The friday night migraine

[chicibo]

Every Friday afternoon for the last 3 weeks I have had a migraine develop at about 3pm.  It's very strange.  I don't work a 9-5 day, nor do I work a Monday to Friday job.  I have had a mri scan which showed a 1 1/2cm cyst between my frontal lobe and my skull, just above the temple.  The doctors believe it may have been there since birth, and may in fact be associated with my birth itself, which was a long, difficult forceps delivery.  I carry the scars on my face and head from the forceps, and at three weeks old was still bruised and had a huge indent in my head from the forceps.  The cyst itself is on the side of my head that was worst affected by the forceps.

I use a range of painkillers to help with the weekend migraines, starting with Panadol, then Imigran, then Ibuprofen and finally codeine.  If the migraine doesn't resolve itself then I go to bed, and start the process again, minus the imigran, in 4 hours time.  Sometimes the migraines last all weekend, other times, I'm fine by about 9pm that night.  I usually have an Aura to start with, objects get a glowing line around them or I get other visual disturbances.  I suffer from Nausea, sensitivity to light, sound, touch and smell.

I have been instructed to keep a headache "diary" to keep a record of when I get the migraines and how I treat them ect.  The doctors only have the scan done in may, as the migraines were a relatively new symptom.  Previous to the migraines, I suffered from blackouts on an almost daily basis, periods of slurred speech, vertigo, tingling in my arms/legs/feet/hands, tension headaches and skin hypersensitivity.  Although I still suffer most of these symptoms, sometimes during migraines, sometimes on their own, I no longer black out or have periods of slurred speech since I was put on Epilum.

Have my doctors missed something?  Do I also have epilepsy?  Why do I get weekend headaches?  I've asked my GP and he's no help at all.  I'm looking for a bit of support and some suggestions to go back to my doctor with.  The migraines are controlling my life at the moment, and luckily my employer is tolerant for now, but that's not going to last forever.

[Selvaa02]

Hi Chicibo, I am suffeing from the same sort of the Headache like you had. On fridays I get headache and it starts around 2;30 to 3 Pm as in your case. around 12: 30 i used to get shiverings and papitations usually on fridays. so use to eat much than other days and have chocolate. I have no guess what sort of migraine headache is this. Did you had any cure for this now?

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Yes fluid intake does make a difference as dehydration can result in severe headaches.
You can try magnesium supplements as they have been found to be an effective alternative  treatment for migraine.Take care!

[chicibo]

Hi

I don't only get the migraines on fridays, just for the last 3 weeks.  Otherwise, there has been no specific day or time they have occurred.  Sometimes I'm at home, sometimes at work, sometimes out.  

The amount of time spent watching tv, working on the computer or reading does not seem to make a difference. I eat pretty much the same foods every day, with very little variations.

So therefore, so far, I haven't identified a "trigger" as such.  I do know that if I am tired I increase the chance of having a migraine.  Fluid intake does make a difference, but I am now a fluid counter, and ensure I drink a certain amount of fluids each day, I'm VERY strict about this.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

It is a little strange that you get headaches only on Fridays. From your description they seem to be migraine headaches.
Have you been able to identify a trigger? Is there anything specific that you eat or drink or any specific activity that you do only on Fridays?
Magnesium supplements and biofeedback therapy work very well in migraines. You can discuss these with your physician. Do keep us posted.