So I woke up about an hour ago to my first pregnancy migraine aura - nothing can jolt you awake at 4 a.m. quite like realizing you can’t see out of your right eye! Auras aren’t new to me, I’ve had a few a year since the age of about 15 and my dad gets them too. So I know what it is and where it comes from… but I can’t help it, they scare the ever-living crap out of me every time. I always, always panic thinking I’m having a stroke. So basically I’m just hoping to hear other experiences with this so that I don’t feel so alone and so that I know it really is all normal. [name_m]How[/name_m] many auras/migraines did you get while preggo? What are yours like? Mine always start as a small flashing light in the center of one eye and then it gets bigger and bigger until it moves off the sides, then my eyes get a bit fuzzy, then it fades. Luckily, I don’t usually get very bad headaches, I just get really lousy aura’s. Also, when I’m not pregnant, I usually take a xanax as soon as the aura starts so that I can stay calm and not freak out - but I’m trying hard to not do that this time.
I’m 26 weeks and I’ve been getting migraines with an aura atleast once a week since I was 8 weeks. I usually get migraines but not this regulalrly or this bad. The medication I normally take is a class C medication, so it’s not safe in pregnancy. The hopsital gave me some different medications but they don’t work very well, if at all. A few times the pain has become so unbearable I have had to be admitted to hospital.
I’m hoping the migraines subside once our little bundle arrives.
@jazz1509: Oh wow, I am so sorry yours have been so bad! I honestly can’t imagine it. I would be incapacitated I think. I’ve heard for some women it gets better during pregnancy and for some it gets worse - I guess we’re the lucky ones. Ha. I would guess that once your baby arrives, your migraines will let up again - if nothing else, at least you can go back to taking your meds (depending on breastfeeding and all that of course). Thanks very much for sharing, always feels better just to know I’m not the only one. Hopefully one day I’ll get over the “scary” part of it and just be able to ride them out. Take care of yourself!
ETA: Can I ask, if you feel like sharing, what your auras are like? [name_m]How[/name_m] long do they last? What happens?
Yes!! I had one of these send me to the ER a few weeks ago!! I was looking at my kids and there were spots missing, then I lost vision in my left eye and my left arm and left side of face went numb and tingly. I was terrified I was having a stroke and my husband took me to the ER. They said it must have been a migraine. I had one with the same vision loss about 12 years ago but in the moment it never occurred to me. They do want to follow up with an MRI if it happens again but once I came down from panic mode it fit that it was a migraine. I have been more diligent about my chiropractor appointments and hoping it was an isolated incident because it was terrifying!!
I’m sorry your experiencing this because I know how awful it it!
@vitamom3: WOW, yours sounds REALLY scary! I definitely would have run to the ER too, no question about it. As supposedly “harmless” as it is, I absolutely hate this stuff. It’s so, so scary to feel so out of control of what’s going on with your own body. And the symptoms perfectly mirror a real stroke so of course we’re all going to be freaked out! UGH. I hope your last one was isolated and that you don’t have to deal with it ever again. In all honesty, the only thing that’s saved me from repeated trips to the ER (and the bills that would have inevitably followed) was the xanax - when it comes to panicking, they really are life savers. Not being able to take them while preggo sucks! Thanks so much for sharing and take care of yourself!
I got migraines frequently in childhood, less so after 15 or so (maybe yearly, always triggered) and slightly more in early pregnancy. They stopped by 16 weeks. Ice on my neck and cold compresses helped immensely. I also started seeing a chiro, which is when they stopped. I really recommend that.
I usually end up in bed for 48 hours whenI have a migraine I’m very thankful my husband is supportive and that my Mum is able to help me out when I need her because I would be incapable of caring for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f] when I have a migraine.
For me the aura starts 20-30 minutes before the migraine. It starts with light sensitivity, zig zagging lines and black spots in my vision. Recently I’ve also been getting ringing in my ears which worried me but my doctor said it can be normal. The aura usually lasts the whole migraine. A few hours after the migraine starts I start vomiting (TMI I know). The migraines normally last 3-4 days. A cool flannel on my neck and forehead help a little but the relief is usually short lived.
My husband thinks he can tell when I have a migraine coming on because I get really black circles under my eyes, I’m not sure if that’s coincidental or not.
This is the one time I have been happy/relieved the breastfeeding isn’t physically possible for me (I have no breast tissue) so once baby arrives I can take whatever medication I need.
I would contact your dr if you are having one that bad. At your current stage in pregnancy, pre eclampsia is a very real, scary condition often times a horrible head ache is one of the first symptoms. I hope you feel better soon, chances are its sadly just “you” as there is a history of headaches but I would still let your dr know.
I had some pretty terrible aura migraines before I was pregnant. While I was pregnant, they were ridiculous. My vision would go dark, my head heart to the point that the sound of my own breathing hurt me. [name_m]Light[/name_m] hurt, noises were really enhanced, dizzy, nauseous … I had [name_f]ONE[/name_f] migraine last for over a month. It never went away. There was nothing underlying it, it just never stopped. When it finally did go away, it would come back every now and then the whole pregnancy.
My OBGYN said I could take Excedrin Migraine. That helped if I could recognize when it was a migraine and not a normal headache. Mine start like a normal headache and then all of a sudden all that happens.
Thanks everyone! Actually compared to what some of you go through, I have it pretty easy. The aura sucks and is always scary but I don’t throw up and the headache itself is usually just annoying - tho I do feel extra tired and a bit woozy today. Migraines are just so debilitating, I hope they find better solutions for all of us soon. No one should have to suffer that often or for that long.
Oh and to the pp who mentioned pre-eclampsia, that’s def not an issue for me, I actually have low blood pressure. When it was checked about a week ago it was high for me at 108/55. Hoping that’s one condition I don’t have to even think about during this time!
Thanks again everyone for sharing your experiences. I’m going to cross my fingers and toes and hope I don’t get another one for at least a month, if not longer. And I do have a perinatal appointment this [name_f]Tuesday[/name_f], along with the regular OB this Thursday, so I’ll mention it to both of them as well.
@cvdutch… I actually felt a little silly once I was in the ER for about 20 min because it passed by that point. Still I had to go through the whole check up since I was there. But better safe than sorry, especially as a mom.
I swear by my chiropractor though and find he helps immensely. Before I had kids I got regular migraines… Pain, vomiting, sensitivity to light… But when I started seeing him they almost completely went away! I have slacked recently in my visits and I guess I paid for it.
I sincerely hope all of you find that this passes for you. It’s just scary and incredibly inconvienent!
I’m very thankful my husband is supportive and that my Mum is able to help me out when I need her because I would be incapable of caring for [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] and [name_f]Annabelle[/name_f] when I have a migraine.