Bad migraine started when on plane - National Migraine...

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Bad migraine started when on plane

mand82 profile image
16 Replies

Went on holiday on 24th may first time on a 10 hour flight and within a hour of being on the flight I started getting bad migraine aswell as stomach pain I was going from London to Los Angeles for the first time ever when I finally got to my hotel I started getting auras dark line ones zooming across my vision and not complete double vision but just the double outline of my hands which only seems to happen when I wake up or near bed time in my hotel room , I thought it would all vanish/get better after 24hours of getting of the plane but it carried on for the whole 7 days of the holiday and even when I got back its been 4 days since I got back and I still feel the same I've had to put my reading glasses on just to help 10% of the pain and doubled the dose of my topiramate to 200mg which hasn't really helped much even used pain killers which hasn't really helped either :(

Has this happened to anyone else before and if so how have you coped with it,

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mand82
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16 Replies
daisyd profile image
daisyd

It might be worth looking at the Hughes web site on here, it's about sticky blood , I have it.

If that happened to me I would question I ? Maybe I was having a Tia, mini stroke,

I would see your Doctor today. Sorry if I have worried you, but treatment is available for it.

You will see not all Doctors are aware of it

Good luck, please keep us informed

If I was in your situation I would definitely seek medical advice. I was told that you should always see a doctor if a migraine carries on for more than 3 days & it is not typical for you.

There could also be something going on with your eyes which might need medical attention. I don't know as I am not a health professional but from what you've said it sounds like a check from the doctor would certainly not hurt.

Also as daisyd has mentioned Hughes to you I just thought I would add that over here in Australia most doctors don't use the term Hughes but still use the term APS which it was originally known by.

I hope you find some relief soon.

mand82 profile image
mand82

I have seen my doctor and nurse but they don't seem to bothered about the migraine just the stomach pain the doctor has given me some tablets thinking I could have a infection in the stomach but that's it :( before the holiday my migraine was fine the topiramate controlled it and I got no migraines just tiny headaches once in a while that I could cope with but these migraines are constant and pounding :(

kailani profile image
kailani

Had a trip to the USA last year and it produced a major migraine on the flight that wouldn't shift, but I managed eventually to get rid of it before it ruined the holiday.It lasted 2 days and then the aftermath of course, another three before I was settled again.

There is something called 'flight induced migraine' that sensitive individuals can get

cnbc.com/id/47226552

mand82 profile image
mand82

Just wish my migraine would calm down its doing my head in :(

Coming upto 2 weeks now nonstop ,

pink_marshmallow profile image
pink_marshmallow

Hi. I experienced a migraine on a flight to Florida last August (10 hours) and took my usual Rizatriptan, then paracetamols/nurofen later. It went away after we'd landed (strange), but then started up again in middle of night and eventually put me in hospital the next evening due to being sick so much and dehydrating, dizziness and struggling visually. The doctors put me on a drip immediately, then morphine was intravenously fed into me for 2 hours, took Ondansetron to stop sickness and then felt much better! Can't remember the next day much though! I came back to England after 2 weeks and now have Ondansetron to take initially if I'm starting to feel sick, therefore stopping the dehydration and consequently the migraine. Sometimes it work .... Good luck on how you get on at the Doctors.

MaryF profile image
MaryF

Hi there to be on the safe side push hard: They need to rule out that you don't have an underlying condition: Mary F x

mand82 profile image
mand82

I give up on my gp I've made appointment with the migraine clinic for next week, the doctor there is much better , least my migraine will get sorted out then

in reply to mand82

I'm really glad you have got an appt. with the migraine clinic. Obviously your GP was not doing much to help you in this situation. I hope the appointment goes well and you start improving soon. Karryon

mand82 profile image
mand82

Migraine is a lil bit better then before but still not back to normal-ish , will find out what I can do to prevent it from happening again aswell when I go to the clinic as the last thing I want is for it to happen all again next year when I go on holiday again lol,

teadrinker profile image
teadrinker

I've had them on planes and it ain't funny. Or I've had them on arriving at my holiday destination. That aint' funny either but at least I can lie down and get water (they are not always able to dispense water on planes for security reasons - I think someone has told me there are medications that dissolve in your mouth without water).

I get migraines that can last for days and days sometimes. The trick for me is to make sure I rest properly after the first bit of the attack, otherwise it just all keeps coming. This is easier said than done, of course. I also feel really washed out when it's all over.

Sometimes a change in routine can trigger migraines, so something like getting up early to catch a plane, being in an airport with funny lighting, being penned in on a plane with changes to what you usually eat or drink etc could be making it worse. I don't know what the answer is, as I wouldn't want to miss my holidays either. I'm just mentally prepared for having a rough patch either during it or when i come home, and I make sure I've got enough medication with me.

mand82 profile image
mand82

Me and my friend stayed at the airport over night as check in was at 5am , the flight was 10 hours and the food was horrible I'm a vegan so my meal was set aside for me which was curry which I didn't eat as I hate hot spicy stuff and the salad was warm and very dry unlike normal salad so didn't eat that either so only eat the roll and vegan butter and this was the same meals both ways had plenty of orange juice tho and took a while to get a stewardess over on the way back to get them to get me some water so I could take my medication , as soon as I got to Los Angeles and checked into the hotel we went to the local Pizza Hut and got a pizza as I was hungry flying home I had a plate of chips at the airport at the boarding gate so I wasn't much hungry when the horrible plane food came around, next time I fly I'm taking my own food, I slept at least quarter of the way there as I had a window seat so had the window to lean against but coming back I was squashed between my friend and some old German lady and couldn't move so couldn't sleep and it was night time, was so jet lagged when I got off nearly feel asleep a few times over the next few days :( friend wouldn't swap seats :(

MigraineVictim profile image
MigraineVictim

Heres how i control it on a plane -I always am at risk of getting migraine on a flight. I've not spoken to a doc about it but I will now.

Drink lots of water a few days in advance if possible but def only water on the day ( tea is ok and coffee once) have a bottle with you too for the journey. The oxygen sucks out the hydration in our bodies and as migraine sufferer it's double worse for me and im guessing you too. Dehydration is a trigger.

The pressure is immense in the plane and will also trigger so take a small dose of painkiller when u get on the plane. Painkillers don't work on me but I find a normal one tablet helps with the pressure headache and helps not to trigger off my migrane - ALways carry ur pescribed meds with you just Incase to take on the onset if needed. And eat healthy snacks every now and then.

boiled sweets are great from helping ur ears stay unblocked and helps pop them throughout the journey- another trigger of mine and I'm guessing everyone else's too.

Hope this helps for next time and doesn't stop u flying. That was a very long journey...

mand82 profile image
mand82 in reply to MigraineVictim

I drink plenty of orange juice on the plane never drink anything else while on the plane , next time gonna bring my own food as the airline vegan food was curry for lunch and curry for dinner and dried horrible salad which I didn't really eat as I hate curry can usually go without food for 10 hours but maybe being on the plane without eating much etc contributed towards the migraine will get the gp to give naproxen next time a fly and see how that goes , my ears didn't pop on this flight unlike on small planes doing short flights lol,

MigraineVictim profile image
MigraineVictim in reply to mand82

U should def switch to water on the plane I promise it makes such a difference. Orange juice doesn't replace the hydration u lose from the oxygen and air con x

mand82 profile image
mand82 in reply to MigraineVictim

Don't like water on its own unless I'm taking my meds , I usually drink orange juice that you add water to

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