Migraine Patterns - Perspectives on a Headache

News Type: Opinion — Seeded on Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:47 PM EST

Article Source: The New York Times

health, patterns, headaches, migraines, mosaics, visual-perception, arabesques, migraine-auras, migraineur, psychedelic-art, shimmering, sir-john-herschel, acoma-pottery, blinding-light, childhood-headaches, geometric-patterns, light-sensitivity, zapotec-architecture

Seeded by Marilyn L

I have had migraines for most of my life; the first attack I remember occurred when I was 3 or 4 years old. I was playing in the garden when a brilliant, shimmering light appeared to my left — dazzlingly bright, almost as bright as the sun. It expanded, becoming an enormous shimmering semicircle stretching from the ground to the sky, with sharp zigzagging borders and brilliant blue and orange colors. Then, behind the brightness, came a blindness, an emptiness in my field of vision, and soon I could see almost nothing on my left side. I was terrified — what was happening? My sight returned to normal in a few minutes, but these were the longest minutes I had ever experienced.

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{"commentId":1471086,"authorDomain":"marilynl"}

Marilyn L

Musings by Oliver Sacks are always worth reading.

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2 votes

#1 - Thu Feb 14, 2008 3:51 PM EST

{"commentId":1471277,"authorDomain":"Arcturas"}

Arcturas

Very interesting. I am one of the lucky that rarely gets debilitating pain with my Migraines, just visual discomfort, and sensitivity to light. My boss always knows when I have a Migraine, as I will sit in front of my computer with sunglasses.
I laughed when I read about the rolling skulls, I have been seeing that same thing for years. My own aura, typically is a shimmering diamond, with bright colors shooting out of each flat surface. Usually starting from the right and moving to the left. I get some numbness as well. I passes within about 30 min, and then I have a mild headache, that an Advil can take care of.

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4 votes

#2 - Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:37 PM EST

{"commentId":1472091,"authorDomain":"geejay"}

TheJonesGirl

Lucky you, to rarely get debilitating pain with your migraines. Mine always start with the aura almost identical to the one described by the author (I call it my "warning!!! take painkillers now!" alert, if I take anything after the aura, I am sick, but during, I am OK). Then the pain--which feels like it is localized to a point the size of a pinprick, but is the second worst pain I've felt, next to kidney stones.

I'm fortunate in that mine only last on average 12 hours,but it's a darn long 12 hours.

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2 votes

#2.1 - Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:16 PM EST

{"commentId":1474260,"authorDomain":"yasmin"}

yasmin

I wish I had a warning! No auras for me. Just a gradual increase in pain that if I don't catch knocks me out for 3 days if I'm lucky.

Migraines are evil.

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4 votes

#3 - Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:26 PM EST

{"commentId":1474652,"authorDomain":"vicaxp"}

vicaxp

Yes, migraines ARE evil! Mine usually begin with a stiffness in my neck or shoulders (I cant wear high collared shirts often as that can take a starting migraine and push it into overdrive if I get one while wearing the like). I can usually tell when one is coming, but my meds dont always work right away. That along with the fact that sometimes a single pill will control (I use the term loosely) the migraine, but sometimes it can take two, others even more.

My pills are fine when I take one, but the more I take, the more 'loopy' they make me and then I crash and sleep hard. I also suffer rebound migraines the next morning if I am forced to take several to control the initial migraine the day before.

My aura does not accompany all of my migraines, but when it does show itself it is actually more like the periphery of my vision is clouded and I am looking down a tunnel.

{"commentId":1474652,"threadId":"219721","contentId":"1301948","authorDomain":"vicaxp"}

4 votes

#4 - Fri Feb 15, 2008 2:42 PM EST

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MARILYN L

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Migraine Patterns - Perspectives on a Headache

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