Headache question...move if needed.

[phibacka31]

Hi I've been a member for a few years and I just had a serious question for you. My girlfriend has been experiencing extreme headaches that cause vomitting and blurred vision for about a week. She's had these for probably a few months now, but just this week it's gotten WAY worse and every day thing. Last night I rushed her to the ER after she passed out in my arms from the headaches. They did a check on her heart and brain and found nothing, but I'm sooooo worried about her. Is there anything we can do or get? Should we visit another doctor. I'm really worried. I just left her tonight for the first tim ein 24 hours and told her to sleep because it gets sooooooooooo bad at night. Thank you soooooooo much in advance!
SIncerly,
Philip Mueller

[Sassy]

Does she have a regular doctor she goes to that can check her out.?

[phibacka31]

Well we go to college at Millikin University and she lives in Chicago, so it might be a while before she can get a regular checkup.

[PaintballCLE]

i would suggest getting a CT ( cat) scan for sure..........the best way to get peace of mind is to start from the top and rule stuff out instead of guessing.

[phibacka31]

They did a cat scan and a AKG? for heart things. They didn't find anything.

[richpjr]

I get migraine headaches 2 or 3 times a year and recently had one so bad that my vision blurred and I vomited. It only lasted about a day though. God, one day was bad enough - I can't imagine a week of that. I feel for your girlfriend.

[Calif. Bronco]

The best thing you can do is make sure you have an aggressive doctor who won't stop until the problem is found.

Be thorough, but keep the faith bro - of course it could be something serious (hopefully not obviously) but it also could be something minor too (remember TD's migraines were stopped when he started wearing braces).

Good luck to you and your GF

[phibacka31]

THank you for the early responses. I'm just really worried. It made me feel a little better when they didn't find anything wrong with her heartbeat and nothing on the CAT scan, but tonight her head started throbbing again. I really don't know what to do, because her parent's insurance isn't very good and she won't be home until May 13th or so, so should she go home sooner or what. I'm just confused. We got excedrin migrane pills and some benedril, but I don't know. She felt MUCH better during the day, but at night it's really bad.

[Blueflame]

I'd suspect it's severe migraines... her doctor should be able to make a diagnosis and prescribe a medication like Imitrex if it does turn out to be migraines....

[kappys]

Do the headaches go away when she sleeps? If so good sign

Are they better if she lays down or sits up? Headaches that get better when a person sits up are more concerning.

Truth be told an LP(lumbar puncure) or CTA(CT angiogram) would be the only ways to rule out a dangerous bleed like an aneurysm. However thats quite unlikely if she's having a lot of headaches. Most people only have 1-2 severe headaches(sentinal bleeds) before a serious aneurysm rupture.

Migraines are probably the leading cuase of severe headaches. How old is she? These are most common in young women in their teens/twenties. Any family history of migraine?

Also is this one contious headache or a series of headaches that start and stop? A singl eheadache needs to be broken, usally a lot of IV fluids, toradol and compazine is my choice for this. If its a series she needs a preventative medication like a beta-blocker or tricyclic. You're not going to get those from an ER though, she needs to be seen by someone who will follow her.

[phibacka31]

Ok just ran this by her. s
She said that sometimes they go away when she sleeps and sometimes they feel better when she sits up.
She is 19 and her dad use to get headaches too. THese are just sooo sevre its scary.
It's multiple headaces not a continuos headache.
Thank you sooo much!

[Ratboy]

Masturbation works for me.

It sucks at first, but when finished, you're golden!

[Beantown Bronco]

Odd timing. Typically girlfriends wait until they become wives to experience such headaches......usually around bedtime.

[socalorado]

Originally Posted by phibacka31

Ok just ran this by her. s
She said that sometimes they go away when she sleeps and sometimes they feel better when she sits up.
She is 19 and her dad use to get headaches too. THese are just sooo sevre its scary.
It's multiple headaces not a continuos headache.
Thank you sooo much!

Worked in a ER for 5 years.
Sounds like a Migraine.
The blurry vision is called an "Aura" and its like she looking through a dirty windshield, right? Like there something in her eye?
This is the 1st sign that a migraine is about to hit. just shortly after, the pain starts, usually. I guess it varies.
And sleep usually does the trick in getting rid of a Migraines.
Common in boys and girls in their teens to early 20's.
Most people go to the ER for Demerol to dull the pain, but i think alot of ERs are getting away from it due to its addictive nature.
Alot of migraine sufferers are able to react to the "aura" and immediately go somewhere and fall asleep. They avoid the headache by making themselves go to sleep before it starts. I think the Dr's thought it was due to a iron or vitamin deficiency.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_%28symptom%29

[missingnumber7]

You're describing what I had with my migraines right away. I take Imitrex for when I already have the migraine and it works wonders. I also take Propranolol which they told me would reduce the number of migraines. Which has worked. I used to get 3 to 4 migraines a week, now depending on my stress level I am down to 3 or 4 a month. The problem with Imatrex is its really expensive. like $100 for 9 pills and there is really no generic drug right now.

[Beantown Bronco]

Originally Posted by missingnumber7

You're describing what I had with my migraines right away. I take Imitrex for when I already have the migraine and it works wonders. I also take Propranolol which they told me would reduce the number of migraines. Which has worked. I used to get 3 to 4 migraines a week, now depending on my stress level I am down to 3 or 4 a month. The problem with Imatrex is its really expensive. like $100 for 9 pills and there is really no generic drug right now.

Yikes. You should get on a boat to Cuba with Michael Moore. He could probably hook you up with a year's supply for that kind of $.

[Hotrod]

I had a major headache once but I simply left her and its better now.


On a serious note my ex used to get migraines every once in awhile and they are very scary. I highly recommend she pursues finding out for sure what is going on.

[Smiling Assassin27]

have her take this quiz

http://www.headachequiz.com/

[jayman_37]

Is one of her eyes watering and not the other? I had the worst headache of my life awhile back and I found out it was a Cluster headache. It was much worse than any migraine I had ever had. It lasted for about 2 weeks for me and I finally got a shot from the doctor to relieve some of the pain. Have her drink a lot of water if she can.

[missingnumber7]

Originally Posted by Beantown Bronco

Yikes. You should get on a boat to Cuba with Michael Moore. He could probably hook you up with a year's supply for that kind of $.

Nah, I'll just stay on active duty and get it for free.

[ØrangeÇrush]

My wife takes Imitrol as soon as she gets the "aura" and immediately goes to bed. They've gotten so bad that we've had to take her to the hospital on a couple of occasions.

[broncosteven]

Get her checked out with a Family Practice guy that you trust who can then refer her to Nurologist.

I get Migraines, not fun. Took me about 12 years until they came out with Imitrex, and then Zomig before I could really control them.

Women are more prone to Migraines though, something to do with their Menstral Cycle.

Try to see if there are any triggers, wine, cheese, stress, etc..

[theAPAOps5]

I had migrains when I was a kid but they were caused by a lazy eye. But they made me vomit too.

I had a coworker who got them super bad. He had medicine that if taken immediately really helped. For a while he even had a shot he put in his thigh for fast acting relief.

[MVP-06]

It sounds like it could be a number of different things:

Cluster headaches are usually one-sided, high in the nose and behind the eye. They usually last for 1-2 hours, however they are severe in pain. These types of headaches can be set off with alcohol consumption.

The more concerning notion is the increase in frequency with associated nausea and vomiting. While it is good news that the CT scan came back negative, they are primarily used to rule out an aneursym or bleeds. MRI is the standard to rule out tumors. She is young to have something this serious, however her symptoms seem to warrant more advanced imaging, especially if she is not reponding to medication.

Classic migraines are usually unilateral throbbing with nausea and possibly vomiting. They typically begin between the teenage years and adulthood. These as well can be provoked through alcohol and certain foods. The person is usually sensitive to noise and light.

To me it sounds like your girlfriend is suffering from severe migraines. If the symptoms continue without response to the meds. I would reccommend an MRI to rule out anything serious.

Good luck,
James

[theAPAOps5]

Good stuff MVP-06 and welcome to the mane.

I found that I get migrains after alcohol comsumption and their intensity is directly correlated to the amount of cunsumption. They are also accompanied by nausea, vomiting, diareha, regret, humiliation, loss of money, and other symptoms.