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Migrain

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Migraine Stages

Migraines develop in four stages. Patients with migraines with aura, also known as classic migraines, are most likely to experience all four stages. Patients who have common migraines, migraines without aura, will have the same stages, but are not consciously aware of them. The interval between migraines is sometimes referred to as the fifth stage of a migraine.

Stage One - Prodrome

The prodromal phase usually begins one or two days prior to the actual migraine headache. Many migraineurs call this the "premonition" phase. Feelings during this phase are all over the map. Each migraineur has their own personal prodrome profile. Some are giddy, happy, and full of energy, far more so than usual. Others feel a headache start with fatigue, weakness, and irritability. Anything can herald a migraine and each person has to learn their own prodrome signs if they want to learn to stave off the migraine.

Stage Two - Aura

This phase is skipped by most migraineurs, since most migraineurs suffer from common migraine, migraine without aura. For those who experience classic migraine with aura, auras can begin anywhere from five minutes to an hour before the headache begins. Auras are visual effects migraineurs experience. Objects appear to have bright auras or haloes around them. Lightning flashes arc over the field of vision until sight is whited out just before the pain begins.

Stage Three - Headache

This phase lasts anywhere from four to seventy-two hours. Most common is a one-sided headache with a throbbing or pulsing characteristic. The headache is frequently accompanied by stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, smell, or some combination of the three.

Stage Four - Postdrome

Coming away from a migraine can be as unpleasant as building up to one. Postdrome is often characterized by tenderness of the head, neck, and stomach. Weakness and fatigue are also common in this phase.

Applying Heat or Cold for Migraine Relief

Many migraineurs (people who suffer from migraine headaches) relieve the pain of a migraine with the judicious application of heat or cold. This type of pain abatement is particularly popular with people trying to minimize or avoid prescription medication use, especially among pediatric patients and their families.

Below are a few techniques that can help ease the

Tell Me What to Eat If I Have Headaches and Migraines
(Tell Me What to Eat)

pain of a migraine. Not all techniques work for all patients. While some migraineurs find comfort in cold, at least as many are more uncomfortable in the presence of cold. The same is true of heat used for pain relief-for some it helps, for others it makes the pain worse.

Apply a compress, hot or cold, to point on the head where pain is most severe. This is frequently on the temple where a large artery runs, or in front of the ear, another arterial locale.

For patients who feel their migraine pain "stabbing into the back of the eye" a damp cloth (warm or cool) laid over the eyes often provides relief. As a side benefit, covering the eyes in this manner also eases the discomfort of photosensitivity for many patients.

Taking a hot or cold shower with the water directed at the head and neck is another method to try, as is taking a warm (neither hot nor cold) bath. The latter is further enhanced with the use of appropriate aromatherapy techniques.

Some patients find relief in by alternating hot and cold cloths at the point where the migraine pain is most intense. Sometimes hot and cold used simultaneously can ease the pain. A migraineur may apply a cold compress on their forehead while at the same time soaking their feet in a container of warm water.

Rarely are patients simultaneously sensitive to both hot and cold, but it should be watched for.