My painless migraine

Two weeks ago I had an occipal nerve injection which was my second one - this time it also worked like magic again. Even if on the day my pain level was quite low, it was amazing to see how it stopped in an instance. Great feeling.
Anyway, since than I have had no pain and had much more energy then usual, so I was catching up with many things at home ect.

Lasts Sunday we went for a woodland picnic in the hills near here with my family, we had great fun playing hide-and-seek with g-chiildren, a wonderful time, a perfect day. And no h/a at all. Great.

But then on the way back home, we needed to take a long walk in a very bright sunlight through a field of flowering rape and the smell was intoxicationg. I felt it was too much, even if it was not unpleasant. The smell is everywhere here in rural areas at this time of year. The world is green and yellow in England.

Of course by next day I began to feel strange:
disorientated, sleepy, dropping things, being forgetful. Eventually I sat in front of TV for the news and I could not focus at al. Next the familiar cracked mirror image arrived travelling slowly across my field of vision - and I knew that with that aura it was just one big prodrome to a nasty, bad M.

Only that M has never arrived.
I had a niggly little h/a next morning, like when you do not get enough sleep, but it gradually went after my strong morning coffee.

The same happened, y-day and today. I keep having the same prodrome symptoms which are very annoying, but they do not lead to any M. So far.
I only realised today that I am probably having what is called "a painless migraine"?
I had some in the past, but I forgot all about it.

I wonder if many people get such painless M and how do they know that this is, what it is.
I wonder if there is any definitions for painless M.

Senna

This happens to me when the preventative or abortive is not working completely.
I'm keeping occiptal nerve blocks on my list of things to try if topamax ever stops working.
Since it's been working pretty well, I think I'll take a long overdue break from this forum.

Most of my migraine are pain free - just lots of very scary neurological problems sometimes but not often accompanied by pain or headache. I'm thankful that most of mine are pain free but when the episodes are happening it's hard to be thankful!

Thank you for your feedback.

Funny, my neurologist suggested that if the injections stop working for me, or if I need a change, we will in 2 month time re-asses the situation and make a change from Neurontin to Topomax. I am reluctant though, as I hear about various unpleasant s/e with Topomax.

I have been on N for over six years now, and it has been very beneficial to me in terms of considerably lowering the level of pain for my M, so I do not want to "rock the boat" by messing things up and I have not had a really high level M since I have started N, and I feel "
Better the devil you know".

I am glad to hear that you had enough improvemnt, Lentils, to be able to take a break for the forum but do look in from time to time. Your contributions will be much missed.

Newtothis - you are right, I also feel lucky it was not a proper M, but all the same I could not function properly because of all these neurological problems and felt rather resentful about wasted hours ,when I have much to do at the moment.
For example with this kind of aura it is definitely not safe to drive, and clumsiness at home means little accidents and breakages. Still, we must be garteful since anything is better then bad M.

Senna

I get some of these symptoms to different levels of nuisance every morning when I wake up. They are a real nuisance to the point I'm glad if the actual intense pain phase arrive so I know they will be over. It rarely does arrive so they just keep on going undermining me throughout my day.

So yes, very much part of migraine.

Di

On the topamax - my first neuro put me on topamax. After about a month and a half the only unpleasant side effect was that nothing tasted right and due to that there was a loss of appetite. Good thing was - I lost a couple pounds! Also, I found that some insurance companies will not cover topamax for migraine.

My new neuro took me off of the topamax and put me on nortriptylene and verapamil. They are helping but i'm still not at a comfortable level (I was not at a comfortable level with the topamax either). The only side effects with these are constipation.

Keep in mind that any of these take time to build in your system - a month or better - to know the true level of releif they will give.

I am so sorry that you have to suffer like this, every morning, DF - it must be very difficult to get going at all. Seems like it is pretty bad if you have to wish for M to get rid of it, but I am beginning to think that I know what you mean. Only half-joking.

I hope I will be able to get rid of it soon, as I have a wedding to go to on Saturday and must make myself function. I suppose I can take a sumatriptan - which always works for my M, in hope that it works for this too. But it makes me weak and sleepy - you just cannot win, can you?

About Topomax, NTW, thanks for you comments it is useful to know. I do have some taste alteration with N already, I just do not want to add any more new problems.
The cost is no issue, since I do not need to pay for my medication.
I am glad you are getting some relief, it is all trial and error in the end and we need to make intelligent choices. This is why it is so useful to exchange our experinces. Thank you so much everybody for your help.

Senna