Typical or not?

[Elly 1]

I am 53 years old, menopausal, 5' 10" 162kg. I have suffered migraines for the past 15 years. I have seen a neurologist regarding my migraines and he says my symptoms are typical but I'm not convinced. I do not get an aura the pain just starts out of the blue. It always begins at the top of my nose on the right side almost in the eye socket. Whilst sometimes it travels into the forehead it always remains in the nose. I am nearly always sick and have to go to bed. I cannot sleep as the pain is so severe and it is constant as opposed to a throbbing pain. It ALWAYS lasts for at least 24 hours. I have Reynauds syndrome so there are limited drugs which I can take, none of which have any effect on the condition. Please could you tell me if this is typical of a migraine headache.

[Elly 1]

Can anyone help

[cupcakes]

Well, you don't need to have the aura for it to be a migraine. I sometimes get migraines that start in that region. The change in hormones might also be what is causing them.  I get sick almost every time I have a migraine and the pain isn't always throbbing. Sometimes, I get a constant pain that lasts for a few days. It almost makes me angry because it can get soo annoying; especially if you have things you need to get done.  Are you sensitive to noise and light??? There are natural things you can take instead of medication like Feverfew and magnesium might help too. I would definitely consult a doctor before trying it though, just in case.

[noops01]

Hi,

Migraine are generally preceded by an aura, but sometimes there is only aura not followed by a headache, or only headache not preceded by aura. The severity and one sidedness of the pain suggests it is most likely a migraine attack. I would suggest you to lie in a quiet room and apply cold compress to the neck. Also as rightly mentioned magnesium is known to benefit patients with migraine.If possible try and identify the trigger for your migraine.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello Elly.

Just to add to the information, what you have is the "common migraine", which is not associated with an aura. It is the "classic migraine" which has aura with headache.

Regards