Your Worst Migraine

The one time you think it couldn't be any worse. The Migraine to end all migraines. You have it and talk about great timing. You are about to be doing something spectacular and now this comes along. 

For one-time Chicago Bull, Scottie Pippin, his moment came during the famous playoff series where he couldn't play the rest of the game because he had a 'migraine'. The media was all over him suggesting that he was faking it and just didn't want to play because of the problems he had with the owners. Fake or not?

What is your story of pain? Your one worst migraine.

I've had three doozies of equal intensity and misery, that came with head-splitting pain to the point of tears, nausea (and when I tossed, the head pain *increased* and I wanted to die), and shaking.

When I tell people about migraines, to make sure that they understand what I'm talking about, I tell them to imagine an ice cream headache that doesn't go away.  The look they get in their eyes is something I can't adequately describe--a mixture of horror and surprise.  They definitely "get it" at that point.

I usually describe the pain as a railroad spike driven through my eye and someone hammering on it to try to make it break through the back of my skull.

As for my worst migraine, I can't really say.  My most memorable migraine though happened one winter.  I was feeling fine and asked my wife to cut my hair.  She was doing that, when a fast moving cold front blew through our area.  In under 5 minutes, I went from fine to throwing up violently and was reduced to a quivering mass on the floor.

I really hate my barometer head.  Especially the past two days (I live in Texas and Hurricane Ike has been kicking my behind.)

Original Post by behanna:

 When I tell people about migraines, to make sure that they understand what I'm talking about, I tell them to imagine an ice cream headache that doesn't go away. The look they get in their eyes is something I can't adequately describe--a mixture of horror and surprise. They definitely "get it" at that point.

What a good way to explain the intensity of a migraine to someone who has never had one before! It is so hard to get the understanding across to them.

My worst migraine was last Thanksgiving, my mom's side of the family rents a huge cabin in Gatlinburg and we all travel to be with each other.  I woke up with my migraine (almost always they start as I'm getting up, or right before) and I was looking around for medicine, I hadn't brought any.  When I get migraines they only occur on one side of my head and when I went up to my dad to ask if he had any medicine he said, what's wrong with you?  My eye and nose (but only on one side) were red, running, and basically drenching my entire face.  That went on for a while :)  Gross!!

Hi there - I'm new to the group

My worst ever was when I was 17 when I had all the usual symptoms (flashing lights, blindness on one side and nausea) followed by loss of speech which was absolutely terrifying. I was on a Biology field trip with school in Wales so nothing around was familiar.

When I say I lost my speech I mean I had no words in my head...I couldn't even really think only react instinctively, but I was aware of everything else going on. I could hear other people speaking in as far as they were making noise, but I couldn't understand a word they were saying or tell anyone what was happening to me.

Fortunately it only happened that one time (so far touch wood).

Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy

I have two different instances. The worst timing was right before my husband and I were schedule to go look at houses for the first time.  After taking my meds, I went anyway, but every house was worse than the next. One smelled like cats and stale smoke, I thought I was going to toss my cookies all over the place, but I made it. My husband says I was rude...I don't really care.

Worst pain was the last one. I was at work when I got the auras and didn't leave soon enough. I had a lot to get done, my boss was away at a meeting and someone was coming in to help me with a project. I couldn't leave until someone else got there. I had to stop three times during my 20 minute drive home and and sun was SHINING the whole way.

I think the ice cream headache analogy is perfect. I really dislike it when people say they get migraines too and then talk about it, and you just want to say "um...I don't think those are migraines. Those are bad headaches. Sorry." My sister claims to have migraines on a very regular basis and takes so many meds she runs out almost every month, but can continue to do all of her daily activities. I don't understand it. I know they're different for everyone, but I don't think most people understand what a migraine really means. Am I the only one who feels this way? I don't want to be mean, but it's frustrating.

Describing a migraine is not always the easiest to those that don't get them, half the time they just look at you like you don't know what you are talking about.  Ice cream headache... that's a good one, more people can get those "brain freezes".  Spike thru the head, or just the feeling like your head is going to split wide open.

My worst migraine is very memorable... it was about 10 days long.. stayed in bed, in the dark, basically ate chicken noodle soup or anything bland. Cold packed my head when I was in bed. Tried not to throw up because literally felt like my head would burst.   I remember just holding the sides of my head with a little pressure.  I didn't have medical insurance so I tried to "wait it out".  I finally couldn't take it, I had 2 little kids at the time.  I called my sister, she came and picked me up.  The drive to the hospital was pure torture.  Every bump, the brightness of the day.. I just wanted to die.  UGGH.  What I can't stand is when you get to the Doctor and he looks at you like your faking it. :( I hate that, like I have nothing better to do than to fake horrid pain to go into the Dr to get a shot of some medication that feels like it just pops your head off for a bit, the feeling isn't exactly comfortable..... Got my shot and went home.  What a relief.

I don't get them that bad anymore, though I can get "light migraines" in comparison.  Little one day migraines but I can still function thru them.

The migraine I'll never forget is the one that was constantly being exacerbated for a whole night.

I was on a bus trip from Ohio to Virginia.  During the bus change in Pittsburgh I could feel a migraine starting.  Fortunately, it was evening time, so it meant I'd at least not have to deal with any bright lights.

Once we were on the bus and started to travel I knew it was going to get really bad due to my sense of smell becoming hypersensitive.  I could smell someone reeking perfume and it just made it worse.

From Pittsburgh to Richmond, Va I was in and out of the restroom getting sick the whole way.  Yelling children, perfume, everything you could think of just trying to make things worse.

When I get to Richmond, I find out the bus to Norfolk is being delayed.  The Richmond bus terminal was extremely bright and lit up.  It was around 2am and I had 4 hours to wait for the next bus.  All the seats were taken, so I laid down on the floor due to being so sick.  Finally, the bright flourescent lights in my eyes made it that much unbearable that I decided to get a hotel room.

I got a room at a nearby hotel, left a wake-up call so I could catch the next bus.  Fortunately, I was so sick, I just collapsed on the bed fully clothed.  I'm not sure how long I laid there, but all of a sudden I start smelling another horrible odor.  I turn on the light, look around the room and it looked all hazy.

Something clicked in my head and told me, "the hotel is on fire".  I was on the bottom floor, I open the door.  My room was next to the underground parking deck.  Sure enough, there is smoke rolling and the stench of burning rubber and plastic. 

I walked to the lobby, told the guy that his hotel was on fire.  So, then the smoke, fire engine sirens, it was everything just making my life hell with that damn migraine.

Soon the lobby filled with everyone in their pajamas and suitcases and screaming children, etc.

It happened to have been a car that caught on fire in the parking garage underground.

I laid down on the couch in the lobby and prayed to any God that would listen to please make the pain go away.  I guess I finally fell asleep because when I woke back up, the lobby was empty.  I went to the front desk and asked for another room.  By that time the side I had been on was emptied and they moved everyone to the other side of the hotel.  And of course, I slept through the whole thing and they no longer had any rooms available.

The guy wouldn't let me back on the side with all the smoke, so I just asked for my money back and for a ride back to the bus station.  The guy was more than gracious and helped me with that.

The rest of it after that was much better.  The pain began subsiding and fortunately I slept all the way down to Norfolk.

But I will never forget the pain associated with that night.  Every possible thing that could make a migraine worse (light, noise, smells) was on a rampage that evening to make it my night of living hell.

My worst migraines, there have been a few.

the worst migraine was my first one i think. I work events in the NYC area. It was a 1920's prohibition party. Everyone was smoking cigars (which ALWAYS give me a migraine), the music was beyond loud and they were unbelievably frustrating. I felt like my eye was ripped out of the socket. The pain became so unbarable that i was vomiting uncontrolably. That migraine lasted me 3 full days and nothing worked.

another bad one was working at the Palace Hotel, they use this orangey perfume in the bathroom. I was more than half way home on the subway when i had to get off the train to vomit in the garbage pail. So embarassing.

Its gotten better in the past year, winter seems to make the migraines easier (mostly because the cold pushes it out) where as summer can be unbarable. I happen to have a great neurologist who happens to be a migraine specialist, Dr. Susan Broner, and i suggest to anyone suffering in the NYC area to go see her.