What's new
By:
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Pinball related migraines/headaches

MajesticPinball

MajesticPinball

Registered
5Years
Joined
Jan 11, 2018
Messages
2,423
Location
Essex
So this is a bit of a weird one, and will probably be of little interest to most people but I wondered if anyone else has experienced anything like this. I have suffered from chronic headaches and migraines most of my life, doctors & opticians haven't figured it out, no painkillers work, physiotherapy failed and I kinda just deal with it. Anyway I was working at a customers a while back, had the playfield stripped down and glanced at an incandescent bulb for a few seconds, looked away and it triggered one of the worse migraines I've had in a very long time. Fast forward to yesterday, I took the backglass out of my Spooky to change the bulbs to LEDs, glanced at a bulb and instantly triggered another really bad migraine.

For anyone that doesn't suffer from migraines then you probably wont understand but they can come on incredibly quick and can be triggered by almost anything - depending on the person. So from now on I wont be working on incandescently lit machines while they're on as the bulbs must be a new trigger of mine - was just wondering if anyone else suffered anything like this before? Pinball machines are epilepsy-strobe-city so I'm surprised more people don't have any issues like this. Would be interested to hear any other experiences similar to this. Thanks for listening to me be boring 😂

James
 
Sorry to hear you suffer from migraines James.
I only get them when extremely stressed, but they affect my vision more than head pain.
I guess you are photosensitive. It’s not unusual for bright lights to cause / increase migraines.
@GezTheHealer has experienced something similar we believe. (I will let him explain personally).
Myself, I suffer from tinnitus, so the noise of a Pinball comp. really gets my head buzzing. (It’s like concord taking off inside your ears!). But personally I have never suffered a migraine from Pinball. Perhaps a pair of tinted glasses will help.?
(Not sunglasses as wearing those long term will cause other health issues..).
Take care doode..
All the best...Keef.😎
 
My wife has had migraines for years, crazy bad ones to the point of screaming!
She had loads of tests done biopsy’s etc, gave her medication that made her angry so got off them quick.
They could never get to the bottom of it, still has them but got used to it I guess. Not good
Never really noticed a trigger to make them worse except maybe bedtime😂
But seriously I sympathise with you as have seen first hand what they do, hope you can get to the bottom of it.
No problems with lights for her as far as I know.
 
Used to suffer badly with migraines, not so much now though.

One of the main reasons I’m not a big drinker, if I had a hangover I was basically guaranteed a migraine.
driving at night with a migraine was agonising. Only headache tablet that I find effective is hedex extra, doesn’t get rid completely but does make it bareable..
 
Hi James,
Yep, I had what seems to have been a visual migraine following an afternoon of pinball with Greg at Chief Coffee over the summer. We’d played a bunch of tmnt and then both were scoring in the billions on GB - which mean a good amount of time looking at the playfield. In the top right I think there there was a pretty direct flasher and I blinked and couldn’t stop seeing it. That patch of my vision just stayed as a rainbow pattern. No headache to go with it. Thankfully it faded out - but took about 30-45mins before I could see properly again 😕. Think it may be worth getting some shades on for comps/day long events 🥸 And ear plugs... and a cane... also perhaps a mobility scooter would save time walking between machines ...
 
I suffer from migraines, the worst ones are triggered by food additives so I avoid eating things. I start to notice I can’t see properly, a numbness starts in my fingers and moves up my arms until my mouth and throat are numb, meanwhile the headache comes in like the tide in waves until I am totally knocked out. Until the nausea forces me to move.
The migraine relief pills I had would deaden enough of my brain in cotton wool that I could function and I had to take them for a few days.
Stress was also a trigger. The day one particular lady agreed to meet up for a drink at the weekend, triggered a massive migraine. But I wasn’t going to postpone for anything so met her whilst complete zonked out on the pain relief. She was so impressed by me just letting her talk that we hit it off and she is now my wife...

Lighting can trigger a severe headache and the start of a migraine and as you have mentioned, fluorescence tubes that flicker are horrible. It has got easier with age and keeping hydrated makes a massive difference too.
 
Calimori said:
I suffer from migraines, the worst ones are triggered by food additives so I avoid eating things. I start to notice I can’t see properly, a numbness starts in my fingers and moves up my arms until my mouth and throat are numb, meanwhile the headache comes in like the tide in waves until I am totally knocked out. Until the nausea forces me to move.
Click to expand...
I get exactly those symptoms, but after many years of research, I think it might be copious amounts of alcohol! :cool:
 
I was against LEDs for years. When I first owned aerosmith, I could not stand the LEDs - they would trigger headaches in me.

About 5 years ago I had a major operation in my left eye and I asked my surgeon why LEDs give me headaches (I did try LEDs a few years before Aerosmith).

What helps/helped me was driving glasses, those orange ones that make you look like that prat Bonio from U2.

Anyhow - this is my story BUT I AGREE WITH NEIL - GO AND SEE THE DOCTOR AND GET HIM TO REFER YOU TO A SPECIALIST.
 
Feel for anyone with Migraines just awful to live with.
My 2 pence:
Ref specialists, unfortunately in my experience they haven’t helped. I’ve seen 3 neurologists over my time. There is no cure for Migraines and no gold standard treatment as of yet. They have still not formally nailed down the cause as different triggers for folks etc...
I’ve been dealing with classic Migraines for 20 years.
I put a complaint into my GP ref the last specialist I went to because he was an idiot. (Spanish guy) I won’t go into the full story here.
He was totally ill prepared for my visit, didn’t know my case history, was looking for a brain tumour (I think) and against my advice x 5 tried to prescribe new medication that conflicted with existing medication I was on for years (unrelated serious condition). Went back to my GP for follow up and there it was in the notes.... recommending conflicting medication after I stressed to the guy I couldn’t take it FFS!....... even my GP looked embarrassed.
Anyway, I sympathise, terrible, I’ve cut my episodes down to around average of 2 per month from what was 8-10.
I start to lose vision, aura, visual disturbances, zig zag flashing lines etc...... then guaranteed thumping headache onset circa 45 mins later with nausea.
Haven’t really been able to nail down any triggers as doesn’t discriminate but def know when it’s in the post.
Some triggers I’ve had historically:
-Flickering fluorescent light
-Lack of sleep
- Dehydration
- Not eating

There’s not much point taking any tablets once you start taking a migraine as you’ve missed the window of opportunity, also some specialists reckon the absorption is less effective.

Preventative medication is better answer.
I have an understanding with my GP.
As I have jumped through the silly referral hoops of seeing Neurologists to prove I have Classic Migraine and don’t have a brain tumour, we start with the cheapest preventative drug treatments then go from there.

Currently from my own research:
- Topirimate (anti epilepsy drug) I specifically asked for this from my GP (not Specialist advised) after consulting with a leading pharmaceutical company. So far, for me this has cut down on the frequency and severity. The dose can start low and work up to a max of 5 pills at night. I’m currently taking 3 pills for now.
After taking just about every Triptan and other horse tablet known to man over 20 years, these have yielded for me, best results so far.

If the above stop helping for whatever reason, I’ll seek

- Combo pens - straight into blood supply
- Botox injections

Hope this helps 👍
 
Last edited:
Interesting read and I thought mine were bad..... after reading above, obviously not. Mine came on in my 20's inducing sickness and vision issues in addition to the prolonged headaches. Almost disappeared in my 30's and came back in my 40's and still get them now in my 50's. Often wake up with them, so don't think I have the light trigger thing but lack of sleep, dehydration and/or stress can be common triggers for me. Has been better this year being less busy at work due to Covid.

Above shows how mixed the triggers and effective treatment can be for different people... the only thing that works for me is Co-Codamol 30/500 (paracetamol and codeine), very strong and quite a 'happy pill' so avoid taking until really have to. Takes away the pain but can still come back when worn off sometimes. Others may want to try but can only get on prescription due to addictive nature.
 
I have bad migraine problem. Never caused by pins even though I have a light sensitivity issue. Closestwas dialed in attract that made me feel a bit unsteady. My doc suggested taking magnesium tablets as anecdotal evidence is it reduces them and it has helped.
 
I had a bk2k which had been LEDd throughout.

Made me feel like I had sinus trouble within about 15 minutes of play. I think it was the relay/ strobing. Replaced ultrabright LEDs with incandescent bulbs and the problem went away.

My ACDC prem, Dialed In, TAF, TZ ... have LEDs. No other game has provoked this bizarre reaction. I don't add LEDs anymore. Clean incandescent bulbs and clean inserts do the job perfectly
 
I suffered from migraines for years and an old lady neighbour told me to get some feverfew tablets. Taking one daily did make a big difference to the frequency of me getting one. Thankfully when I turned 60 the buggers disappeared completely. Most herbal shops sell them. Ken

Feverfew Migraine Prevention & Relief | Higher Nature

Feverfew is a traditional herbal medicinal product used for the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches
www.highernature.com www.highernature.com
 
I don’t get migraines but I do get headaches from time to time mainly due to not drinking enough water/fluids. It’s easy to forget the simple things in our hectic lives!
 
Its so fascinating how people have different triggers. Mine come on very quickly and normally always start off by my central field of vision disappearing, if I'm looking at a person directly their face will completely disappear and turn into a black blur. Its a concern of mine if they come on while I'm at a customers as they almost always cause nausea and sickness which isn't a great look while working for a customer - luckily hasn't happened so far.

I was at work at the beginning of the year (I'm a games engineer and currently work on bowling alley pinsetters - incredibly loud as you can imagine) and I felt one coming on so went to my chief technician who sent me home instantly. As soon as I pulled out of the carpark I was sick with absolutely no notice, then had to endure a 45 minute car journey.... certainly not the highlight of my life but my neighbours who saw me getting out of my car/swimming pool found it quite amusing at the time.

I did have a year or so where I discovered that drinking a few high-sugar drinks quickly when a migraine came on would actually help significantly and just leave me with an annoying headache, cans of Lemon San Pellegrinos worked wonders and I always kept some in my car and at work just in case - but that trick doesn't seem to work anymore for some reason.
 
^^ Yeah, I get the blind spots, that’s when I know something’s wrong and Migraines coming. That leads to this - see image of zig zag flashing lines which rotate around vision.
Apparently something to do with blood vessel dilation in brain that puts pressure on optic nerve hence affects vision.
This is why Botox injections can help as this causes blood vessels to constrict.
Sudden blood vessel dilation also responsible for cause of thumping headache.
36E111CE-2559-4B01-946B-6F6A35DA08CA.jpeg
 
OP, as clearly you have researched and consulted extensively then what I have to add may be redundant. But just to say, I used to suffer from migraines terribly as a result of the certain medication I was prescribed at the time. I mean, three days in bed with a pillow over the face type migraines. My GP prescribed Naratriptan, to be taken when I was aware of migraine onset. I have to say it was like a wonder drug for me, worked marvelously, with just the small side-effect of feeling a little sleepy on the day.

Best wishes.
 
Sako-TRG said:
^^ Yeah, I get the blind spots, that’s when I know something’s wrong and Migraines coming. That leads to this - see image of zig zag flashing lines which rotate around vision.
Apparently something to do with blood vessel dilation in brain that puts pressure on optic nerve hence affects vision.
This is why Botox injections can help as this causes blood vessels to constrict.
Sudden blood vessel dilation also responsible for cause of thumping headache.
View attachment 128987
Click to expand...
Sign me up, I need some Botox to put an end to this madness! 😂
 
go see you GP, get a referral to a nurolgist or other specialist. Migraines are not often just migraines - mandy got bad migraines and it turned out to be viral meningitis and could have killed her, another friend of mine started to get migrates, didn't do anything about it until it got unbearable, brain tumour. too late to do anything about it, dead.
 
It’s strange id of thought the LEDs would give you the head ache as they are flashing very quickly you just can’t see it, but a bulb will just glow so softer on the eyes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom