Migraine

[muddledme]

I know that quite a few patients with glaucoma also have migraine .

There was a very informative BBC Radio 4 programme on Tuesday Oct. 3rd at 9 pm called "Inside Health" all about migraine. It is still available on the BBC Radio 4 website.

[Crafty-gran]

I’ve just been diagnosed with normal tension glaucoma , and the consultant asked if I’d suffered with migraines or raynauds . Which I have. She told my glaucoma was probably linked to this

Interesting

Will definitely listen to this

[NewSh0e in reply to Crafty-gran]

Same for me. I’ve had glaucoma for 12 years and the first time this was mentioned was when I saw a private specialist last year. It was he who brought up NTG and the link with both. I have a new focus on keeping warm and trying to avoid migraine triggers to reduce the risk of further damage!

[Beecalmed in reply to NewSh0e]

Yes. Cold numb hands and feet when you least need them is such a pain…and literally painful when it’s really bad. I used to sing in a choir and would lose all feeling in feet and hands just before I walked out on stage. I stopped performing for that reason and when I realised it might be linked to my glaucoma and migraines.

I also used to get it before starting a long car drive up the M5. Blood leaves hands and feet. Awful. Much better now. Job interviews, anything where my adrenalin is going crazy would draw blood from my limbs. Or cause a migraine with aura. Or tinnitus. Or sometimes all three! 🙄 of course I now think it was probably damaging my eyes too and causing glaucoma symptoms. 😕

[Beecalmed in reply to Crafty-gran]

That’s very interesting! I have migraine and raynaud’s and although not initially diagnosed with NTG it does look like I might be. I’d found the research (Flammers syndrome) by accident and asked my consultant about the links but my consultant wasn’t interested. Would love to chat to your consultant if they do think significant. I’d guess Flammers is the syndrome being referred to. There is treatment advice mostly based on simple lifestyle changes. I’ve followed diet, exercise advice etc and have reduced my migraine and reynauds attacks. My IOPs have stabilised lately too but I’ve also had SLT so could be due to that. Biggest change was avoiding fasting. I had been doing the 5:2 diet for a few years. Noticed my symptoms improved when I stopped fasting. 😬 I don’t bang on about it too much as fasting is very good for many people and significant help in reducing pre-diabetes.

[Nikul in reply to Beecalmed]

Hi! V Interesting, haven’t listened to prog yet, but…about 2yrs ago I started the keto diet, fasting etc, with husband for all the good reasons it’s sposed to have and my migraines were not eliminated or helped on this as they suggest it may, they were actually a lot worse at the start. Now on a more med type diet but tend to not eat til after midday or later, and still getting auras migraine about once a week. And yes my consultant was aware of the migraine /glaucoma connection!

[Beecalmed in reply to Nikul]

Hi! If you google Flammers you will see if you fit the profile. Most of the recommendations to reduce symptoms are pretty healthy suggestions anyway. I have followed most of them and my migraines, Reynauds, tinnitus, and other extreme physical responses to stress or adrenalin etc are now much reduced. I haven’t bothered with taking magnesium etc I just try to ensure a varied diet rich in leafy green veg.

If you fit the profile then I’d tend to avoid extensive fasting. Good sleep and a good water intake is very very important. Finding time for activities to allow you to de-stress is also helpful,

But fasting is the big one for me. I’m pretty sure it triggers glaucoma progression for me. I have a pretty obvious indicator of when my glaucoma is progressing, as I get disc bleeds with pressures of just 18. My target is ideally 15. But like I said it’s easy to assume something is helping or hindering your glaucoma but without thorough testing it’s hard to know for sure.

[buzzbee2 in reply to Beecalmed]

What is the link with fasting? Is it not good for migraines? I’ve been trying to do the 5:2 diet as well.

[Beecalmed in reply to buzzbee2]

No. It’s only an issue for some people. Most people can fast and it’s actually deemed a healthy option.

You only should be cautious if you have always suffered with a series of symptoms which some doctors (in Germany) have loosely labelled as Flammers Syndrome. If you google you’ll see the list.

[buzzbee2 in reply to Beecalmed]

Thanks, that’s interesting to know. Yes I like bees although not got any of my own!

[buzzbee2]

That sounds interesting thank you, I will check it out. I am getting constant headaches and migraines at the moment.

[Beecalmed in reply to buzzbee2]

👍🏻 Maybe also monitor your water consumption. Drink plenty. Particularly if you are fasting!

And I like your name buzzbee 2, me being a beekeeper! 😂 🐝

[Crafty-gran]

Just listened to it

Very interesting

Thanks for sharing

[NewSh0e]

Lots of interesting (and consistent) stories, thanks for sharing! One thing on Flammers, as I asked my consultant; he said a syndrome is a collection of conditions but the causality isn’t proven. What he did say is consider taking supplements that are said to support. So, right now, I take ginkgo-biloba and turmeric for circulation and co-enzyme Q10. Good luck all with keeping warm and hydrated!

[Beecalmed]

Thanks fir the recommendation!👍🏻 Finally got to listen to the programme this morning. Very informative and great to hear that the experts are starting to understand more about migraines.

I’ve always felt that we migrainers have constitutions that are just more sensitive to the outside world. As the experts says we are sensitive barometers of weather changes, environmental changes and potential danger approaching. I imagine in early human tribal life these skills were very useful. Sadly modern life asks us to ignore those attributes and just plough on.

The questions were very good. What a pity someone wasn’t able to ask a question about the link with glaucoma for us!

Could Glaucoma Uk ask ophthalmology consultants to do a talk about any research or potential links between glaucoma and migraines maybe?

[muddledme in reply to Beecalmed]

Yes, some interesting posts and I agree a pity there was no reference to glaucoma.

A talk about Glaucoma ,migraine and maybe Flammer syndrome would be very interesting.

I did once ask a consultant on a Glaucoma UK webinar about Flammer but he did not know anything about it.

I will probably e mail " Inside Health" and try and persuade them to do a follow up to the Migraine programme , as I do not remember having heard anything about Glaucoma in past episodes. It is perhaps worth a try.

Following the next webinar , when Glaucoma UK ask about future episodes , then perhaps we could also request information about Migraines etc.

[Beecalmed in reply to muddledme]

It would be good if those who have responded to the migraines and NTG thread could let us know which consultant, or even just the hospital, do think there is a link between glaucoma and migraines. Maybe one of those consultants might be interested in taking part?

[NewSh0e]

I would add to that; can Glaucoma UK also work with the BMA to ensure that GPs seeing patients with persistent or chronic migraine, and who complain of feeling cold, are referred pre-emptively for eye checks? The only reason I found out I had glaucoma at all was because of a routine I test, by which time I had already lost a quarter of the sight in one eye, and this despite many years of migraine and Reynauds.

[Beecalmed in reply to NewSh0e]

Good thinking! I’d back up this request. 👍🏻 I had migraines with aura and Reynauds ( numb extremities) for years without realising the potential link to glaucoma. Only found link by accident when researching same symptoms but for my elderly Dad.