Since i was ten years old I have suffered from migraines. For a while in my teens I would get on average one attack a week. Then it gradually declined until now I normally get one attack a year. Then last week I suffered eight separate migraines between tuesday and saturday. I have never had such a concentrated cluster of attacks, rather than growing out of this problem I now find I am afflicted as never before.
Each attack proceeds through distinct phases beginning with visual interference known as the aura. This starts as a flickering blindspot somewhere in the field of vision. It slowly grows to form a crescent across my sight, pulsing and flickering in zigzag patterns in my head, superimposed on what I see. Typically this will last an hour and is unpleasant enough to make me have to lie quiet, eyes closed to minimize the disorientation of feeling half-blind. As the visual flickering subsides it is replaced by a full headache originating behind the eyes. My ability with words is impaired and there is a general bluntening of the mind. This continues for a couple of hours and then the end of the attack is signalled by a creeping numbness or tingling across the face and hands.
The doctor has given me some new drugs (zolmitriptan) to switch off any further attacks, results have been inconclusive though i have not relapsed for 4 days now. But I am not yet well. I cannot fully clear my head, my sight is still full of remnants of the aura, especially in the centre of my vision, there are spots before my eyes. Reading is slowed, painting is not possible, I have the tingling around the mouth and finger tips and it will not resolve. I am stuck in a permanent low-migraine and unable to reboot my head. Back to doc tomorrow.
New drawings from Paul Foxton
