Migrainey

[Migrainey]

On and off for some years, I have had long bouts of frequent, loose bowel movements, accompanied by migraine-like headaches, nausea, griping tummy pains, fatigue, palpitations and shortness of breath. I am generally healthy and fit and prefer to eat at home. I have now suffered for almost a month this time and still waiting for things to ease up, having given up alcohol, coffee, wheat and tea. I suppose I am only at the beginning of my investigations, so would appreciate some advice and help as to where to start.

[userotc]

Hopefully youll find some useful tips in link below? Personally I doubt medics can help but maybe a qualified Nutritional Therapist specialising in the area. Good luck.

migraineagain.com/link-betw...

[BabsyWabsy in reply to userotc]

That is a fascinating read. Thank you.

[Nothingimpossible]

Have you spoken to gp about your condition. They should send you for tests to rule out a infection. Hope you feel better soon.

[xjrs]

Please book an appointment with your GP so they can carry out some tests:

nhs.uk/conditions/irritable...

Anyone experiencing symptoms that haven't been diagnosed should be checked out by medical professional.

Please do not go to nutritional therapists since they are not formally medically trained. I tried more than one and they made my condition far worse and this has been the experience of many people.

[Bracondale]

My first thought is gut dysbiosis ....and would strongly suggest you looking into probiotics. I am having very good results with Elixa (a very high dose six day course). I assume that your doctor has excluded anything 'serious' and labelled it as 'just' IBS.

[Frasina]

It is a known fact that certain foods can contribute to migraine however, because you are also suffering with these other symptoms and this time it is not easing up then I suggest your GP sends you to gastroenterology for more testing. I say this because I, like you, had 25 years of GP's saying my symptoms were IBS as they did come and go. In 2021 though the symptoms persisted yet the GP would not send me to see gastroenterology because a FIT test came back negative (this checks for blood in your stool). I had similar symptoms to you so paid as a one off to see a gastro consultant - I had also lost a stone in weight in 1 month because anything I ate was going straight through me! I got a colonoscopy (back on the NHS) within 2 weeks showing that I have IBD (patchy pancolitis) and am now on long term meds. If your symptoms are not going away this time, you should be checked out. Hope you get some answers.

[Cavalierrubie]

While you are waiting you could try ginger tea (can get bags on EBay), Fage’ Greek yougurt and sometimes Manuka honey in warm water helps. If things get really bad l take Imodium and it stops it in its tracks. Drink plenty of fluids to stop dehydration and help with palpitations.

[Luisa22]

I am sure there is a strong link with some people, connecting migraine and IBS. I was diagnosed with "likely atypical migraine phenomena", by a neurologist in 2018, when (including a CT scan) he could find nothing else wrong with me.

I had suffered almost "flu-like" symptoms (minus respiratory problems and mostly a flu-like malaise), nausea, muscle weakness, incoordination, heart palpitations, strange neurological "tics" and twinges (yes, only twinges and thank God not headaches!) in my eyebrow area on one side. But I had been having scintillating visual disturbances.

I got one week only of bowel upset, then that was gone and my gut was back to normal.

I thought I had a weird virus. The doctors were sure it was "migraine", mainly because of the visual symptoms (zig zag lights etc)

It was very slow progress, to start feeling a bit better over two years. and then lo and behold two years later my gut flipped. I was diagnosed with IBS because tests my doctor did turned up no physical red flags.

It was lockdown, so I only had one face-to-face. and two phone consultations with my GP, but in one phone chat he did mention "abdominal migraine", that it was indeed a "thing", but usually affected children.

I was in my 60s. So my doctor was a bit baffled.

But I don't think those demarcations always count. I cast my mind back to late teens when I had tummy upsets plus headachy feelings (no one in my family or my GP knew about migraine then. It was a "sick headache" and one soldiered on after taking a Disprin and a Setler.)

Abdominal migraine made sense to me, with some hindsight.

I think that might be why my IBS comes and goes, and I have times -sometimes long periods -when my gut is quite normal !

It may be something to do with Serotonin and how that works in the body. But it also has a lot to do with "hypervigilance", which is a neurological state we are just wired to and can't do a lot about (except treat unpleasant symptoms when they occur.) It's beyond me to be honest.