Anatomy of a Migraine

I've decided that after years of seeking help for my migraines, I would continue to seek help, but start doing some deeper research on my own.  Today I learned something that I never realized existed.  I realized Migraines came in stages, but I could never identify what I was feeling after the migraine.  The feeling of poor comprehension, feeling like I'm in a cloud, feeling like "my brain doesn't work".  It appears to be something called Postdrome. Once the headache is over, the migraine episode is still not completely over. The postdrome (sometimes called postheadache) follows immediately afterward. The majority of migraineurs take hours to fully recover; some take days. Many people describe postdrome as feeling like they're "hungover." These feelings are often attributed to medications taken to treat the migraine, but may well be caused by the migraine itself.  From the research I've done, it appears that the symptoms of postdrome include:

• lowered mood levels, especially depression
• or feelings of well-being and euphoria
• fatigue
• poor concentration and comprehension
• lowered intellect levels

I'll keep researching, keep comparing symptoms with others, keep seeing my doctor, keep asking for tests, and keep being patient :-)

From sunrise to sunset, I have a migraine.

My headaches began in 1988....and have never ceased.  My first migraine caused me to run to the emergency room not understanding what this excruciating pain could possibly be.  I had never felt anything like this! Over the years, my headaches have gone from occasional, to regular, and now I'm at the point where they are recurring "daily".  People wonder how I live with a daily migraine.  Simply put...what other choice do I have? (smile)  I've tried so many treatments, from prescription medications, over the counter medications, triptans and even injections.  And still....I live with the pain. I wake up with a migraine and go to sleep with a migraine.  I deal with the nausea, the vertigo, the weakness, the blurry vision...all the classic symptoms. I've hat CAT Scans, and recently had an MRI.  I'm awaiting the results of the MRI as of today. I hope to finally find some relief to this. I realize I'm not the only one dealing with this, there are others. One day at a time....we'll get through this :-)