More than a headache

 Did you know there are different types of migraines? I didn't. I didn't even understand what a migraine was. I thought it was just a really bad headache. I actually didn't even understand how bad a headache could get until my accident. I thought they were just those aches I got sometimes that went away with a regular painkiller. 

I started with tension-type headaches after my injury and I still get them all the time. But the migraines are a different story. I don't actually know what type of migraine I get. I won't know until I see a specialist and that takes time. But I've been doing my research.

A migraine is very different from any other headache. It is a body experience. Most migraines happen in the head, but there are even migraines that happen in the abdomen. These are more common in children. Ever met a child who complains of chronic stomachache? It might be abdominal migraine.

Like I said though, mostly they happen in the head. But there are symptoms that can reach out to other parts of the body. This is not a simple headache.

First, a look at the migraine itself. Most often they happen on one side of the head but they can sometimes happen across the head. The one-sided nature is one of the ways we can tell a migraine apart from a tension headache. Migraine tends to sit on one side while tension headaches wrap around the head, squeezing.

Migraines also usually cause visual disturbances, mostly in the form of light sensitivity and perhaps an aching sensation when trying to keep them open. It's common to also be sensitive to sound. Then there's nausea, a general malaise, heaviness, and a worn-down feeling.

The actual pain of a migraine can be described many ways and indeed varies between attacks and even during attacks. Stabbing, cutting, twisting, screwdriver, icepick, needle, splitting, burning, etc.

But the migraine doesn't stop there. You may have heard of migraine aura. If you're like I was before, you probably are only familiar with visual migraine aura. There is more. So much more.

There are 4 main types of migraines. Migraines without aura, migraines with aura, chronic migraines, and abdominal migraines. There are also subtypes of migraines with aura. Theres aura without headache, aura with headache, vestibular migraine, migraine with brainstem involvement, and hemiplegic migraine. 

Okay so just to clarify before I continue: it is estimated that somewhere between 70 and 80% of people who get migraines do not experience aura.

Aura types:

Visual - blind spots, blurred vision, jagged lines

Pain - joint pain, bone pain, muscle pain, sinus pain

Nausea and vomiting

Constipation and/or diarrhea

Fatigue

Hypersensitivity- light, sound, smell, touch

Dizziness and vertigo (the world tilts)

Numbness and tingling

Cold hands, feet or nose OR hot flashes

Brain fog

Aura happens before the migraine sets in. Sometimes, aura happens and migraine never comes.

There are also many different triggers for migraine. I don't think it's possible to figure it out completely. There are too many variables.

Are you lost yet? If any of this sounds like you, and is making you start thinking you need to talk to a doctor, please do. Migraines can be managed.

I started out thinking I had a disease and would end up in a wheelchair. But finally a trip to see a neurologist set me straight and I learned about this strange world of migraine. 

Just don't ever call it a headache.

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