do i have migraines

i sometimes get one sided throbbing headaches combined with distorted vision and nausea.they mostly happen when i am at school,i go to my school nurse(who i dont think realy believes me)and she just gives me 200-400mg of ibuprofen wich takes the edge off of the headache but not much else then sends me back to my lesson.she doesnt seem to understand the fact that i realy cant concentrate and cant see , i havent been to a doctor because it seems stupid to when i am already quite sure that i am suffering from migraines,but can anyone suggest what i could do if the headaches occur when i am at school (preferably without going home i am in my gcse year)

and what treatments work for them.i also get dizziness

Hi Blondie,

Welcome to Healing Well. Sorry you are having a tough time with your headaches. I have had migraines for over 30 years and my son was diagnosed with them a couple of years ago when he was a little younger than you.

You do need to see a Doctor to have the diagnosis confirmed and in order to get the help you need. But in the meanwhile, just a tip for you as your migraines sound very similar to my son's. You say you have a visual distortion does that come before the pain or during the pain - the reason I ask is that my son gets a visual distortion/disturbance and then within an hour the pain and vomiting starts. If he takes some paracetamol immediately he gets the visual disturbance, he has found that if he gets any pain it is hardly anything and it doesn't last very long and he is able to get on with his day! Quite often though if he takes the paracetamol when he gets the visual disturbance he does not get any pain or any further symptoms!!

Best wishes for your GCSE's, what subjects are you taking? Please see a Doctor and please let us know how you get on.

Take care

Ann

It sounds like a migraine to me but it could be severe tension headaches, food allergy reactions or possibly something else. I would get in to see the doc just to be sure. Sometimes if you eat something with aspartame (diet soda) or MSG (Doritos) it can trigger a migraine-like reaction.

I get migraines with distorted vision; I have never had a migraine without an aura. I was diagnosed with migraines when I was about 15.
Generally, tension headaches would not cause visual distortion. I would bet that you are having migraines. Visit your doctor as soon as possible; you will be amazed at what migraine medication can do that ibuprofin can't. Plus, they can give you medication (I like Zofran) for the nausea. And you can say "Ha!" to that school nurse!