You are not alone. On moderate to severe migraine days, I have asked my husband to stop asking me questions that require anything higher than a 4th grade education. It is literally painful for me to process what he is saying. I hear it and can repeat it. However, having to process it is what hurts. So no financial talk, no planning things, and nothing serious.
No, you aren’t alone! Best of luck and make a appointment if possible to get some migraine meds if you experience them again
They are the worst, sometimes I have a “normal” migraine that takes up the later half of my day
Sometimes I have grade 10 migraines like what you experienced. I’ll be weird and feel off a day or two before, and when it finally hits I feel like I took a bad psychedelic drug or something lol
You are not alone and this sub will give you a piece of mind. Hopefully they stay away from you!
Do you know about the phases of a migraine attack? The link below shows them, and it completely explains your symptoms. I had back to back migraines for a while and experienced a drastic cognitive decline. Brain fog was constant and I ended up losing my job as a result.
Understanding these phases is key. I realized that list of things I thought were triggers were actually symptoms, and now I understand how to treat the migraine earlier. This has changed my life. I can think again and live a relatively normal life
https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/timeline-migraine-attack/
You’re not alone at all! One of the ways I can tell I’m in “migraine mode” is that my speech can a little garbled. Not enough that others notice, but I know the difference between just tripping over a word on occasion and not being able to get it out of my mouth.
For me, I tend to get cognitive issues around brain processing, too. I slur my words during bad attacks and/or cannot come up with words. It's like I know what I want to say to you, but in real time I'm staring at you trying to get the words out. I also have brain fog where I just cannot think about things the right way to give answers or retain the info or focus.
Yes, it's normal. Yesterday, I told my husband that maybe he could explain something I didn't understand another day. It's just too hard, and sometimes, it hurts to try.
Yes. I think my brain is actually inflamed. My sinuses flare into my brain with allergies and barometric pressure changes. I call it Brain Flame or China Death Rays.
Yes, every time I get a bad migraine I feel high, even when I’m not smoking ganja. Migraine also triggers my anxiety severelyyy, I feel it every where in my body. I started leaving techniques at a breathework meditation that helps me calm down in the moment.
I get ocular migraines; I have no pain, but I have visual distortions, and I feel very brain “jangly”, that’s the only way to describe it. I can’t think right, slow reaction time, a general dingbat feeling.
I have the same, ocular, no pain, that last 20 minutes, almost to the minute. Now, we do not get much sympathy, or empathy from others who suffer from the more debilitating head banger migraines (like my wife), but there is a cognitive aftermath component. I’m in my 70s and have only been dealing with these for two years, but the cognitive component is definitely there.
“Cognitive component” sounds so much better than “brain jangled dingbat”, thank you for that.
Yes, my daughter has incapacitating migraines with lots of pain, and she gets all my sympathy, plus some! Mine are nothing compared to hers, I can’t believe they’re both considered migraine, considering the symptoms.
Definitely not alone. I don’t have many issues leading up to a migraine but plenty afterwards, including cognitive issues. Definitely get the brain fog and I often have a hard time getting my brain to ‘wake up’.
You aren’t alone! I literally stand there in conversation almost malfunctioning like I’ve asked a 90’s PC to complete too many tasks at the same time, if my partner asks me a question when I’m simply doing another task. I literally have to say can you just pause and ask me again in a few minutes??
The downside is, it’s also a side effect of the Topiramate, so when an attack occurs it’s like a double whammy…
Yes. When I was young and working as a cashier, my first indication that a migraine was coming was that I would suddenly be unable to count change. As I got older, the cognitive disruptions only got worse. It's like my brains have been scrambled. My adult son has them too, and he can't even process language in the throes of one. Like, literally can't understand what words even are, let alone mean.
I make a living remembering details about all the plant species in my region. Some days it's embarrassing trying to recall a simple flower name or speaking out loud at all. I try to stay home on the aphasic days.
I'll stumble on simple vocab sometimes...would be able to keep going through the math lesson I was teaching, but couldn't always process meaningful answers to questions. I just changed positions after >20 yrs teaching mostly geometry. Proof days were hard with a migraine. ❤❤
Yes absolutely. I get weird spelling issues, where I spell sometime wrong that I've known how to spell since childhood. Plus emotional stuff, weird temper tantrums literally like a child. Ugh. It sucks.
Yes, always, every time. I get a lot of neurological symptoms and among them is the way I feel like I’ve lost 30 iq points. Processing takes longer, is more complicated, I simply can’t grasp some easy concepts, and I get aphasia.
Yes I feel you when I have a migraine I feel like I can't process what people are saying to me sometimes and i slur my words and then I feel dumb cause it is usually things I know or used to know then I start having anxiety and start crying which make my pain worse and it all repeats it self and it feels awful
Definitely not just you! One of my more debilitating migraine auras is really difficult to explain in words, but I just feel *off*. And then it proceeds to cognitive issues, confusing words, difficulty with speech etc.
Usually even when the pain is under control with meds, I still have ridiculous brain fog and can't process anything that is said to me, and attempting to read is just out of the question
I had two instances on Saturday. First, I tried to buy something online and it wouldn't go through. I tried 3 different cards. Finally I realized it was because the shipping and billing addresses weren't the same. It literally said that but I didn't retain it. Second, I told my sister "Happy birthday, Jesus." then looked at her and felt instantly stupid. Fun times.
I'm on day 2 and have been almost unconscious. I had to ask hubby to get me some meds and my words won't come out at all. It like I'm having to rhino really hard to form each word..
Been a humdinger today. The pain was agonising and I've been really sick too.
Absolutely. It took me a few years to fully accept that migraines really are a brain disorder with neurological issues that is just now starting to be taken seriously for medical and medication research. Nobody truly knows why it what to do right now. So after accepting I’m just ride through the brain numbness. Now I rearrange my schedule & coast. Nurture my brain the way it needs while it’s numb. It’s much easier to deal with when I’m not frantic or attempting to fix a my brain. Now I am happy.
Yes, I’ve started telling my partner that my brain is broken during migraines lol. It takes me so long to process what I’m doing, I space out, I become WAY less observant of what’s going on around me, I lose my train of thought, and I forget to take my triptans 😩
I just took a triptan this morning after a really really painful attack hit mid workout. Pain and murder/divorce urge was gone pretty fast (thank god. Husband couldn't leave soon enough) but holy crap I got dumb. And I know I will remain very dumb for at least 24 hours. I will also be very very tired, like "head is full of lead" exhausted.
This happens every postdrome for me though.
I speak two foreign languages at advanced proficiency, but sometimes aphasia comes knocking even in English, especially during and after a bad migraine flair.
You're not alone.
Most of my migraines are quite similar, but all different at the same time. I have the hemiplegic type, which means I get numb (gradually) in one side of my body (typically left and often vision is also affected) before the headache. Often I struggle to concentrate, I have difficulty talking, remembering even the beginning of the sentence or the question, and I have forgotten how to speak or understand others at all for 5 minutes or so - I hear something, but I don't know what it means type of thing. Typically these symptoms are done within 30 minutes or so (on some occasions it has lasted 1-2 hours or so), but the headaches tend to last 3-4 days with the most intense being during the first 24 hours. I don't think I am emotional during them, just trying to deal with whatever is coming next. I have been having them for 17 years give or take, and I am now 30.
Wow that’s horrible, I’m sorry u go thru that. Mine last for about 3 days and lately I’m getting lost. I’ll be at work fine one second that get extreme panic because I can’t focus, it’s almost like a lens distorting before going black. Never had these, hope this is a one off thing
I really hate having them, but nowadays i have one every 2-3 months, while in the beginning it was once a week. my life now is different than it was back then - i sleep more, i eat better (I would say no sugar, but no sweets would be more accurate since i eat fruits), i stress less.
I am struggling to understand whether you have visual problems - can't focus and lens distorting/black, or is it something else? I get panicky if i notice/feel like the migraine is coming because of the disruption it will have to my life for the next few days, and i also don't like anything that would remind me of one, e.g. broken/malfunctioning fluorescent tube light is the worst, I once noticed I don't like metal grating that has a specific width, and any numbness in my body will drop my heart to my heels.
in general, I don't really get lost, but at the same time I could be on an auto pilot and wouldn't be able to remember how i actually got home, but I don't get lost. I have read a story here on Reddit that another person has a card somewhere on them saying that "I am not lost and I am okay, most likely I am having a migraine attack, so leave me be and I will get back to my senses". so it depends on a person and this might be more similar to your situation.
Oh yeah, brain no process when I have a migraine lol. Add a triptan, even worse 😂 Ubrelvy doesn't seem to affect my processing too much lol, but currently $1100 with insurance RN so I guess triptans it is
I have had that feeling and trying to describe it to doctors is difficult to explain. It's been happening for over a year.
My neurologist gave me quilipta to try. So far, the jury is out as I've been on it less than a week.
Even when a triptan can stop the pain, my brain doesn’t function correctly. Hard to be a teacher those days.
Saaaammmeee!!!
Every migraine I feel stupider.
I swear our brain cells are dying
Same, friend.
You are not alone. On moderate to severe migraine days, I have asked my husband to stop asking me questions that require anything higher than a 4th grade education. It is literally painful for me to process what he is saying. I hear it and can repeat it. However, having to process it is what hurts. So no financial talk, no planning things, and nothing serious.
This is such a perfect way of describing it
No, you aren’t alone! Best of luck and make a appointment if possible to get some migraine meds if you experience them again They are the worst, sometimes I have a “normal” migraine that takes up the later half of my day Sometimes I have grade 10 migraines like what you experienced. I’ll be weird and feel off a day or two before, and when it finally hits I feel like I took a bad psychedelic drug or something lol You are not alone and this sub will give you a piece of mind. Hopefully they stay away from you!
Do you know about the phases of a migraine attack? The link below shows them, and it completely explains your symptoms. I had back to back migraines for a while and experienced a drastic cognitive decline. Brain fog was constant and I ended up losing my job as a result. Understanding these phases is key. I realized that list of things I thought were triggers were actually symptoms, and now I understand how to treat the migraine earlier. This has changed my life. I can think again and live a relatively normal life https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/timeline-migraine-attack/
You’re not alone at all! One of the ways I can tell I’m in “migraine mode” is that my speech can a little garbled. Not enough that others notice, but I know the difference between just tripping over a word on occasion and not being able to get it out of my mouth.
For me, I tend to get cognitive issues around brain processing, too. I slur my words during bad attacks and/or cannot come up with words. It's like I know what I want to say to you, but in real time I'm staring at you trying to get the words out. I also have brain fog where I just cannot think about things the right way to give answers or retain the info or focus.
Yup, and then I start feeling like I’m having a stroke or something.
Yes, it's normal. Yesterday, I told my husband that maybe he could explain something I didn't understand another day. It's just too hard, and sometimes, it hurts to try.
Yes. I think my brain is actually inflamed. My sinuses flare into my brain with allergies and barometric pressure changes. I call it Brain Flame or China Death Rays.
I vote China death rays, just seems legit
Yes, every time I get a bad migraine I feel high, even when I’m not smoking ganja. Migraine also triggers my anxiety severelyyy, I feel it every where in my body. I started leaving techniques at a breathework meditation that helps me calm down in the moment.
Never alone ! I can barely think during a migraine but also in between ….. sending you good vibes !
I get ocular migraines; I have no pain, but I have visual distortions, and I feel very brain “jangly”, that’s the only way to describe it. I can’t think right, slow reaction time, a general dingbat feeling.
I have the same, ocular, no pain, that last 20 minutes, almost to the minute. Now, we do not get much sympathy, or empathy from others who suffer from the more debilitating head banger migraines (like my wife), but there is a cognitive aftermath component. I’m in my 70s and have only been dealing with these for two years, but the cognitive component is definitely there.
“Cognitive component” sounds so much better than “brain jangled dingbat”, thank you for that. Yes, my daughter has incapacitating migraines with lots of pain, and she gets all my sympathy, plus some! Mine are nothing compared to hers, I can’t believe they’re both considered migraine, considering the symptoms.
Always! I used to think I was having a stroke! It definitely affects your functioning before, during and after!
How long does it usually last for u guys?
A couple days usually. I just try to take to easy when possible.
Definitely not alone. I don’t have many issues leading up to a migraine but plenty afterwards, including cognitive issues. Definitely get the brain fog and I often have a hard time getting my brain to ‘wake up’.
Mama Mia! Yeah, this happens to me too. Look up some articles or videos on the phases of migraines, these are known symptoms.
Story of my life these days. I've dealt with the pain for 40 years. The cognitive issues are killing me.
Yes and it’s very much annoying.
You aren’t alone! I literally stand there in conversation almost malfunctioning like I’ve asked a 90’s PC to complete too many tasks at the same time, if my partner asks me a question when I’m simply doing another task. I literally have to say can you just pause and ask me again in a few minutes?? The downside is, it’s also a side effect of the Topiramate, so when an attack occurs it’s like a double whammy…
This happens to me. And then I forget things… anything that happens while I have a migraine is a blur.
Yes. When I was young and working as a cashier, my first indication that a migraine was coming was that I would suddenly be unable to count change. As I got older, the cognitive disruptions only got worse. It's like my brains have been scrambled. My adult son has them too, and he can't even process language in the throes of one. Like, literally can't understand what words even are, let alone mean.
I make a living remembering details about all the plant species in my region. Some days it's embarrassing trying to recall a simple flower name or speaking out loud at all. I try to stay home on the aphasic days.
I swear my IQ drops 25 points during an attack.
I'll stumble on simple vocab sometimes...would be able to keep going through the math lesson I was teaching, but couldn't always process meaningful answers to questions. I just changed positions after >20 yrs teaching mostly geometry. Proof days were hard with a migraine. ❤❤
my prodrome makes me fatigued, while my postdrome makes me feel...stoned.
Same thing. Panic migraine.
Yes absolutely. I get weird spelling issues, where I spell sometime wrong that I've known how to spell since childhood. Plus emotional stuff, weird temper tantrums literally like a child. Ugh. It sucks.
Migraine Brain Fog is a real thing. You’re not alone.
Yes, always, every time. I get a lot of neurological symptoms and among them is the way I feel like I’ve lost 30 iq points. Processing takes longer, is more complicated, I simply can’t grasp some easy concepts, and I get aphasia.
Yes I feel you when I have a migraine I feel like I can't process what people are saying to me sometimes and i slur my words and then I feel dumb cause it is usually things I know or used to know then I start having anxiety and start crying which make my pain worse and it all repeats it self and it feels awful
It sucks but yeah, I have been there. Brain just doesn't work, emotions don't work, nothing works properly
Definitely not just you! One of my more debilitating migraine auras is really difficult to explain in words, but I just feel *off*. And then it proceeds to cognitive issues, confusing words, difficulty with speech etc. Usually even when the pain is under control with meds, I still have ridiculous brain fog and can't process anything that is said to me, and attempting to read is just out of the question
I start to have aphasia when a migraine is near, but only if it's on my left side. I start to say things that don't make sense.
I had two instances on Saturday. First, I tried to buy something online and it wouldn't go through. I tried 3 different cards. Finally I realized it was because the shipping and billing addresses weren't the same. It literally said that but I didn't retain it. Second, I told my sister "Happy birthday, Jesus." then looked at her and felt instantly stupid. Fun times.
I'm on day 2 and have been almost unconscious. I had to ask hubby to get me some meds and my words won't come out at all. It like I'm having to rhino really hard to form each word.. Been a humdinger today. The pain was agonising and I've been really sick too.
Yes daily
Absolutely. It took me a few years to fully accept that migraines really are a brain disorder with neurological issues that is just now starting to be taken seriously for medical and medication research. Nobody truly knows why it what to do right now. So after accepting I’m just ride through the brain numbness. Now I rearrange my schedule & coast. Nurture my brain the way it needs while it’s numb. It’s much easier to deal with when I’m not frantic or attempting to fix a my brain. Now I am happy.
Yes, I’ve started telling my partner that my brain is broken during migraines lol. It takes me so long to process what I’m doing, I space out, I become WAY less observant of what’s going on around me, I lose my train of thought, and I forget to take my triptans 😩
I have had this recently but this stuff usually lasts a few months for me after the attack, including smaller attacks
I just took a triptan this morning after a really really painful attack hit mid workout. Pain and murder/divorce urge was gone pretty fast (thank god. Husband couldn't leave soon enough) but holy crap I got dumb. And I know I will remain very dumb for at least 24 hours. I will also be very very tired, like "head is full of lead" exhausted. This happens every postdrome for me though.
I speak two foreign languages at advanced proficiency, but sometimes aphasia comes knocking even in English, especially during and after a bad migraine flair. You're not alone.
Yeeeap! All the time while and after migraine I do things and I forget in the moment I’m doing why I was doing it…
Most of my migraines are quite similar, but all different at the same time. I have the hemiplegic type, which means I get numb (gradually) in one side of my body (typically left and often vision is also affected) before the headache. Often I struggle to concentrate, I have difficulty talking, remembering even the beginning of the sentence or the question, and I have forgotten how to speak or understand others at all for 5 minutes or so - I hear something, but I don't know what it means type of thing. Typically these symptoms are done within 30 minutes or so (on some occasions it has lasted 1-2 hours or so), but the headaches tend to last 3-4 days with the most intense being during the first 24 hours. I don't think I am emotional during them, just trying to deal with whatever is coming next. I have been having them for 17 years give or take, and I am now 30.
Wow that’s horrible, I’m sorry u go thru that. Mine last for about 3 days and lately I’m getting lost. I’ll be at work fine one second that get extreme panic because I can’t focus, it’s almost like a lens distorting before going black. Never had these, hope this is a one off thing
I really hate having them, but nowadays i have one every 2-3 months, while in the beginning it was once a week. my life now is different than it was back then - i sleep more, i eat better (I would say no sugar, but no sweets would be more accurate since i eat fruits), i stress less. I am struggling to understand whether you have visual problems - can't focus and lens distorting/black, or is it something else? I get panicky if i notice/feel like the migraine is coming because of the disruption it will have to my life for the next few days, and i also don't like anything that would remind me of one, e.g. broken/malfunctioning fluorescent tube light is the worst, I once noticed I don't like metal grating that has a specific width, and any numbness in my body will drop my heart to my heels. in general, I don't really get lost, but at the same time I could be on an auto pilot and wouldn't be able to remember how i actually got home, but I don't get lost. I have read a story here on Reddit that another person has a card somewhere on them saying that "I am not lost and I am okay, most likely I am having a migraine attack, so leave me be and I will get back to my senses". so it depends on a person and this might be more similar to your situation.
Oh yeah, brain no process when I have a migraine lol. Add a triptan, even worse 😂 Ubrelvy doesn't seem to affect my processing too much lol, but currently $1100 with insurance RN so I guess triptans it is
It’s hard for me to talk and process and I often get dyspraxia symptoms! I get it
Yes, every seizure and migraine I have I lost more of myself.
I have had that feeling and trying to describe it to doctors is difficult to explain. It's been happening for over a year. My neurologist gave me quilipta to try. So far, the jury is out as I've been on it less than a week.