Headache weariness & nausea for 10 days!

[ginger899]

I never had a migraine in my life. I am now 64. 2-3 weeks ago it snowed and while walking in it I got zig zag flashing lights, shimmers and rainbows in my right eye. Someone told me it could be what's called a "silent migraine" as I had no headache and felt well, and in all the days afterwards. It was weird, but I didn't mind that so much.

Fast forward to the Tuesday before Easter...after feeling well for all that time and no more flashing lights, I suddenly got queasy while cutting wood, then a dull low headache (nothing serious) over and around my right eye. I kept working so it wasn't that bad but started to feel a bit shaky. I had no idea what was wrong, and thought it might be low blood sugar so ate some honey and drank water then had dinner soon. The next day I was fine
On Thursday it came back again. By then I was wondering if it was some sort of virus, like flu, but not flu because I didn't have any other fluey symptoms. No actual fever but breaking into a sweat as too hot sometimes, then would go cold with cold feet
Kept feeling awful over the Easter weekend. Headache came and went. I had zero energy. Rest helped me more than anything and I was sleeping really well, waking to feel normal, then within one hour it would all start again. Still thinking it was a flu-like virus, but my usual herbal meds for that didn't help one bit.
Kept drinking fluids, taking Echinacea, eating healthy small meals etc. But now it's the 10th day and I am feeling NO better. It takes so long to get a doctor's appointment plus it means having to wake myself up too early to hang on the phone for ages. I can't bear waking up like that. Feel so ill when I do. My only hope is to sleep 10 hours and wake slowly.
I know what the doc would say.....it's probably a virus. Get rest, keep warm, eat light food, drink fluids, come back if you're not better in a week or so....

Could this be a migraine? Or some weird flu? Can you suddenly get migraines when you're my age when you've never had them in your life?
But that was a classic migraine aura I saw. I happened again today for 10 minutes too.

[mkh9]

The short answer is Yes you can. It does sound like a classic silent migraine. I started having vominting only at night and then abdominal pain when I was 23 with no headache or aura. It took 8 years to get diagnosed. The only thing that worked was Klonpin (Clonzapam). It is a benzodiazepine. I never got that again. Then in my 30's I started getting the classic migraine headache with aura. Finally in my 50's I just started getting migraine associated vertigo. It is in about 3% of the population. I would walk and just fall down. So you can get things later in life that were not there.  I suggest you make an appointment for a neurologist that specializes in migraines. While you are waiting you can see a family practice doctor and bring the info on silent migraines with you. To prove they exist. See if you can get treatment such as Imitrex or some other type of migraine medicine. But if they can do an EEG that would be good and MRI with and without contrast or CT (which ever they think is best) to rule out other problems. Then bring these tests with you to the neurologist. If the meds they give you don't work they will give you something else to try. Perhaps Cyproheptadine or some other drug that with cut out the auras.
mkh9

[ginger899]

Thank you so much mkh9. I am seeing my GP Wednesday.  Thank you for the thorough info. which is appreciated