Hemiplegic migraine. Any advice?

By rosy Friday, August 08, 2008

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Hi not sure if I'm in the right place!! So apologies. I have been told I have got hemiplegic migraines. I have been experiencing funny turns for about 5 years. Typically, I just feel a bit odd then I forget words, my speech goes slurry and my brain doesn't work. I get numbness in my left arm along with pins and needles along with weakness all over and heavy limbs. My arm muscles remain weak (I.e. muscle fatigue in say lifting a fork to eat) for a long time after any headache has subsided. I have also been told I have M.E so maybe the overall muscle weakness is associated with this? I have virtually been bedbound for 2 weeks. Started on nortriptyline and feeling dizzy. Today I have neck pain and extremely heavy head. Is all this usual for hemiplegic migraines? I'm worried I'm getting TIAs or basilar migraines. Any advice would be great. Thanks

Comments (3) | Add comment

Teri Robert, Health Guide

8/ 8/08 4:58pm

Hi, Rosy,

We've been answering your questions in the Question and Answer section. Have you been seing the answers?

Here are quick links for you:

• What exactly is motor weakness?

• hemisensory/hemiplegic migraine?

Here's an article about hemiplegic Migraine, Hemiplegic Migraine - The Basics.

What kind of doctor are you seeing? Have you asked him or her these questions?

Hemiplegic Migraines can be tricky to diagnose and treat. You may need to consult an actual Migraine specialist. If you need help locating one, take a look at our listing of Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists.

I hope this helps!

Teri

Aubrey

8/10/08 12:03am

Hi Rosy,

I'm sorry about your migraines. I have hemiplegic migraines too. I was diagnosed with them about six years ago. At first we thought I was having TIA's, but ruled that out when,of course, nothing showed up on the CT scans during my episodes. So then we really got scared when no one could tell us what I had! I get very similar events to yours: my face starts to tingle on the left side, then my left eye droops, my mouth droops, my left arm, leg, etc. starts to tingle and eventually I can't speak well or move anything very well on that side. The wrong words come out, but interestingly, start with the correct letter. This part lasts about 20-30 minutes, then I have about 35-40 minutes before the worst migraine imaginable starts - these last anywhere from the rest of the day to several days. My episodes seem to come in cycles, and are triggered primarily by stress. It took me a while to find a neurologist who had seen this before, and when I did, it changed my life, as I was becoming incapacitated by the migraines. He finally found the right combination of medication for me - elavil and topamax - and I take this nightly. I am down to about two episodes a year, and my life is normal again. I know how scary this is - we actually thought the worst, when we couldn't find a doctor to tell us what was going on at first -so I understand how you must feel. Try to take care of yourself, take your medication as directed, and get lots of sleep. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best.

Trudy Brooks

4/13/11 5:16pm

I got diagnosed with hemi-plegic migraines 4 years ago. They thought I was having TIAS, but if that was the case I should be dead by now. I have been suffering from this migraine disease for over 15 years. I have similar symptoms to yours, but I become paralyzed on one side of my body and sometimes both, my speech becomes confused and sometimes my mouth droops. I always have a headache on the back of my head on the right side and if only one side becomes paralyzed it is my left. The paralysis last for the duration of the headache, and they can last from 45 min. to 6 hrs, then I am tired and have a short term memory loss for a few days. Most of the time I get it all back. During my headache, my head and neck get extremely heavy, and I can't sit up straight. There is no cure, all I was told to do was to take an IB-Proffin at the onset of the headache. Sometimes it works and others it doesn't. I get dizzy, like I got up too fast, and it doesn't go awayand I get a tunnel like vision thing.

Hemiplegic migraine. Any advice?

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