I developed my migraines in my early 20's. Or, that is to say, I first started getting migraines then, at he time CFLs were my big trigger. So the debate has always been "did I develop migraines in my 20's, or did I always have that trigger and a lightbulb that triggered them didn't come out until my 20s"
How long do migraine hangovers last for you?
Depends, generally once triggered I get no relief until I take at least a long nap, preferably a full nights sleep. If I have an especially powerful reaction or long exposure, I can have lingering migraines (alone with associated increased brightness and being triggered from things that usually do not trigger me ) for over a week at times and usually requires a few days completely unplugged to "reset" everything.
I don't know that there's anything a doctor can say or do.
I would recommend talking a neurologist. There are medications that can help they can also try other tests to see if the migraines are related to any other ailments. But you are right in most cases there is nothing they can do. There isn't a ton of research into migraines and most of it happens in the UK so it's not easy to find a good US based nuero who knows a lot about them. Every nuero I've talked to says they aren't really aggressively treated here because the side effects of the medications can be rough, they often don't do anything, they are an incredibly unique ailment (one persons trigger could do nothing to another migraine sufferer)
medically is there something I should do or ask after because this unexpectedly happened as an adul
When they do thier workup they will ask you if you had any recent head trauma, and do what scans they can. But it will likely result in a "we don't know, it just happened to you" diagnosis.
Scary when it is happening
It is, but it is important to remember that migraines are not actually damaging. They are painful, but they do not actually cause any physical damage to your brain. Most of the negative physical health effects are from the stress having migraines brings about. Staying calm is important.
Sorry this happened to you, I hope you can find relief.