Understanding and Managing Migraine Attacks

To start understanding and managing Migraine Attacks it is important we learn to recognize our body signs before they even start.

Let me start with a story, yesterday I had a very tough decision to make, due to a sports injury I have to get a hip surgery. Without me noticing, the details and planning of this surgery generated lots of stress and anxiety. I was very irritable, felt fatigued and had food cravings.

After +20 years experience with migraines I didn’t recognize the signs. I ended up surprised by an attack in the middle of the night. There I was laying in the bed with all kinds of symptoms. After a few hours I felt paralyzed with pain. Feeling very weak not able to stand up. Waiting and pushing myself I got enough strength, went to the bathroom as I was very nauseous. At this time I was experiencing an extreme fatigue, neck and shoulder stiffness, a throbbing pain and nasal congestion. I manage to take shower and stayed under the warm water for 10-15 minutes. I felt some sense of relief and regained consciousness on what I needed to do to alleviate the throbbing pain and dizziness. It took almost half day to come back to a manageable pain that allowed me to function.

The migraine attacks can be so severe that you freeze and give into the pain. It is important that as quickly as you can you regain control and consciousness to be able to help yourself. In order to be prepared you need first to be aware of the migraine phases and signs.

Understanding and Managing Migraine Attacks. The condition is divided 4 phases: the prodrome, aura, headache, and postdrome phases.

Prodrome Phase

This phase occurs before the actual headache starts. It can last for several hours or even a day or two. In my opinion there are ways to manage and experience some relief.

Symptoms to watch out for are:

• Fatigue: feeling extremely tired, having trouble getting out of bed or completing normal daily activities.
• Mood changes: feeling depressed, anxious or irritable.
• Food cravings: having increased appetite or a desire for specific foods.
• Neck stiffness: experiencing stiffness or pain in the neck.
• Difficulty concentrating: having trouble focusing or may feel scatterbrained.
• Constipation or diarrhea: experiencing changes in bowel movements.
• Yawning: experiencing excessive yawning.

Aura Phase

This phase occurs just before or during the headache, and can last for up to an hour.

Symptoms to watch out for are:

• Visual disturbances: seeing flashing lights, blind spots, or zigzag lines in the field of vision.
• Sensory disturbances: tingling or numbness in the face or hands.
• Difficulty speaking: trouble speaking or finding it hard to form words.
• Weakness: feeling weakness on one side of their body.

Headache Phase

This is the most intense phase, and can last for several hours or even a few days.

• Intense headache pain: usually described as a pulsating or throbbing sensation that can be severe and debilitating. Usually located on one side of the head but can occur on both sides.
• Nausea or an upset stomach during a migraine attack.
• Vomiting or the feeling of needing to vomit.
• Extreme Dizziness
• Sensitivity to light and sound: sensitive to light and sound during a migraine attack, and may prefer to be in a dark and quiet room.
• Difficulty concentrating: having trouble focusing or may feel scatterbrained.

Postdrome Phase

This is the final phase also known as the “migraine hangover”.

• Fatigue: feeling extremely tired unable to complete normal daily activities.
• Confusion: difficulty thinking clearly or have trouble with memory and concentration.
• General feeling of unwellness: sense of malaise or not feeling like themselves.
• Mood changes: feeling depressed, anxious or irritable.
• Physical symptoms such as neck pain or stiffness.

Visit my Ultimate Guide for Migraine Relief to find some ideas to test for your specific conditions and symptoms. Finally to better understand your triggers is good idea is to log and track your symptoms. This way you can evaluate what conditions exist at the time of the attack so you can manage it.