Headaches and migraines can do more than ruin vacations

When I was in Las Vegas, I had a nasty headache every time I spent any time near the casino machines. The noise and lights just... ::shudder:: I'm the sort of person that likes to listen to music down just on the edge of audibility, so when there is loud music or noise I get a nasty headache from it.

My dad suffered from migraine headaches for many years, and I have got them from time to time in my life. One scary thing that I had learned about migraines from experience with my dad, is that migraines can be an early warning sign of stroke.

Many people believe that the migraine is no more than a severe headache, however, the cause of a migraine is, in reality, opposite from the cause of a standard headache. The pain from a migraine is caused by vasodilation in the blood vessels (expansion of the blood vessels), where the pain of a headache is caused by vasoconstriction (narrowing of those vessels).

The role that a migraine plays in stroke is that where there are blood clots present, and a migraine occurs, those clots can become dislodged and move through the expanded vessels until they block narrower vessels and cause the stroke. This is what I understand occurred with my father when he suffered his stroke, because it was a very hot day and he had apparently been complaining of a very bad migraine in the time leading up to the stroke.

If you are prone to migraine headaches talk to your doctor about your risk of blood clots leading to stroke, because a migraine can do far worse than ruin your vacation.