Migraine

Just before my last migraine, I felt very strange..like I was spaced out, dopey, duh...however you want to describe it and then I got the aura and of course the migraine symptoms kicked in about 30 mins after. My aura always seem to last 20- 30 mins.
I never noticed the feeling of "out of it" before, or just never paid attention to it. Has anyone else felt this? Do you get if all the time? Would this be the best time to start treating the migraine.

I am also sure everyone has expreinced the blotches of light, the zigzaggy lines but once I had( in my vision) and big white circle of light with coloured specks in it...kind of like a kaliedescope..I only ever had this once along with the other aura symptoms...it actually scared me.

Yes, I often feel "out of it" or strange before a migraine. That's called prodrome, and it can last for up to 24 hours. Ask your doctor whether that is the best time to treat your migraine. For me, that would not be practical, because treatment would sort of "wear off" by 24 hours from the time I took it. Also, with my preventives, I sometimes get the prodrome and nothing further. Here's an article with more info:

Anatomy of a Migraine

And here is some general information about migraine with aura:

Migraine With Aura – The Basics

I sometimes get clumsy and tongue-tied several hours before a migraine. I've never had aura -- not every migraineur does. I treat my attacks when the pain starts.

Have you talked to your doctor about this? We need to tell our doctors about any change in our headache pattern or symptoms.

Hang in there!

Gretchen

Hmmm my boyfriend is always telling me that I am slurring my words and has even asked if I am drunk lol...though he knows I drink maybe 2-4 times a year, a glass of white wine or baileys on the rocks.

Perhaps I should mention these symptoms to my doctor.
Thank you

Oh, very often. Very, very often. I get a washed out, brain fried feeling. I will slur, mix up syllables, wander into things, be a bit unsteady. Not that I'm a loud person by any means, but sometimes I'll be especially quiet, too as part of all this.

As for the aura's visual displays, there are quite a few of us that have indeed experienced a myriad of forms of them, but not even close to everyone. The last statistic I heard was that only 20%, or 1 in 5 migraineurs, has migraine with aura. I think of mine as my own special effects show, but I am a bit miffed that it isn't going to win any Oscars. Mine's always boring ol' black and white. I'm jealous, because I want spiffy colors! LOL!

And yep, definitely mention all your glitches, aura, and out of it stuff to your doctor. Not only does he or she need to know to help establish the best treatment for you individually, it's good baseline info to have should your pattern change over time.

WandaJean,

-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-•*Hello!*•-:¦:-•:*'''''*:•-:¦:-•*Welcome to the family!*•-:¦:- •:*'""*:•.-:¦:-

I have that out-of-it feeling quite often as part of the prodrome. Doctors have advised me not to start treating at that point -- to wait until the first sign of aura or the headache. Prodrome can actually start a couple of days before the rest of the attack.

Only abou 20 - 25% of Migraineurs have the aura, but most of them will have experienced some type of visual aura. Whenever you have symptoms that are different from your usual or frighten you, give your doc a call about them.

Welcome again!

quote:

Originally posted by WandaJean:
Just before my last migraine, I felt very strange..like I was spaced out, dopey, duh...however you want to describe it and then I got the aura and of course the migraine symptoms kicked in about 30 mins after. My aura always seem to last 20- 30 mins.
I never noticed the feeling of "out of it" before, or just never paid attention to it. Has anyone else felt this? Do you get if all the time? Would this be the best time to start treating the migraine.

I am also sure everyone has expreinced the blotches of light, the zigzaggy lines but once I had( in my vision) and big white circle of light with coloured specks in it...kind of like a kaliedescope..I only ever had this once along with the other aura symptoms...it actually scared me.

I get very spacey before a lot of my migraines. It is one of the ways I can tell one is hovering on the horizon. I have difficulty thinking straight, concentrating, finding words....

I don't treat my migraines during this period, because like Teri said, it can last a long time before the migraine hits. Sometimes it starts in the morning, and I won't get the actual migraine til 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

I get spacey before my migraines and can't always remember the words I want to use. I used to know one was coming when I couldn't attach a label straight no matter what.

Alternatively, I sometimes get extremely grumpy. It gets so bad that everybody around me starts saying: "Tracie's getting ready to have a migraine."

But like everybody else, I don't treat until the pain hits because the length of the prodrome is so variable. It could be hours before the headache to less than an hour. I sometimes have auras, sometimes not. Usually I don't get an aura if I get prodrome. My auras usually occur with early in the morning migraines.

Tracie