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Pregnancy Diary: Chronic Migraine and Pregnancy

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Fifteen or more migraines in a month means you are suffering with chronic migraines. I’ve had seven in the past week, so am more than ahead of this definition and feeling well and truly fed up. Chronic migraine and pregnancy do not mix well at all.

I’ve suffered from migraines since I was eighteen, but they usually only come six to seven times a year and coincide with my period. Pregnancy usually gives me some relief and it had been great up until two weeks ago when I had my first one in many months.

Migraines aren’t just headaches, they’re events which can last from fifteen minutes to forty eight hours and for me, start with loss of vision, followed by a halo of sparkly lights and finishing with a pulsating headache. I’ve also had some other worrying symptoms recently like slurring speech, pins and needles in my hands and an inability to be near light or sound. They’ve become very debilitating.

Unfortunately, due to my pregnancy, there isn’t much I can be given to prevent them and because I have a routine that I follow when one hits, and the routine works, my GP is happy for me to continue on as I am, except for taking a few days off work to rest and see if we can at least get a few days in between attacks.

stood in the garden in a nursingbra holding my baby bump

For me, the migraine itself only lasts around twenty minutes as long as I get paracetamol down me as soon as the first signs start, however the repercussions can last for days. I am usually left with a low grade headache which pulsates when I cough or bend, a feeling of being hungover, and my common sense is a little off, I’m a little more clumsy and find it difficult to understand things as easily. Because I’ve had one migraine after the other for the past week, I have been feeling like this constantly and every task is a struggle to complete.

I thought that SPD was the worst thing that could happen to me during pregnancy, but it turns out this is much worse and a lot more upsetting. I’ve spent a lot of time crying, not knowing what to do and feeling really useless. For now, I can only do as my GP advises and rest, hoping that I can go another hour without an attack hitting me; sadly wishing the days of my pregnancy away, so things can, hopefully, return to normal.

Did you suffer with chronic migraine during your pregnancy? How did you survive?

I am pleased to report that the migraines came to a complete stop once baby arrived at 38 weeks. I’m now back to having them once every couple of months which is a huge relief!

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