Migraine

Hi all

Thank god for this forum and website. Have been quietly going insane and feeling very sorry for myself until I started reading some of the posts on this site.

I started having "episodes" back in January where I would lose focus in both eyes and then experienced numbness down one side of my body. I would then get some pain in the left side of my head and gradually improve, just left with a residual hangover (no real headache). This happend every 4-6days and, fearing I was having a TIA or a stroke, I finally gave in and went to see my GP. He diagnosed migraine and put me on Inderal (80mg twice a day).

The "episodes" have now developed and I am getting them every 6-8 days but I am now losing consciousness, hallucinating and losing feeling down the right side of my body. I also have a constant feeling of pressure above my left eye.

I ended up in hospital at the insistence of my husband after one particularly nasty episode and they took a cat scan which showed nothing. I am now being treated by a neurologist and hope to have an MRI in the next week or so to exclude any other conditions which may be causing all of this, quite frankly I almost wish there was something else because I am feeling very pessimistic about the preventative treatments given recent experience.

I went to the Neurologist last Thursday who put me on 2 x 50 mg Topamax as the Inderal does not seem to be helping, and to say that I had an adverse reaction is an understatement. I thought I was going to die, everything was just black. I have never felt so bad in my life. Its lucky that I understood that it was the drug and not me, I'm still trying to deal with the feelings it brought up. Stopped immediately!

I'm off from work this week as a result - who needs a lawyer who is an emotional basket case and can't concentrate worth a ####? Not ideal given I only started with my new employer 2 weeks ago - but what can you do? My GP has also banned me from driving until I sort out the losing consciousness issue - fair enough. Really don't think it's ideal for me or my 3.5year old daughter to put us at that risk.

Anyway, that's my story so far...

Cheers

Kerrie

P.S The subject header is my diagnosis based on information from this website and the internet.

Edited by moderator. Please remember to use family friendly language.

Hi, there, Kerrie. Welcome to the forum. We're glad you found us. I hope you have already discovered that you are not alone.

It takes time and patience to find the right preventive regimen, but there's a preventive regimen out there to help us for nearly all of us. Take a look at this article and list of possibilities:

Migraine Preventive Medications - Too Many Options To Give Up!

If you aren't convinced that your doctor has "fully" diagnosed you yet, keep after him/her until you get a diagnosis you believe in. In the meantime, take a look at these articles:

Acephalgic or Silent Migraine - The Basics
Basilar-Type Migraine - The Basics
Hemiplegic Migraine - The Basics

Whatever else you do, remember you are not alone, and there is hope!

Welcome again.

Hi Kerrie and welcome to the forum family.

I see Nutcracker gave you lots of great links to help get you started.

Do you keep a migraine diary? It is used to track potential triggers, migraine patterns and the effectiveness of medications. I use one and bring a printout of it to every doctor's visit.

I look forward to seeing you around the forum

Hi Kerrie, welcome to the forum

Hi there! I suffer from hemiplegic migraines as well and I know how scary and frustrating they can be. The key I have found is to find the right neurologist that knows how to treat your particular headache and knows what is safe or not safe to give you. I have suffered from migraines since age 16, but only diagnosed with hemiplegic in the last 3 years. I have done the ER route, preventitives, nerve blocks, Botox, and neuro-feedback and am now on my way to an ONSTIM. Welcome to the family and everyone is great here with any questions.

Hi Kerrie, just adding my welcome to the pile! Glad that you found us!

Welcome Kerrie,
While I do not have the same type of migraines you have, I can tell you what a wonderful and supportive group of people you have found. You are not alone. There is a wealth of current and accurate information here too. Don't hesitate to ask questions.
Take care,
Cindy

Hi Kerrie and Welcome!!

I am so sorry that you are having such a rough time right now. Here's a hug to start with As others have said, You have come to the right place. You will not only find great information here, but wonderful, supportive people. I look forward to your future posts .

Dar