Getting better, or worse, in the last ten years...

It would be interesting to know how migraine affects each of us, with the passing of time.

I have been thinking about this question recently:
if you are a long term migraine suferrer, have you noticed if you are now better, or worse, then you were ten years ago. And what are those changes.

Also what made you feel better (or worse).

Hi Mini,

Hope this isn't a bit depressing, but I'm worse than I was 10 years ago. The triggers have increased - I'm more sensitive to everything. On the other hand, I'm getting more aware. Like I said on that other page, I only just realised I get aura all the time so I can start taking drugs earlier. But 10 years ago I got migraine about 1 time per month. Now, without Topamax and Imigran I would have pretty much constant migraine. Only because they last for 3 days each one. They also are cheekier than ever before and they will switch sides these days and give me a double whammy whereas in the past once I had one, that was it for a while.

Good news is tho that they will go away when I hit menopause - yipee! So while other people dread the change, I am looking forward to it.

How about you mini? Are yours worse or better overall over the years?

I have also gotten worse over the last ten years. The frequency of my migraines has gone through the roof just in the last two years. Since I first started getting them 18 years ago I would have a daily headache but it was more of a dull annoying headache that was completley manageable but would flare up to a full blown migraine a couple times a month. Now I have constant moderate pain (I guess about a 7 on a scale if I had to say) and get raging migraines that are easily a 9+ on a pain scale multiple times a week.

I also started getting an aura in the last 2 years since I got worse. The visual disturbances like flashing lights and dark spots, stripes, or spots in my vision last through most of the migraine. Unfortunately knowing a migraine is coming on doesn't help any because I can't take any triptans. I had never had them before. I have only noticed one new trigger which is storms, my headaches didn't used to correlate with the weather, the only consistant trigger I have always had is only if I got physically cold, not just it being cold outside.

I am so forgetful now too. I used to have a really good photographic memory and now I have such a hard time remembering anything. I get frequent speech problems and confusion and as I mentioned in my last post I have had a couple episodes that my Dr said were probably a form of seizure. Both occurred right before a bad migraine.

The biggest change is definitely the severity. Severity in chronic pain and in the pain of the full blown migraine. It hurts to cry but I can't help but cry, It hurts so bad I can't lay still but at the same time it hurts to move if that makes sense. When I get really bad ones they last for days whereas before I can only recall 2 times that I had a migraine last that long they were usually as long as several hours but not days too often. I'd be more than happy to just even go back to the way I was then because I could function then.

I hope to find something that provides at least a little relief. I'll take anything at this point, I'm sure most people are in the same boat. Unfortunately my endocrinologist appointment got moved back another week after I've been waiting for more than two months so I have to keep waiting to see if that goes anywhere. Sorry this was long and is only bad news, nothing helpful. wish you all the best and good luck.

Sorry to hear your experience is horribly similar.

Mine are getting more of a nuisance too and I have the visual disturbance every day, increasingly for more than half of it. Meds made things worse and I am getting more confused and strugling to find words in conversation.

I am beyond laughing the symptoms off now like I used to when I got things wrong mid sentence. I tend to avoid situations now rather than deal with them when they occur.

best wishes

Di

Well, for starters, I'm 10 years older, that can't be good. I feel that I do have brain damage that is more than just an aging brain. On the other hand, I can still function on a basic level, move, carry on conversations etc and get daily living tasks done, so maybe I shouldn't be complaining. The migraines have decreased in occurrences and severity, but they tend to last longer. I rarely get debilitating headaches, but I do get stomach upset, brain fuzziness and muscle aches, which I attribute to migraines, but could be something else. The migraines used to come in a predictable pattern. Prodome, then severe headache for 24-48 hours, afterwards feeling fine and no migraine for at least a week if I didn't treat it and let it run its course. Now it may take a week to recover from one episode.