Since my last update I have had an MRI / MRA / MRV. I think that's the right name. Basically, I had an MRI with contrast that looked at the veins and arteries in my brain. This past week I met with my doctor to go over the results of this test.

Apparently, I have what she called a small out pouching of a blood vessel in my brain. This, of course, sounds like an aneurism, but she did not use that word. After telling me about the results, she quickly admitted that this was out of her league (her realm of specialty), and said she wanted to have a quick consult with her colleagues (two of the other doctors at the clinic). She did this during my appointment. She came back and said that they all agreed I needed to see a neurosurgeon and would probably need an angiogram. They also agreed that two of the medications that I am on are a good idea... Diamox and atenolol. The appointment quickly turned from a normal appointment to a referral to a neurosurgeon.

I am excited that I may be able to get some relief but also anxious at the same time. I did ask her point blank if this means I could have a stroke. She quietly said, "Yes," and explained to me that I needed to take it easy.... no exercise, don't get too excited, keep my heart rate down, etc. That was hard to hear.

Since the appointment with my Migraine specialist this week, I now have the name of the neurosurgeon that I will be seeing. However, I don't have an appointment scheduled yet. I called the neurosurgeon's office to pry a little bit about how quickly I may be seeing him, and was told that I should hear something on Monday (11/15). So, it's more waiting. I have a lot of unanswered questions. I may soon know the cause of my chronic Migraines or I may find out that I've had this since birth and that it is not what is causing my Migraines... who knows? I will update again when I know more.

Right now, I would like to share with you some things I am learning through this process:

• If your migraines change, let your doctor know.
• Always take your list of medications with you to EVERY appointment.
• Take your list of questions to your appointments with space left to write in answers / discussion.
• Keep pushing for answers! My first Migraine specialist was convinced that there was no organic trigger for my Migraines, that there was no unusual trigger such as the problem with this blood vessel.
• When you have tests done, ALWAYS call before your scheduled appointment to be sure the doctor has your test results.
• Listen to your body! I had stopped exercising a few weeks ago because (1) I didn't really feel like it, and (2) I thought something was wrong.

Take good care of yourselves. I will post more when I have more information to share. Let's stay as positive as we can and remember what Teri Robert says, "The person with the most at stake gets to be in charge."

© 2010, The HealthCentral Network

Last updated November 13, 2010.