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Diagnosed with migraines but I'm not so sure..

Hi guys,

Just this morning, I've been diagnosed at the Walton Centre in Liverpool as having migraines. He'd advised to cut out certain foods, give it 4-6 weeks and see how I felt. I was told things would get worse before they improved. In truth, I feel no different.

It's been a long, arduous journey to get to this point but migraines were actually something I'd already discarded as a possibility myself a long time ago. I've never suffered a single one in my life. I'd also always understood that the majority of migraines were intermittent (i.e. last a few days-week, not constant).

Anyway, back in May 2017 I was leaving work one evening to meet my wife outside and I felt a strange sensation sort of.. 'come over' me. It felt like it was enveloping my head, a strange fogginess or wooziness. It has been there ever since, without exception. At times, it's worse and some times it's manageable but it's 24/7 and has been for nigh on 9 months. Along with this, I have a handful of other symptoms: slightly blurry vision (always), my eyes and ears are often sensitive to light and sound, distinct lack of a sense of smell (I have to be VERY close to whatever I'm smelling), lack of concentration when the fogginess is at its worst and a heavy head/dull ache in my neck and sometimes my head which i get now and again.

Just to clarify, the aches/pains I get in my head and neck are not what you'd traditionally class as a headache, I rarely get headaches (usually only when dehydrated or hungover - which I haven't been for almost a year).

I've seen a chiropractor, had physio, tried anti-dizziness meds (I was never dizzy.. ), had a neck/head x-ray, a head MRI (both of which were clear). Some of the exercises the physio and chiro showed me have helped manage some of the symptoms but even they admitted whatever was going on was largely out of their remit.

As you can see I'm not convinced this migraine diagnosis is correct. I almost feel a bit of a fraud, as I know many people that do suffer with migraines and it can be debilitating and few of my own symptoms match any of theirs.

So, I'm just looking for a bit of advice or feedback. Does anybody suffer any/all of these or can clarify that the doctor is probably right or wrong?

DT
PS. apologies for the lengthy first post. I'm at a bit of a loss.

  1. Hey there,

    Sorry this is happening to you. Migraine disease can be a tricky beast because it can manifest differently for each person. Some people have an attack for a few hours that comes only every few months. Others get longer attacks that come multiple times a month. Others have daily attacks. Still others have one long migraine.

    You say yours improves at times. Can you keep a diary of what's going on then? Do you notice a difference when you change your positioning? i.e. if you lie perfectly flat (no pillows) for a few hours, does your headache start to diminish? Do you notice a spike in pain when you stand? If you sit up, does your headache diminish, versus lying down? Did anything happen in the months, not just days, before you became sick? (car accident, ride roller coasters, pick up something heavy, hit on the head, fall, illness?) Do you notice the fogginess getting worse around certain kinds of light/screens/bright sun? Do weather changes affect you? They offered you diet changes. How comprehensive were they? I know my neuro gave me a list, but it turned out what I actually needed to cut out to stop being triggered over and over every time I put food in my mouth (especially processed foods containing MSG) was much more drastic. Kerrie Smyres has a good list on this site if you want to check it out.

    Sorry for the long post. Just some ideas to consider and bring up with your doctor.

    1. I hate to say it but I have lost trust in the doctors. I began looking into natural stuff that didn’t make my hair fall out and make me feel crappy from all of the side effects.I found a product that worked for me after 30 years of suffering every single day with a migraine. I consider myself at the extreme end of sufferers. Might be worth a try for some of you and the best part was its all natural (no side effects) and they offered a trail bottle. I read all of these posts on this site and it breaks my heart to know most of you are still miserable. Look them up. It might be your answer. Doctors and meds did NOTHING for me for years!!! The name is URLifeBack and I stand by it. It gave me back my life and I’m grateful. Best of luck to all of you

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