Lately I’ve been talking to my brother more and more about this migraine issue that is very obviously present in some members of my family. I never quite knew that he had this quite like he does probably because he didn’t realise what it was himself (as I didn’t know either years ago). But now that we are talking more and more about it, I can see myself in his symptoms which is obviously a good thing in that it’s a reality check and fits the genetic story of migraine.
So like me:
– his first appeared in his mid 30s
– he gets neck pain and then head pain – or the coat hanger thing
– when it’s all on he feels incapacitated like I do
– certain chemical smells set him off
– a number of foods set him off, especially foods drowning in crappy sauces (e.g. sulphites, nitrites and MSG)
– feels totally antisocial and needs a dark room and PEACE to stop it
My mother has most of the above as well though neither of them have any dizziness going on just like I didn’t before the VN hit in 2003. Both are susceptible to anxiety and mild sporadic depression and then it just vanishes again. Very migraine-like stuff there and exactly what I get.
Anyway, it’s worth investigating because you might soon find another member of the family does share similar symptoms to you which makes for more good evidence.
I found that my mother AND both of her parents have suffered from dizziness and vertigo at times in their life. Luckily none of their episodes lasted more than a few months, and they are currently all doing well.
How funny that you post this, I just found out from my mom yesterday, that her migraines included dizziness, and once in a while Vertigo.
Im like really, and your just now telling me this…! Lol She is 64 and only gets them once in a while now, and imitrex gets them for her.
I get that “coat hanger” feel, its more of a pressure that also goes up into my head, lasts for about a 30 seconds to a 2 min’s. Its only after I jump up from a seated position. Sometimes its a delayed reaction, like almost a minute after I got up. The hain site said that is related to Basiliar migraine, but not sure what that is. Not in the mood to “read” the last few days.
I’m from a family that suffers really badly from migraines. My paternal grandmother, my father, me and now my daughter too. I felt so terrible when my daughter had her first few, especially as she had a hemiplegic migraine and ended up in hospital for a couple of days. It was one of the worst times of my life, waiting for her brain scan results to come back. Then - despite the relief at it not being anything more sinister - I felt so bad that she’d inherited this migraine crap from me. Luckily hers seem to be kept under really good control with pizotifen.
My mother (she was an orphan so can’t go back any further), sister, brother, daughter, son, grandaughters all have bad migraines so I feel this is definitely familial. Didn’t some researcher in Oxford identify the familial migraine gene last year? I’m hoping that the scientists will be able to provide some meds to tweak this gene and, hopefully, at least my grandchildren with benefit. Meanwhile, we keep chasing that elusive ‘fix in all’ med. My daughter is the only one, besides me, who has experienced dizziness and she has recovered without preventative meds.
Barb
My mum is a chronic migraine sufferer but of the classic acute pain type but that’s all - never any dizziness and I pray that never comes her way.
My mum just turned 60 (she’s lush) and in the past 4 - 5 years there has been a significant improvement in the frequency of her migraines and she is not on any preventative or doing anything different.
My cousin (on mum’s side) is a chronic sufferer too but they’re the only two links I know of in my family. They’ve never had anything near like what I’ve had.
4th generation migraineur here (that’s how far back we can trace anyway on mums side). But I didn’t start to suffer until my late 30s. Mum started when she was 12/13.
Mum had hemiplegic migraines, with blackouts, partial paralysis, stroke-like effects, endless vomiting, headaches - the works. Frankly I think my lucky everything that I “just” have MAV. She had a hysterectomy in her early 40s and the migraines stopped overnight.
I’m adopted and found my birthmom 6 years ago. I recently found out that she has had migraine her entire life…with the zig zag aura and what she describes as “a funny feeling of unbalance” that then goes away. Her sister also has terrible migraines but no dizziness. I don’t know much about any of the other family as I am still a “secret”. BTW…they also have the anxiety to go with it.
