I have to stop everything and just deal with it. Scrivner and Linton are two of many suffering from these severe headaches characterized by extreme pain and throbbing on one side of the brain, said Pam Humphrey, a registered nurse at Immediate Care in Hattiesburg. While migraines are not well understood even by physicians, Humphrey said it is known migraines occur when the blood vessels in the brain dilate and muscles contract, resulting in pain. The headaches usually last six to eight hours, but the pain can last as long as 24 hours, Humphrey said. Symptoms include visual disturbances such as flashing lights, throbbing pain in half of the head, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to even soft noises, feelings of irritability and a tingling sensation in the arms and face, Humphrey said.
Many factors cause migraines.
Scrivner said her migraines seem to occur more frequently with a change in seasons and with hormonal fluctuations. Humphrey said stress, fatigue, inadequate amounts of sleep, illness and certain perfumes and colognes also can trigger a migraine. Certain foods can induce migraines, Humphrey said. MSG, a flavor enhancer found in many Chinese foods, has been found to trigger migraines, she said. The protein tyramine, found in aged cheeses, sour cream and bananas also has been found to cause migraines, Humphrey said.