Nausea worse than headaches

By mypainhelp

3 min read

I've been suffering with what i've been told are migraines for over 3 years now. I have been so sick that ive had many times where ive wanted to end my life. The headaches arnt the worst symptom of all, its the constant nausea. I thought i'd share a list of my symptoms that i suffer on a daily basis, and have only had respite from these symptoms on average 1 day a fortnight for the past 3 years.

- worst symptom nausea, like having gastro bug. the feeling of being ready to vomit and paralysed by this in bed unable to move
- constant headaches which vary from throbbing in my forehead to sharp pains
- ringing in ears, underwater sensations
- visual aura such as black tadpoles flying through my vision, unable to see through certain parts of my eye, white lights, shadowing, blurred vision
- diziness and fainting sensation, like im about to pass out
- flu like symptoms, shaking, hot flushes, pains throughout entire body, basically zombified
- vomitting
- diarrhoea
- face from lips upwards numb and pins and needles everyday

I've somehow up until recently got myself into work through most of this even though im unable to stand at times, unable to talk, winging most of it and when returning home i'd basically be in bed sick till the next day, with every weekend being in bed sick (my husband is on a spouse visa so ive had no option but to carry on or he goes home). Attempts to get through it have just ended up in making my migraine worse and i haven't been able to exercise or go out for a night out without ending up coming home with a severe migraine so i no longer try (I have won fitness figure competitions in the last 6 years and used to have a passion for fitness before the migraines started).

Ive had ct scan, mri, lumbar puncture and told my neurologist all of my symptoms which he confirmed is all migraine?! I have tried various medications and now feel like my doctor thinks im making it up or im crazy and puts it down to stress. Ive led a very stressful life and up until 3 years ago i never even had as much as a headache.

I have been trying for a baby for the last two years so medication i can try has been limited. After two unfortunate failed pregnancies (1st miscarriage and 2nd a very sick baby) im finally pregnant again and everything now appears to be fine with my little one but my migraines had taken over completely. Ive been trialling amitriptyline in small doses which has been providing me with some relief (little but some improvement). In fact ive had 3 days where ive been ok in that i haven't had to go to bed with severe nausea and I now feel like I have hope. I wait for the next day i can feel normal. When my little one is born i have to believe that amitriptyline will improve my life so that I can be a happy mother who can give her daughter the best life and im holding onto the fact that something will work eventually (hopefully amitriptyline).

This is for all those people who say (including a past doctor) that a migraine is 'just a headache'! For me if it was just a headache I'd be ecstatic and would never have thought about taking my own life.

I hope that if anyone out there is going through even 50% of what ive been going through and your still standing and searching for that next medication to ease your pain, you are strong, you will find a way eventually, and you wont feel like this forever. That's what I believe and I will find the right meds, even if its not for me but for the life of my unborn child.

Sending strength, power, love, courage and hope to all migraine sufferers out there. Xxx

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faeriefate Member
I agree with the nausea and vomiting being the worst. When my migraines started up again, they lasted two days at a time every month. Two days I can't hold down anything except water. It is AWFUL! It even effected a friendship because I wasn't able to do as much on a project as I should have with my friend, and my friend said, "It's just a headache!" Yeah, I'd like to see you tell me it's just a headache when I'm contemplating if I'd rather puke in a bucket and deal with the smell or puke in the toilet and deal with the light. >.> All I can say is raise awareness. Tell people what you're going through. I even had to tell my friends my concerns with losing weight (even though they didn't take that threat seriously because they want to lose weight). Tell them how you feel during it. Tell them about the time it takes to recuperate (I had to skip 3 days at a time, two with vomiting and one eating everything in the house to regain my energy). Tell them about hospital visits and ER visits. Tell them about how it scares you because fluorescent lights make the pain worse. Tell them about how the pain scares you. Even tell them about how you even question becoming pregnant because your options are limited (honestly my migraines make me really consider adopting when I want kids). Tell them about the struggles of medication! Let the world know everything! Someone has to, and you can't let them ignore you or think you're weak. YOU'RE A WARRIOR!
1. mypainhelp Member
 Thanks so much for your comments. I wanted two children but again as you said the struggle and the fact I haven't yet found the right meds is making me rethink everything. Im really scared about giving birth, I am aware it will be the worst pain ever but im more worried how I will be able to go through it with a migraine! Awareness is key as you said, and the more people we can educate the better. 😀
joleen1966 Member
Have the docs ruled out hormones as a factor for the migraines? That was one of the things my docs did. It didn't help my chronic migraine but just in case it might help you. We all feel your pain! You are not alone. It is definitely not JUST a headache. People that say that are ignorant of all that we deal with. The best thing is trying to educate them. (Those that will listen) Good luck with your pregnancy 😀
joleen1966 Member
Flying tadpoles! Love it and that's exactly what they look like.
smkirchdoerfer Member
Zofran has changed my life. I take it at the first twinge.
alicefaith Member
I was in the same boat as you for about a year. Couldn't pull myself off the bathroom floor, all I could do was lie there and be miserable. My little son used to come to my bedside and beg me to play with him. It was awful. After a zillion tests, some ER visits and some time being afraid everyone thought I was crazy, I was finally diagnosed with migraine. I started on amitriptyline 25mg and have been so much better ever since then. I still get occasional episodes, but maybe once every month or two, and nothing like the severity it was before. I hope once your baby comes you will have the same relief. I've since cut down to 10 mg and that seems to work fine, and lessens some of the side effects. And congratulations on your pregnancy!
alicefaith Member
Oh, and don't worry too much about childbirth. I'd take childbirth any day over one of those episodes. And I did natural, and my baby had a 99 percentile head size, so that's saying something!
susan5118 Member
You are really suffering and I can understand how bad this makes you fee. I have been suffering from atypical migraines brought on by a drop in estrogen every month. It is the nausea and vomiting that causes the most misery. I have been on and off the pill for years...lo-lo estrin. It prevents the dips and I feel pretty normal but I'm so nervous about being on all of these hormones at 52. Every time I go off them I get deathly ill a few weeks later. Have you considered hormone therapy? It has worked miracles for me. Have you found any relief over the last year?