More than a Headache

Migraine disease is thought of as headaches. And, indeed, the primary symptom is headaches. A lot of people, though, don't realize all the symptoms that go along with the headaches. In fact, I have learned a ton about migraines since I've had to deal with them, which concerns me because I was a pretty well-informed doctor. I'm afraid that lots of other doctors out there don't really understand what living with migraines is like. So, what else happens besides the headaches?

1. Mood changes - I hadn't really noticed the mood changes that go with migraines until I heard a migraine specialist speak at our hospital. Now I can see how my mood changes before and during the migraine attack. Up to 6 hours before the migraine hits, I often get very irritable. I don't like for people to talk to me and very little things will get me quite upset. I start thinking about treating the migraine when I notice these changes. Sometimes, before the migraine, and sometimes during the migraine, I will also get very depressed. I take an antidepressant which normally keeps my mood pretty stable, but before and during a migraine, I will sometimes get extremely sad for no apparent reason.

2. Muscle pain - Migraine is thought of as headache, but a full-blown migraine is often (in my case) associated with diffuse muscle pain. I have some mild-moderate fibromyalgia anyway (which is a disorder of muscle pain), but the pain that comes with the migraine is much more severe. I don't like to be touched, especially on my head or neck, when the migraine is at it's worst. This is something that I have never seen in standard medical descriptions of migraine.

3. Nausea and vomiting - These symptoms usually occur with just about any kind of severe headache. I have noticed, though, that I will get nauseous sometimes even before the headache gets very severe. I treat my nausea very aggressively because it is the hardest symptom to break and because vomiting makes the headache so much worse.

4. Hot flashes - This is another symptom that I haven't seen listed anywhere else. I'm pretty sure my hot flashes when I have a migraine are from the migraine itself and not from the medications. After the migraine is over, I desperately need to shower because I've sweated so much. But, the sweats are followed by chills, so I'll huddle under the covers until the next hot flash comes.

5. Post-migraine fatigue - I know other people have this problem as well. My migraines usually last 6-12 hours these days (although they did used to last 24 or more). The day after the migraine, I am exhausted and have a hard time doing much besides reading or knitting. Because I have 2-3 migraines per week, I end up with several days of migraine plus the useless day afterward. This frustrates the part of me that wants to be productive and get stuff done, but I think it's just my body saying that it needs some time to regroup.

In writing this, I want to emphasize that everyone's migraine experience is different. I have written about my experience, but some people have different sets of symptoms. Some have more, some have fewer. In any case, migraine is a very poorly understood illness without a good treatment. One of the main things I've learned about managing it, though, is to understand how my symptoms work. I can plan for post-migraine fatigue now that I know the pattern. I now know to treat the nausea aggressively. This is all part of the chronic illness lifestyle.