Raising the profile of migraine today, most people assume it's just a headache, but if you have ever really suffered from it you will know there is a big difference to this debilitating ailment. Many work and school hours are lost due to migraine and it's often dismissed as an excuse for absence by ignorant people, believe me you would not wish to suffer from it. In this article below from THE DAILY MAIL, it explains silent migraine, but migraine doesn't just attack the blood vessels in the head but also the abdomen and often this is the first indication a child will go on to suffer the more usual symptoms of migraine later on. Some adults are affected by both and and some with all three types.
I myself suffer from all three since my teens but I've never let it rule my life and know what my triggers are, so I can avoid them, (stress, cheese, chocolate and red wine the most common) For me homoeopathy when it was severe and recurrent helped me enormously and before you dismiss that as a placebo effect, homoeopathy works very well on babies, small children and animals who are incapable of being placated by placebos. There are many treatments available so do not put up with it speak to your doctor who can refer you a specialist to give you the correct diagnosis and help you manage this debilitating condition. If you think you suffer from migraine have it confirmed as it simply is not just a headache
They don't give you a headache - but 'silent migraines' can be even more shattering
- Rachel Paskin, 42, from Aldridge, suffers from silent migraines - auras
- Rarely has headache but bright, flashing line appears across her eyes
Rachel suffers from aura migraine, which causes her vision to partially disappear for about 20 minutes
Rachel Paskin has suffered from migraines for almost 30 years but rarely has a headache. Instead, a bright, flashing line appears across her eyes, causing her vision to partly disappear.
The 42-year-old has suffered up to five such attacks a day, severely affecting her work and ability to drive.
What she experiences is known as a silent migraine - a type of migraine that comes without the severe headache typically associated with the condition.
Instead, those affected experience visual disturbance, co-ordination problems, and pins and needles (symptoms known as migraine 'aura').
'The first time it happened I was about 14 and thought I was having a stroke or going blind - it was terrifying,' says Rachel, a Birmingham City University administrator who lives with her husband Neil, 44, a heritage building restorer, in Aldridge, West Midlands.
She saw an optician, who reassured her there was nothing wrong with her eyes, but after doing her own research she realised what was causing her symptoms.
She put up with the silent migraines and realised she would feel OK again after they passed, usually after about 20 minutes - although during that time she couldn't see properly and her co-ordination was compromised.
On average, she had about five attacks a year but two years ago she started having the attacks four or five times a day so she sought medical help. In the aftermath, she felt 'spaced out' and tired for a few hours.
Migraine aura can have a wide range of different symptoms, including seeing flashing lights, zigzag lines and blind spots, stiffness or a tingling sensation in the neck, shoulders and limbs, problems with co-ordination, difficulty speaking, and occasionally loss of consciousness.
Aura often strikes just before a crippling headache, which usually sets in under an hour after the aura finishes.
Some people's migraines change as they age, so the headache can fade, while the aura remains.
Around a third of the eight million people in the UK who suffer from migraines experience the symptoms of aura, with an estimated 1 per cent - around 80,000 - having silent migraines, according to the Migraine Trust.
However, the real number may be much higher, suggests Dr Mark Weatherall, a consultant neurologist at Charing Cross Hospital, London. He believes silent migraine cases are significantly under-reported, as many people will experience them infrequently and not seek help.
190,000
The estimated number of migraine attacks that occur every day in the UK
'It can even be difficult for a healthcare professional to tell the difference between the symptoms of a stroke and a prolonged attack of aura,' he says.
Indeed, people experiencing silent migraine for the first time often dash to A&E or their GP practice, frightened they are having a stroke - that's because they don't also have the headache symptom that might suggest it's a migraine, says Dr Andrew Dowson, director of headache services at King's College Hospital, London.
'Auras can be worrying,' he adds.
The key point is that migraine aura symptoms develop relatively slowly, and then spread and intensify, while stroke symptoms are sudden, according to the Stroke Association.
Migraines also involve acquiring symptoms, such as seeing flashing lights - stroke is characterised by losing abilities, such as muscle strength or speech.
It's important to get the correct diagnosis of migraine with aura as it's linked to a higher risk of stroke and heart problems.
Auras can happen without any of the traditional pain associated with migraine, but are distressing
A 15-year study into the health of 28,000 female health professionals at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in the U.S. found migraines with aura were the second highest risk factor for heart attack and stroke, after high blood pressure.
A review of 25 studies published in the British Medical Journal in 2009 found risk of stroke for people with migraine with aura was twice as high as the rest of the population, while there was no extra risk for those with migraine without aura.
For women with aura the risk of stroke was double that of men with aura.
And a French study found that women who suffered migraine with aura who took the contraceptive Pill had a 16 times greater risk of stroke; if they smoked as well it led to a 34 times higher risk.
For this reason, women with aura should not be on the combined Pill and should stop smoking, says Dr Fayyaz Ahmed, a consultant neurologist at Hull Royal Infirmary.
'Attacks
of migraine aura can cause a lack of confidence in leaving the home,
because not being able to see properly can cause vulnerability'
'Stroke risk is higher for those with
aura, but it is still small, until you factor in smoking and taking the
combined Pill. It is important doctors are aware of these risks to give
correct advice.'Meanwhile, the British Heart Foundation says that people with aura should reduce their risk of heart trouble by keeping physically active, eating a healthy diet and not smoking - and advises anyone concerned by the risks to consult their GP for more advice.
When Rachel was formally diagnosed two years ago, her GP prescribed propranolol, a beta blocker used for angina and high blood pressure, also found to be effective in reducing migraine (it's thought the medication, which reduces blood flow and opens blood vessels, helps by reducing electrical activity in the brain during migraine).
After taking it for three months, her migraines subsided, and have since gone back to the usual rate of about five a year.
Susan Haydon, from the Migraine Trust, says: 'No one is really sure why migraines can change. They tend to be worse in younger people, and may ease off in the 50s and 60s - 40 per cent of sufferers no longer have migraines by age 65.
'Attacks of migraine aura can cause a lack of confidence in leaving the home, because not being able to see properly can cause vulnerability. If a person drives for their job such attacks could mean a change of career.' If it interferes with driving safety, aura may need to be reported to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Authority.
Triggers include foods such cheese or chocolate, alcohol, exercise, lack of sleep and stress
Migraine sufferers can usually identify triggers, and keeping a diary to record when attacks happen can be helpful.
Triggers include foods such cheese or chocolate, alcohol, exercise, lack of sleep, and stress - avoiding them can reduce attacks. When attacks occur once a week or more, preventative medication, including beta blockers , antidepressants and epilepsy medication, can be prescribed.
However, particularly with epilepsy medication, there can be unpleasant side-effects such as nausea, tiredness and depression.
Some patients take supplements such as magnesium. Studies have suggested migraine patients may have low levels of the nutrient and two trials, one in Germany the other in Italy, have shown magnesium supplements helped reduce the number of migraines people suffered, although other trials have had mixed results.
Meanwhile, the nutrient co-enzyme Q10 reduced the number of migraines people experienced by 50 per cent, in a study at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland, while patients taking vitamin B2 (riboflavin) for a Belgian study also reported a 59 per cent drop in migraine activity.
The Migraine Trust says many studies suggest mild regular aerobic exercise can help reduce attacks. As stress is a common trigger, deep breathing exercises, yoga, acupuncture and physiotherapy are also recommended.
While Rachel's silent migraines have stopped taking over her life, she says they are of ten misunderstood.
'While I have always had good care from doctors, for a lot of people it is hard to understand aura and its impact,' she says.
'For most people, a migraine involves a throbbing headache that lasts days. For me, the aura is always the worst symptom and while it is happening there is nothing that you can do but wait it out.'
