Stomach migraine? Is this correct or a typographical error? Was not migraine associated with the head? These are questions that would pop up in the minds of most people when they read the title of this article. This is because very few know that the term “migraine” is not exclusively used in connection with acute headaches; it is also used for pains that react to external stimuli as migraines do.
How Would You Know You Are Suffering From Stomach Migraine?
Like any disorder this one too has some particular symptoms, which makes diagnosis easy and accurate. Learning to recognize those symptoms in yourself and others would enable you to fight against it effectively preventing further suffering and discomfort. The stomach migraine normally starts in childhood when you would suffer from sudden, acute and unexplained stomach aches accompanied by nausea, headache, vomiting, alarming pallor and flushing.
The attack of abdominal pain sometimes lasts for two-three hours and sometimes it cripples you with 72 hours of suffering. An important pointer to the fact that you might be suffering from stomach migraine is when the pain stays with you for more than two hours. Another factor that can confirm the diagnosis is that it strikes without any apparent reason and gets aggravated by one or more migraine triggers (light, smell, stress, anxiety, etc).
Beware that this disorder is common with children because the stomach migraine starts in childhood. If left untreated during childhood, it is likely that you would suffer from migraines when you grow into an adult. These migraines could be with or without aura ( a vision impairment).
Many people who suffer from this problem would have their vision impaired temporarily; all the while being able to see only a part of the subject they would be focusing on, that too surrounded by a bright light just like an aura. This is called migraine aura because it looks like whatever you are seeing has an aura.
The Treatment For Stomach Migraine
Most medical practitioners agree that VPA or Valporic acid provides a good solution for this type of problem, particularly when you have to wrestle with incapacitating migraines on a regular basis.
For those who do not react well with this medication, there are plenty others including general migraine prescriptions. The age of the patient is very important here so you need to consult a doctor before you start any treatment as any medication could bring on some very nasty side effects. You could also use preventive therapies if you are aware and could recognize any of the factors that act as triggers.