Waking in the night, vomiting and fainting?

[kittyIM]

Hi all, hope you are well! I had a rough night last night and have come looking for some answers.

I suffer from migraine aura, I normally just get the aura (most days) and then occasionally I get a headache. Mainly its the fluorescent lights, fatigue and a weird type of brain tiredness I suffer from.

Around 1am I woke suddenly, my entire body felt incredibly heavy and numb, I knew something felt wrong and scary in my body, but I couldn't understand properly, I was so groggy. I felt incredibly nauseas and like my stomach was full of bricks. But I wasn't about to throw up, I knew I had to make myself sick. My ears began ringing incredibly loudly, and I blacked out on my way to the bathroom and again on the bathroom floor.

I then started vomiting, my ears continued ringing and I couldn't focus or speak properly. I knew were I was but I had such weakness all throughout my body and felt confused and scared.

Afterwards the pain lessened and so did the ringing. I just felt incredibly drained and exhausted, I passed out in bed. This morning I just feel drained and physically weak. I knew I should have gone to A&E but I was so exhausted and confused I couldn't get myself there or even explain to my boyfriend what was wrong or what I needed, talking felt impossible. I do remember having a very strong sense of smell right before I fell asleep and joking to my boyfriend saying a migraine attack might show itself. Then this happened!

I've woken up feeling weak and have aura. Does/has anyone had episodes like this? This isn't my first time, but its the most violent episode I've had. I wonder if its related to migraines? It's def not food poisoning or anything like that.

Thanks all!

K xx

[MaryF]

Some time back I replied to you, and I mentioned Hughes Syndrome/APS to you, which also goes with Sjogrens and sometimes a Thyroid problem too, with those symptoms you need to get tested, and urgently: hughes-syndrome.org/about-h...

and of course the symptoms: hughes-syndrome.org/about-h...

Please get your GP your A&E to do these blood tests, if it turns out you have this, it is treatable but you do need to take action, and we also have a list of recommended specialists on our charity website. MaryF

[Gambit62]

Don't have Hughes but do have problems absorbing B12 - my migraines have been a lot better of late now that I have sorted out B12 and B6 levels but I did have a massive one over the weekend.

For me that means - unable to think with the pain and feeling very nauseus then being hit by gut spasms so bad that I have to be sitting on the loo because everything poors from both ends simultaneously. Its so violent it leaves me physically drained and it can be a struggle to make it back to bed.

I get auras - mine are be colour patches and or 'snow' and sensitivity to smell - less so to light.

checklist of B12 symptoms can be found here

pernicious-anaemia-society....

So, probably worth going back to doctor and asking for some tests to tie down if there is something else going on.

[eli2a in reply to Gambit62]

i get this and cos i stupidly stayed up past midnight to try n actually watch a film monday night it just started how u described and i took my sumatriptan but too late as i got to bed it exploded and then my plmd started so i was banging head, neauseous, hot/cold and twitching limbs till i passed out around 6am, my partner cant help anymore than he does , my gp ses as u have have recent dental surgery we will put it down to that, have some amitryptyline ,.....i refused as my neurologist told me they were causing mine to be worse also prbly the same for my rls and sleep disorder but the gp insisted i try this "safe, guaranteed" remedey, needless to say my body has reacted with aura, fibro and anxiety and ibs....i give up and just try to drink and eat regular (not easy i know) and im hypothyroid so gp puts everything down to that or fibro anyway, i wish you luck and get the tests asap xx

[Gambit62 in reply to eli2a]

did you have nitrous oxide as an anaesthetic for the dental surgery. Nitrous oxide interfers with B12 - oxidises it so the body can't use it. If you are developing a deficiency then it can accelerate the effects but you still show up as having plenty of b12 in your blood.

There is a lot of overlap between thyroid symptoms and B12 deficiency symptoms and the spread of symptoms you describe here fits very well with B12 deficiency. Unfortunately it isn't unusual for both thyroid and B12 problems to occur together

[eli2a in reply to Gambit62]

thanks for the reply, they only gave me local anaesthetic & i dont know what that is....they did say it should be done under general (put to sleep) but for some reason couldnt do it with me, i am increacsing my vitamins in my diet as far as i can and am looking into getting a decent supplement and niacin too. i appreciate thr response

[Gambit62 in reply to eli2a]

If it was B12 then you will need to be taking about 1mg a day - that's somewhere between 10 and 1000 times RDA. It isn't harmful but if you have an absorption problem then you need to flood the system. You can get sublingual tablets - which have better absorption because some goes in through membranes in the mouth - and similar with nasal and sub-lingual sprays.

[eli2a in reply to Gambit62]

wonderful advice, thank you, my gp did a test and the answer was just a "fine" as always but im learning quickly my body and what is helping and not. The load of pills cant compete with a good diet, herbs and mindfulness but of course my gp disagrees and said"theres no actual proof thats why she doest agree" my reply was ive just told you ive fixed somethin and humans had to heal themselves for ages before pills so thats proof enough for me

[Gambit62 in reply to eli2a]

If you can ask your GP for copies of the results and post them on the PAS forum on here. Anything below about 400-500 is likely to be labelled as fine but there are plenty of cases of people being deficient in what is the 'grey range' from this level down to where the labs tend to say it is low.

Unfortunately B12 deficiency, because it is to do with the mechanisms in the body that aborb B12 going wrong is actually a case where it is a question of supplement or die ... though as the gut isn't working particularly well pills generally aren't the answer.

[eli2a in reply to Gambit62]

great advice again, thank you, i may well have a problem absorbing as this is the case with my thyroid too and i have lots of stomacch probs, ibs, reactions to medicines and foods but have made some progress by changing my diet to get what i need naturally, trial and error is the best way for me...never felt better since giving up bread and really reducing sugar and salt when i know its in other things, thanks again for the advice