Since January I’ve had about 6 migranes (in fact, the first one came on the day I dropped My Soldier off at the airport to head back to Iraq). They begin with that weird spotty blindness in one eye, trail into flashes of light or seeing a lightning bolt across my vision, and then [even after I take Excedrin to combat it] the dull ache begins right inside my eye sockets and on my forehead. After the first 10-15 minutes of headache pain sets in, then comes the nausea — like I’ve been sitting in the backseat of a car for 10 hours. It’s terrible. The only thing that cures me is caffeine and sleep…and for a long time. This migrane can be so dibilitating that I have to go home early from work, which is what I did yesterday at about noon (thanks to my wonderful boss).
I believe the onset of my migranes is caused by one or both of the following things:
- a change in my hormone levels (I’ve noticed that in the past 6 months I’ve also been exhibiting some mild to severe PMDD, where I am in a low depressive state for an entire week before my period starts), or…
- jaw problems (they are getting worse).
It is now needless to say that upon finding the following article, I wasn’t very comforted (have a look):
Migraines With Visual Aura May Be More Common in Young Women Who Have Strokes
Aug. 9, 2007 — Some migraines may increase young women’s odds of having a stroke, according to a new study.
The study — published online today in the journal Stroke — comes from experts including Leah MacClellan, MSPH, and Steven Kittner, MD, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
MacClellan, Kittner, and colleagues studied 1,000 African-American and white women age 15-49 living in and around the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area.
The women were in their mid- to late-30s, on average (age range: 15-49). Stroke, which is America’s third leading cause of death and a major cause of disability, usually strikes decades later.
The researchers asked the women about their history of headaches, including migraines.
Compared to the women who hadn’t had a stroke, the stroke survivors were 50% more likely to report having a history of migraines with visual aura in the year or years before their stroke.
Symptoms of migraine with visual aura included ever seeing spots, lines, or flashing lights during a migraine.
Migraines without visual aura weren’t linked to increased stroke risk.
Reducing Stroke Risk
Among the women who reported a history of migraine with visual aura, those who smoked and took oral contraceptives were seven times more likely to have had a stroke.
“Young women with probable migraine with visual symptoms can reduce their risk of stroke by stopping smoking and finding alternatives to the use of estrogen-containing contraceptives,” Kittner states in an American Heart Association news release.
He uses the term “probable migraine” because the women’s migraines weren’t necessarily diagnosed by a doctor.
The researchers took many stroke risk factors into consideration. But they didn’t have data on factors including the women’s cholesterol levels, alcohol use, physical activity, and medications.
( See original article )
