Medical term Classic Migraines.

I call them 'eye spells' because the symptoms effect my eyes. Typically though, the proper medical term is "Classic Migraines".

I began suffering from these at age 16 or so. At about age 22 I had to seek professional help, as my migraines were coming much closer together & interfering w/ my every day life. I saw a Neurologist & at that time was put on 2 medications daily. I still take both of those medications but occasionally, a migraine breaks thru.

A number of factors can come into play which trigger a migraine. At this time, I contribute this particular episode (& many of them in the past, as well) to an over abundance of stress, too little sleep & too much caffeine. I hadn't had a spell in over one year (that was a record!!!!) & I got a little too comfortable & let my guard down. However, once a migraine occurs, they are so completely frightening & miserable that I could just kick myself for getting lazy. I have no idea if my current state is indeed what causes them - maybe if I was stress-free, rested & caffeine-free it/they would occur anyway. I have no way of knowing.

A Classic Migraine is a headache-less headache. These migraines last for exactly 30 minutes. Faithfully.

There is no warning sign what-so-ever that a migraine is fixing to occur. I just happen to look at something & notice 1/2 of 'it', whatever 'it' may be, is gone. This particular day it was Mercedes. I always start to panic, especially if I am out somewhere. I was @ WM, had 3 children & a basket full of stuff. There is no way, with deteriorating vision, I can check out & get everyone out to the car. There isn't enough time.

Fortunately two employees were walking by & I asked for their help. I tried to explain my situation, but many look at me like I'm crazy. :) Nonetheless, they helped me get my kids to the car & saved my basket of items so I could check out later. I called hubby (he knows to expect these calls if an episode occurs - my children now know too & are a great help) & he left a meeting in Dallas & headed my way. The employee buckled the kids in the carseats for me, I turned on the car & music, locked the door, laid my seat back & waited. That is all I can do. Like a typical migraine, I need no light & complete silence (as complete as I can get, anyway). I was so distraught during this episode that I actually called Jaguar by a wrong name.

Classic Migraines are blood vessels that swell in your brain. The swelling restricts blood flow, resulting in vision distortion/loss. Basically, they start off with a loss of vision, but about 10 minutes or so, the migraines really begin to 'peak'. What happens is whatever side of my brain the swelling occurs on, I begin to see very large, squiggly lines in my field of vision. Kinda looks like a design thread can make from a sewing machine. I don't know any other way to describe it. If the swelling is on the right side of my brain, I will notice the 'lines' on the left side of my vision. And vice versa if it happens on the left side. The lines start small & really get out of control when the migraine peaks. Then, slowly, very slowly, they subside until they disappear & very slowly vision returns to normal. Typically I get a headache after a Classic Migraine & the headache can last for hours. It is a strong headache, but not your typical painful migraine headache.

Classic Migraines are so awful. Honestly there are no words to describe how extremely frightening they are. Eyesight is definitely something we all take for granted. And I know what it's like to not see. Not see 'fully'. It's horrible beyond words.

Anyway, by the time hubby arrived, I was already walking back in the store. He finished shopping with me (because, from time to time, I will experience migraine after migraine & I never know when it might happen again) & came home & helped me get the kids settled. Later after all was well he returned to work. He really is a super hubby. :)

Like I stated, this episode was the first one in an entire year. Never, ever have I gone so long without a migraine. They typically happen every few months, even so much as every other day. I had two, one week apart, the month before Mercedes arrived. One occured when I was driving late at night & I had to pull over at the first available spot I could see to get to, which happened to be a strip club. Then someone knocked on my door. It was a nightmare. I hope & pray I don't experience another one for a very, very long time. (Btw, they absolutely can cause blindness & fortunately, I show no signs of that yet.) They 'say' typically one outgrows them & I can't wait for that to transpire. Hopefully I'm well on my way.

So there you have it. Thank the good Lord above if you don't suffer from migraines! ☺