I've never thought to come to a forum
about my migraines before, but i'm just so
fed up with them.
I've had migraines for about 7 years but
last october they started coming with
auras (visual - like looking at a puzzle
with big chunks of it missing), numbness,
incoherence, and memory loss. I lose
feeling usually in my left hand first,
sometimes in both hands. Then the left
side of my face goes numb - including my
tongue, which doesn't help when I start
speaking gibberish anyway and eventually
lose parts of my memory - like my name and
where I live, etc. I also get
incredibly nauseous and kinda twitchy -
which I think is my body trying to get my
numb parts to respond.
Anyhow, i've had an mri, a few different
tests on my heart (to check for holes and
such and I believe to check my
circulation), and a lot of bloodwork, and
nothing. My auras last longer than an
hour, so I can't take rx pain meds, only
over-the-counter stuff that doesn't work
so well anymore.
My doctor tried anti-depressants to help
prevent the migraines which ironically
enough made me depressed, so he took me
off them. Now i'm on inderal, which is
some sort of "beta blocker" used to treat
high blood pressure and given after a
heart attack (i have had neither), also to
help prevent them. I think it might be
causing flutters in my heart sometimes
though, so no doubt i'll be back at the
doctor's soon.
I'm curious first of all if anyone has
similar symptoms and how they handle them
and/or if anyone has any advice?
Edit: on top of this, I think it's causing
nerve damage to my left hand :(
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cloversea
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Aug 2005 Posts: 19 Location: Pacific NW
Posted: 08-10-05 23:32pm
There is a category of migraine that
causes such symptoms, but I can't remember
which one. The american council for
headache education (ache) has a forum with
an "ask the expert" section, where you can
post your symptoms and a headache
specialist will be able to tell you what
classification it fits. Having a
classification might help your doctor find
the right treatment for you.
Good luck!
-kerrie
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didymosgnosis
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Aug 2005 Posts: 1
Posted: 08-21-05 14:20pm
Just a quick note...
The name of the migraine that you had is a
"migraine with neuro deficit" -- or at
least that was the diagnosis that I got a
few months ago when I ended up in the
hospital for what was initially thought to
be a stroke.
Anyway, I don't know much more about it
than the name, unfortunately... And the
hope that I won't have one again. But I
hope that helps some.
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Rebekah426
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Oct 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Redmond, WA
I Know Exactly What You Are Talking About Posted: 10-26-05 13:56pm
Hello,
i have had two situations similar to
yours. I actually went to the hospital
and they told me I have no lesions,
nothing like that. They suggested that I
get a rare form of migraines that is like
a stroke but it is not exactly. I am
still looking for more information on
them. I will post it when I find it. The
thing that scared me was that my nose
starting bleeding both times I had the
attacks. Scary!!! Good luck! I will
post it when I find more info.
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jenright80
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 7 Location: jersey shore
Posted: 10-27-05 21:18pm
Look in to epilepsy and seizures. Not
grand mal like the whole body jerks but
there are other types of seizures which
affect only your brain or make you twitch
or both. E.G simple partial seizures,
complex partial seizures, etc. Lots of
luck. -jen. Oh and get an eeg.
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Rebekah426
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 26 Oct 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Redmond, WA
Posted: 10-28-05 09:23am
Really? Seizures? The first doctor I saw
kind of laughed at me honestly. Then I
went to the er room and then they took me
seriously. They wont give me any
medication until I see the neurologist. I
will have him look into the possiblity of
seizures. What is an eeg?
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jenright80
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 7 Location: jersey shore
Eeg Posted: 11-01-05 19:32pm
Hi. I got similar symptoms and seizure
was just one of the possibilities. Look
on emedicine.Com for simple partail
seizures and seizures in general. That
website is really technical and
complicated but if you go on to where
doctors are supposed to go, you get a lot
of info. Eeg is an electroencephalogram.
It measures brain waves kind of. They
used to use it to detect lesions and such
but now we have much better imaging
techniques. It is the test they do to see
if you have epilepsy. It can show you
brain slowing down as you fall asleep.
Mine showed that mine is slowed all the
time. Unfortunately it was a "normal
abnormality" with people with migraines
and was dismissed. I suspect that if you
are twitchy, it maybe related to seizures.
Also http://health.Allrefer.Com/health/pa
rtial-focal-seizure-symptoms.Html
simplifies it a lot, but emedicine.Com
says it can have headaches too. Eeg is a
pain- in -the you know what test. They
apply electrodes all over your head and
you have to hold still for about an hour.
No touching you teeth together no moving
at all. Hope this helps. -jen
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joviyach
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 7 Location: Chicago
Posted: 11-13-05 14:42pm
I have similar things going on right now.
I have clumsy twitchy hands, with
pressure, sometimes ache in my head.
Decreased peripheral vision, sometimes
weakness in my legs too. I am going back
to the Dr. Tomorrow. This all started
with my arms feeling sort of weak on
tuesday, and it has been downhill from
there.