Hemiplegic Migraines Qs

I'm really, really glad you have an appointment with the neuro, Bklyngirl! I had a feeling a GP would not be able to see you very quickly. That seems to be the standard these days... if you're sick, forget your usual doctor, the one who has all your history and records. What the heck is up with that, anyway??

Am I wrong, or are migraines in people who have had traumatic injuries quite different from migraines in people who have not been in car accidents or otherwise injured? I would think the causes and treatments might vary quite a lot from case to case. (That's in re: the Botox treatment.)

I tried Topamax for my migraines about four years ago, but the list of side effects scared me more than the threat of the symptoms. My migraines were not so frequent as to incapacitate me (more than the vertigo and imbalance of Meniere's disease) so I made a judgment call based on my own comfort levels. I did not get the migraine's often enough to warrant the daily meds, although you could certainly make an argument that seizures might have been part of what was (is?) going on with me. No conclusive test results, sad to say.

Regarding validating experiences... I used to go for vestibular rehab therapy at Kessler, and they worked with people who had a wide range of medical issues. One young woman had been in an accident involving a bicycle (she was riding) and a car. The resulting brain damage was such that she had to relearn how to speak and walk, and she was in the midst of therapy when I started there.

Watching her was a humbling experience. She was clearly very badly hampered in her efforts, struggling every day just to make in across the room from one piece of equipment to another, yet she was always cheerful, chatting with difficulty but smiling and laughing. A friend was always with her to make sure she was safe and to interpret as needed.

And I felt terrible for how sorry I had been feeling for myself. I scolded myself for the pity party I'd been throwing, when I compared my problems with what that young woman was suffering with such good grace. But then someone (maybe the therapist I was seeing at the time because of the Meniere's-induced depression) reminded me that what I had experienced was real, and very difficult to deal with, and that I should not feel guilt over not being in as bad a state as someone else. I didn't need to earn the right to complain by being in much worse shape than I was.

If you are suffering, don't compare it to someone else's experience and decide that what you're going through isn't valid, or bad enough to allow you to feel bad about it or complain. Keep perspective, but let yourself feel it. Your injury/pain/symptoms are valid.

><

Interesting this study report on pain was released this week. I'm not sure if they covered headache and migraine, however the rest of the information is quite alarming (disappointing?) in terms of what we're discussing. Alternatives suggested are helpful.

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_154169.html

I had a migraine once, when I was 13 - it was accompanied by blind spots. I never want to experience that again - I was awake for 24 hours from the pain. Looking back, I figured it was hormone related, but here's what the Migraine Trust says - they stem from abnormalities in the physical brain organ with chemical imbalances :

"The exact cause of migraine is not fully understood. Migraine has long been observed to run in families so it is thought that there is a genetic component in migraine. Most researchers think that people who have migraine have a more than usually sensitive or ‘hyper-excitable’ brain, so that they are much more sensitive to stimuli that would not affect someone not prone to migraine. The degree of sensitivity is possibly genetically determined, influencing the threshold for triggering attacks. Migraine symptoms are thought to be due to abnormal changes in levels of substances that are naturally produced in the brain. Changes in blood vessels are now thought to be secondary to more important changes in brain chemistry.Recent research has identified genes for rare types of migraine. People who get migraines may have abnormal genes that control the functions of certain brain cells."

http://www.migrainetrust.org/faqs

Well said, peggy! I don't know why I get Migraines - no family history and no head injury that I or my parents recall. I had my first Migraine at 5 and I'll never forget it! This was in the early 70s, so we didn't know it had a name. I was simply known as the little girl with the headaches. lol

Yes, I got really lucky and saw a neuro today who has ordered an MRI and MRA (MRA looks at the blood vessels in the brain). She agreed that the numbness required more than a change in prescriptions and that something different may be going on.

Good luck. I hope the results show something that is easily treatable. Mine are still a medical mystery, after goodness knows how many tests. But at least I know a lot more now about the state of my heart, brain, and circulatory system.

Thanks, Peggy.

Glad you have a neuro that listens. Mine does as well.

Edited to add emoticon...

It's really reassuring to go through those bigger tests, glad you're having them done.

Good luck and hope it gets resolved, and get relief from this!

UPDATE: The MRA was normal, but the MRI showed "bright spots" in my brain, which all people with Migraines have. So, nothing to worry about except have to treat my Migraines differently. I'm now taking Rizatriptan.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice.

Hopefully, you'll only get episodes like this one infrequently even if you get more migraines. Glad that you have good support now.

><

Hope the rizatriptan works. Looked it up. The company's name is Maxalt. That was my first triptan. It was great. I only changed because my insurance stopped covering it. Fortunately the generic Imitrex works fine for me.

Thanks, joanne.

Yes, gerryl, it works great. Of course I had a migraine yesterday and it took the pain away without making me feel like I was having a heart attack, which is how Imitrex made me feel.

Good to hear!!!

I'm a wee bit jealous - made me feel permanently seasick! Turns out to be another that I'm ultra sensitive to, with non-recorded side effects, my doc reported it but they never came back to us.

I'm really happy it's working for you! With luck, you should get quite a few years from this approach.

Bklyngirl, sounds like you are on the right track and doing better! Glad to hear it.

Good to hear.

thank you again. hang in there joanne.

Well, that's a relief--in more ways than one!

Prevention is my main strategy. It's people like ctrzaska that I'm most concerned for, who still suffer frequently and appear to be working through things that try to stop pain (and yet don't).