I'm hoping to find some support and further insight into what is a total nightmare! I feel like I'm losing my mind and my life and marriage are falling apart.
I had what I thought was a minor whiplash injury 2 1/2 years ago and have had severe headaches with dizziness and nausea almost every day since. Then at just over the 2 year mark, I started having intermittant vision problems and numbness and tingling in my arms and legs. I feel horrible most days - mornings are usually the worst and I feel somewhat better by late afternoon or early evening. But if I function much I pay a price with worsened symptoms for sometimes days afterwards. I feel like I have the flu all the time with muscle aches throughout my body. Lying down to go to sleep at night is hell.
I have seen more drs/health care gurus than I can count and was recently given a diagnosis of BAM (Basilar Artery Migraine) or Hemiplegic Migraine by a neurologist. I'm not completely convinced he's right and some of what he's said is contradicted by what I've researched online. He put me through the ringer on a fast track of 3 different meds in a 2 week period - 1st Topamax, which dramatically increased every sypmtom, then Depakote - which I also had problems with. FInally, Propranolol which also seemed to worsen things. I can't help but wonder if going from one med to the nest with just 2 days break between caused the intolerance. Then he looked at me like I was the world biggest hypochondriac and referred me to a psychiatrist to try Tricyclic Antidepressants as the 4th and final option for treatment of his diagnosis.
At this point, a friendly voice would be nice as I feel trapped in a very lonely nightmare. Am I crazy? Is the problem 'all in my head'? People treat me like I'm a big baby and emotional weakling when I can't function like a normal person. I would appreciate any comments or insight. Also,I need to find a good migraine/headache specialist in the Phoenix area - soon. Any suggestions?
PS - I just read jennyc's postings and cried. I'm so happy for you.
pattiw
jenny
Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection!
Patti,
You really do need to do what Jenny did and get yourself to an actual Migraine specialist. Three meds in two weeks? That didn't give any of them a chance to work OR see if the side effects would stop. They often do as your body adjusts.
Also, which is it -- Basilar-TYPE Migraine or Hemiplegic? Someone needs to give you aproper diagnosis.
You might find our list in of Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists helpful in finding a specialist.
No, you're not crazy. You just haven't seen the right doctor yet. As for this one, fire his sorry butt and move on!
Will you do me a favor, please? Read this article as a little gift and pep talk from me to you -- Patients As Consumers - Managing Healthcare and the Healthcare Team.
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 to the forum, just look for the orange box marked "Manage" and click on the Migraine Forums link. 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.
If you have any questions, please feel free to post them to the forum or send me a message through my profile.
Welcome again,
Teri Robert
MyMigraineConnection.com Lead Expert