MIGRAINE | HEADACHES
A Classic Migraine Attack And The Harsh Impact
A kaleidoscope of flashing triangles blocked half of my vision
I walked downstairs to greet my cleaning lady on the second Friday she came in. Before that, she always came to work on Tuesdays.
She had a hectic few hours at her morning address and looked tired. I felt real sympathy and expressed it, postponing the moment to show her the new storage place for the bucket and cleaning products, before I returned upstairs to continue working.
While standing there, listening to her story, a fierce pain shot through my head. So fierce, I mentioned it, but by then it was gone. I soon returned to my upstairs office.
Sitting down at my computer, I blinked several times while looking at my screen. I couldn’t see my screen properly. A spot in front of my eyes blocked some of it.
I took off my glasses, closed my eyes and lowered my head in my hands. The spot was still there, both with my eyes closed and when I looked at the screen again.
What was happening?
I mumbled something to the cleaner who had just followed upstairs to clean the bathroom, and went downstairs to my husband, telling him about the spot I saw. I could only see half of his face and wondered if one of my eyes was playing up, so I first covered one eye, then the other, but my vision stayed the same.
Something prompted me to take pain meds for migraines before I went back upstairs again. No one has ever diagnosed me with migraine, but over the years, I have frequently said it wouldn’t surprise me if I suffer from them. A doctor once told me my ‘famous’ three-day headaches were ‘just’ tension headaches. Yes, I always have migraine meds in our medicine cabinet, because those always work best for those heavy headaches.
Not being able to see properly on my screen, I called a colleague to discuss some work. By now, the spot had grown from about three centimeters in diameter, to five, and during the call, to ten.
I described the spot as a blinking image of a kaleidoscope, with the triangles on the edges the fastest moving parts.
After the phonecall, the spot kept on growing, where the blinking triangles moved further and further away to the edge of my vision.
Then it was gone, and I could see my screen again.
It took about thirty minutes for the phenomenon to disappear, and I thought I could finally get back to work.
Wrong!
In a split-second, my head exploded.
I squinted, trying to get away from the pain. It didn’t help. I know I should’ve gone to bed, to lie down, but with the cleaner busy, I felt… embarrassed.
Embarrassed because I didn’t know exactly what was happening, and embarrassed to give in to the pain.
So, I turned to the internet..
This was what I found a site which our doctor refers us to when one wants to know if it’s necessary to make an appointment:
- The blind spot is called a scotoma, and it blocks half of your vision, and happens in both eyes, even when you look with only one eye, and even when you close your eyes.
- The spot starts out small and gradually grows bigger (in minutes).
- The spot is light and has different colors.
- The edge of the spot has the form of saw teeth and blinks, like sparkles on the water.
- The spot slowly moves away, towards the outside of your vision.
Reading that, I realized what I had experienced was a classical migraine attack with an aura. I had never had one of those before, but the headache after was familiar. It felt the same as what the doctor has diagnosed as ‘tension headaches’, something I had always doubted to be true.
I’ve had those headaches many times before in my life, but somehow this experience above deeply touched me. It scared me, and I wanted to read more about it; wanted to understand it.
Did you know:
- Migraines are not ‘just headaches’ but classified as a neurovascular brain disease involving blood vessels and nerves?
- In 2014, migraine was seventh on the WHO list of most burdensome chronic diseases, way before epilepsy (20) and Alzheimer (24)?
- The medical science still doesn’t know what the cause is for migraines, except that a combination of different genes and environmental circumstances can cause someone to get them?
- Three times as many women have migraines because hormones play a big role?
- People with migraine are more likely to be depressed than those without?
- People — women more than men — suffering from migraine with aura have a higher risk of suffering from a stroke or heart attack?
I never went to lie down on the day I had the aura, but kept still most of the evening, working on my laptop. The next day, it felt like a block of cement had replaced my brain. My head didn’t ache, but even the slightest exertion, such as walking up the stairs, reminded me the pain was still lingering.
I took another tablet, but still didn’t lie down to rest. By that evening, I had a tight band around my head, was nauseous and tired. Another bad night’s sleep followed, but even so, the next day, the block of cement had disappeared from my head.
Next time when a severe headache strikes, with or without aura, I will go lie down to try minimizing the after-effects. This time the migraine attack surprised me, but next time I will know how to handle it.
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