four phases. Prodrome, the first phase of the attack can last from 24 to 48 hours before an attack. These symptoms include trouble concentrating, excessive yawning and/or urination, irritability and others. You can read more about prodrome in this link; https://migraine.com/blog/what-is-a-migraine-prodrome/. And it may be worthwhile to talk to your doctor about treating your attack during this phase.
This link will give you more specifics on the other three phases (aura, headache and postdrome) of a migraine attack; https://migraine.com/migraine-basics/migraine-phases/.Migraine pain can be a bit different in each of us. Mine can range from throbbing and stabbing, to shooting and pulsing. Having an accurate diagnosis to rule out other headache disorders is always a good idea. And there are over 300 different migraine and headache disorders and it's possible to have more than one.
I totally understand what you are saying about feeling better and overdoing it. This is one of my biggest downfalls. I continue to work on this each day.
Nancy
My migraines have changed over time. I used to get severe one sided pain and had to sleep it off, occurring once or twice a month (mostly related to hormones). Now I'm in peri menopause, and the migraines are chronic. Still one sided pain but less severe but too many days per month. I'm seeing a neurologist now, trying preventatives for the first time.
