My wife has suffered from migraines most of her life (from about 9 y.o.). Up until about 9 years ago she would get a migraine headache about once a month. They would be almost dibilitating. She would stay in bed most of the time. She would stay in a dark room with no noise. She is almost 45 years old now. 9 years ago, she suffered the first of many paralyzing attacks. She has never had a migraine with aura. Most of the time the attack hits without a prior headache. But, most of the time the headache follows the attack by about 20 minutes. Let me describe the attacks. They will usually come on without warning. She will tell me she feels funny. She has never described what "funny" means. The next symptom will be a sudden almost blackout. She seems to lose conciousness for about 3-5 seconds. Her left arm and leg will become paralyzed for a few brief seconds to a few minutes. And her speech is very slurred, sounds similar to CP when she talks. As the paralysis goes away, the headache comes on and steadily increases. The severity of the headache seems to dictate how long it will take her to fully recover. Sometimes she is fully recovered physically in about 5 days. One time it took over 4 months for her to fully regain normal speech and motor skills. She has been to numerous doctors, nuerologists, etc. None of them have helped. She has tried Imitrex with not even the slightest effect. She has also tried elavil. She also took inderal. That helped with the Migraines and headaches but, it gave her chest pains and other heart related issues.That only made her feel groggy most of the time. If you know of someone who has similar symptoms and has been helped with managing their migraines, please respond.
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Hello, and welcome to HealthCentral's Migraine Community!
I'm sorry your wife is having so many problems. Here's the thing, if your wife's doctor isn’t able to help her, it may well be time to consult a Migraine and headache specialist. It’s important to note that neurologists aren’t necessarily Migraine and headache specialists. Take a look at the article Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special? If you need help finding a Migraine specialist, check our listing of Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists.
Think of it like this:Neurologists may be fine doctors, but have a hard time being experts in one area. This is because they treat so many conditions like MS, epilepsy and stroke. A Migraine specialist is just that, an expert who treats one condition - ours - Migraines and headache disorders.
I'm not suggesting your wife has this, but the only form of Migraine that has true motor weakness is hemiplegic Migraine or HM. Please take a look at this article when you and your wife get a chance; Hemiplegic Migraine - The Basics
Thank you for creating a SharePost. SharePosts are a form of blogging, and there are many things you can do with them. You can share an experience, suggest something that's helped you, use SharePosts as a Migraine and headache journal, and many other things.
We also have a discussion forum that you may want to check out. Especially if you have questions or are looking for information, you may find the interaction on the forum to be quite helpful. To get there, go to the Migraine home page and look on the left hand side where you'll see a row of boxes. The Forum box is at the very bottom. Click on it and scroll down to the bottom of that page, and you will see the log-in spot. Because our forums are maintained by a third party, you'll need to register for the forum. You can use the same information you used to create your community log-in if you like. If you want to go directly to the forum, you can click HERE.
Along with your personal "My Home" page and the discussion forum, you'll find links to a great deal of helpful information on the main page of our site, http://www.MyMigraineConnection.com. Under the Find, Manage, and Connect tabs on the left side each page, you’ll find a wealth of information – educational articles, tips, quizzes, workbooks, support and advocacy information, and more.
Do you have questions about Migraine? There are three ways to get answers – through our Ask the Clinician column, in our community Question and Answer Section, or through our forum. Just go to our Migraine Answers page HERE.
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Welcome again,
Nancy Bonk
Health Guide
HealthCentral's Migraine Community
PS: If you receive this message from more than one of us, please excuse the overlap. Thanks!