Migraine vs. Norovirus

Hey guys,

So...I just moved back up to Utah for my last year of school. Summer was FANTASTIC. I didn't really panic about anything, I felt like my normal self again. Unfortunately, when I move back here, my OCD tendencies seem to creep back in.

My roommates are fairly clean...except for one. He concerns me.

What really concerns me, however, is that he came out of his room today and said he didn't feel very good, so I asked what was up. He said he had a migraine and I asked him how bad he got them. He said he had the headache and was nauseous, and just like that, all progress I made over the summer was gone.

I've heard him in the bathroom coughing and spitting but I don't think he has thrown up yet. As most of you know, with this freakin stupid phobia, we often think that the cause of the vomiting is the norovirus.

My question is, how can I tell that this is really a migraine he has or if it's norovirus, without intruding on his life and asking questions that may be bothersome?

I'm tired of freaking out every time someone goes into the bathroom, but at least if I know he has a legit migraine I can feel better for the next little while...

The best way to tell is to ask the person. There are specific symptoms a migraine sufferer has that are different from noro. For instance they might see halos or spots or something. I would take him at his word.

Good luck at school.

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password peptob--was not sure if you still had link :D

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Guess links do not work or something. PM me for link ;)

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peptob

Migraines feel like your head is going to explode. They are really, really painful and it's a pain you can't ignore. They also aren't contagious. So even if he v"s, you can't catch anything from him. I'm sorry his migraine gave you a scare. If you want to help him out and reduce the possibility of v, keep the lights off or low and be very quiet. Bright lights and loud noises make them worse. What he needs is darkness and quiet. Hopefully, it will go away in a few hours. Unfornuately, they can sometimes last for days or reoccur easily and frequently. That doesn't mean they will for your roommate. Just giving you the spectrum of duration. Just remember he is not in anyway contagious. Don't wear stinky perfumes or use smelly soaps either. Sometimes smells make them worse too. His n and v are from pain which lets you know just how much pain he is in. Poor guy!

Migraines are horrible. My best to your roommate. I hope he feels better soon.

Grace and Marty are both right and its great advice!!

I get migraines, and while I have never v from them, I have gotten extremely nauseous--and as others have said, the best thing you can do is let him lay in a dark, quiet, cool room and try not to worry. If he has effective medicine for his migraines, he'll probably be feeling a lot better soon. Also, with norovirus, a typical person will be v-ing a lot (many times over the course of several hours) whereas with a migraine he may just v once. I know it's hard to trust people when you have this phobia (believe me....I know!), but if he says he has a migraine, esp. if he's laying down somewhere and not playing video/computer/watching tv/talking on the phone/etc--then he probably does. The pain of migraine is pretty specific, often just on one side of the head, sometimes accompanied by an aura, and it feels completely awful, and if you get migraines you would not mistake the pain for something else. He may even know what triggered his migraine, since most people do have specific triggers. It could be stress from school started back up, or maybe he ate or drank a triggering food. For me, I get them when I drink too much caffeine. When he's feeling better, you should talk to him about it. That way you can maybe know in the future when it's likely a migraine that is making him ill as opposed to something you could catch.

I hope your roommate is feeling better today.