Migraine! Where did that one come from!

Many years ago, when I was a young, slim, healthy lass, I started getting incredibly bad headaches. I didn't associate them with migraines as I didn't have the normal flashing lights, didn't need to lay down in a darkened room etc.

The doctors prodded and poked, asked lots of questions and sent me for a brain scan - apparently, to make sure I had one.

By the fact that nothing else could be found they decided I was suffering from migraines and all I needed to do was find out what triggered them and then I would be able to control them.

While I was trying to identify the cause and therefore continuing to suffer from them I was told to try and identify the early warning signs.

My symptoms always started with my right hand going numb and I would notice this (or my friends would) because I would start clenching and unclenching my fist. Eventually the numbness would spread right up my arm and my vision would go funny. Not the flashing lights I had heard you got with migraines, but my vision goes prismatic - like looking through a kaleidescope - all the bits of the picture are there but not all in the right places. I also found that straight lines began to curve - like door posts and lamp-posts. The final thing was my speech used to go crazy. No, not like Tourettes - just that in my head the sentences were all ok but apparently when I said what I was thinking the words were all mixed up.

I eventually found that my trigger was not eating often enough. If I skipped lunch I would find the symptoms starting about 3pm. If I skipped breakfast they would come on mid-morning. I started to eat better and more regularly and always carried a chocolate bar with me, as I found the instant sugar kick could stop the migraines if I ate as soon as I noticed my hand was numb. It seemed strange that chocolate stopped my  migraines when so many people find it a trigger for theirs.

Over the years I have been able to keep my migraines to an absolute minimum, managing to have whole years with out one.

And that was where I was at until yesterday. I cannot remember the last migraine I had but yesterday morning I woke with the onset of one. Now, none of this make sense as I had eaten as normal the previous evening, had a good nights sleep and not even had a drink.

So, I am now wary that they are a) back and b) have a new trigger.

Oh, I do hope not!