After 56 years worth of migraines, I have just found out something which may help you too. I hope many migraine sufferers read this information. I am a nurse and have suffered horrendous migraines since the age of 8. As they have progressed over the past 30 years or so, I have developed many stroke-like symptoms and visual disturbances and then after about 20 minutes, the headache begins. Just recently I realized that for the past several years, there has been an increase in my confusion, an increase in short term memory loss, extreme dizziness and always having some degree of headache each day (maybe 10-15% pressure) and oh....have had a larger reactive pupil on the right.

Doctor sent me for an MRI last week and it turns out that I have substantial ischemic areas on the brain, in other words I've been having mini strokes.

Upon researching after appt., there are such things as "migraine strokes." I found this site by looking for "migraine headaches versus strokes." My damage to the brain is not recoverable and now I am going for all other kinds of tests for the brain and circulatory. How in the world did I and other migraine sufferers not ever hear of a migraine stroke before? Could it be because we have never been truly believed or taken seriously?;  or is it that the health profession does not care enough about migraine sufferers?

27% of strokes under the age of 45 are from migraine strokes!! Beware it is not, "JUST A MIGRAINE!".......edie