Friday, June 11, 2010 kris asks

Q: SEVERE symptoms-aura, veritigo, nausea - long lasting & recurring...HELP!

I am a 45 year old woman, thin & in good physical shape, married mom to a 20 y.o. son & a 5 year old daughter. I have had migraines all my life - the youngest I can remember is age 4. I used to have them pretty much weekly & as a child didnt have any medications, usually would vomit etc, 24 hrs later would be OK. Over the years I started figuring out triggers - MSG being a big one - and have been able to avoid them most of the time except for the hormonal headaches around my period. Have used Imitrex with success as needed (only 25mg) until recently. During the past few months I can no longer tolerate Imitrex - it is making me violenty ill, with vomiting, etc

Started having perimenopausal symptoms about 5-10 years ago. use progesterone cream for PMS. A few years ago I started having episodes where I would suddenly feel like I was going to pass out - very scary & severe. Sometimes it happened in the middle of the day, or sometimes at night after I had been sleeping for about an hour I would wake up with this "pass out feeling", heart racing, breaking out in a sweat, and feeling of doom. I had all kinds of tests done (EKG, bloodwork) everything came back normal. My Naturopath suggested that they sounded like pre-menopausal symptoms, and I started taking Magnesium (Taurate) supplements before bed & if I ever start feeling that way - it helped immediately & I havent had one of those same episodes in awhile.

A few months ago, my ob/gyn (a new one, old one moved) decided I had been on the Progesterone too long, so she took me off of it. Within a week I started having a scary new symptom - panic attacks while driving, esp. on the highway.

A dizzy, pass out feeling, hyperventilating trying to stay concious & get off the highway! Once I do, I find a spot to park & a short time later I am shaky but OK. Magnesium dsnt seemt to work on these attacks. I cant control them, and have no concious fear of driving - never even HAD an accident on the highway! It makes no sense, never had any anxiety issues before.

The latest issue: 2 days ago I woke up, felt normal, didnt eat breakfast (I often dont feel hungry in the am but I do usually try to eat something) At 11am I ate a piece of leftover Hawaiian pizza (which I had the night b4 with no prblem). At 11:15 I sudddenly got a migraine aura - along with a scary "pass out feeling" - severe. Couldnt lay down - felt like I would die! Aura lasted almost an hour & the dizziness didnt let up. Was constantly pacing, and also felt nauseous - tried to vomit repeatedly but nothing would come up (weird since I had just eaten). Aura ewent away but the rest stayed - for HOURS. Wasnt able to lay down at all either, felt worse! Almost called 911 a few times but didnt want to freak out my young daughter. Husband left work early & took me to ER at about 2pm. At that point I was shaking uncontrolably. They put warm blankets on me, did bloodowork & EKG. Also did the standard neuro tests - touch your nose, follow my finger, etc. EVERYTHING came back normal. Finally felt well enough to leave at about 8pm....but not normal. They said it sounded migraine-related & told me to follow up with neurologist (still waiting for him to call!) Never got the actual migraine until the next day - but it was mild. Almost seemed sinus related. Was HOPING it was an isolated event, but this morning I got up, felt normal, took a sip of coffee - and got the scary dizzy pass out feeling again! Havent been able to eat more than a few bites of cracker, the dizziness is better but not gone. This time I am able to lay down here & there but i do NOT feel normal. I am so scared, I need to figure this out, I need to be here for my little girl!

One more note - I did have a circular rash on my stomach a few weeks ago, very faint & not a typical Lyme rash but I had the Lme test & it came back negative. I live in CT, near a swamp where there are deer/ticks. I dont know if that test is accurate or if Lyme could cause such severe symptoms...also my Dr wont put me back on teh prgesterone, that seems to be the start of all these latest events but I dont know if it is a coincidence.

Sorry this is so long & thank you for ANY help you can give - suggestions similar experiences, etc. Thank you!!

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Answers (3)

Teri Robert, Health Guide

6/17/10 6:12pm

Kris,

-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-•*Welcome to MyMigraineConnection!*•-:¦:-•:*'""*:•.-:¦:-

I'd love to be able to help you, but the truth is that the only person who can safely and accurately do that is a doctor who can review your and your family's medical history, discuss your symptoms with you, and conduct a complete examination. Nobody can diagnose via the Internet. It's neither safe nor legal.

What you describe could be Migraine, but it could also be something else entirely. I'm sorry to not be able to help you, but please call your primary doctor for help getting into a neurologist if the neurologist hasn't gotten back to you by now.

Please, let me know how you're doing?

Welcome again,

Teri

kris

6/17/10 7:25pm

Thanks....I did go see my Primary Care Dr, I has symtoms again - esp. the dizziness - but not as severe. He spent a over an hour with me but could not find a cause. I am trying to get into a Headache specialist, they have a long waiting list (and dont take insurance!) I am also going to repeat the Lyme disease blood test.....I AM feeling better but i am still worried. Dont knwo if its migraine-related, hormone realted or both. If I find out anthing - I will let you know! Hope you are feeling better too Barb!!

Barb

6/23/10 6:31pm

Hi, again! I've gone through a lot of testing and so far they have not found the cause of my dizziness and headaches. I had an MRI and the Lyme test and both were OK. Next, I am supposed to have a test for my inner ear, have physical therapy, and then go to a neurologist about headaches.

I emailed a friend and told her my symptoms and was surprised to hear that she and another friend had very similar symptoms about five years ago. They both ended up on an antidepressant that solved the problem. They both had the dizziness problems in the car and became afraid to fly. After Zoloft for a while, my friend got completely over the problem. She got off of Zoloft a few years ago and said that she has noticed the symptoms reappearing slightly now and is getting back on Zoloft. I don't know if this is the problem that I am having, but I am going to tell my doctor about it. If this issue can be solved with just a pill, I will be very happy to take it!! I remember a course in college about the brain and the fact that they synapse do not fire properly without enough seratonin, so this does make sense since antidepressants give you more seratonin.

Barb

6/11/10 6:09pm

I am eager to hear what is causing your symptoms, because I am having the same ones! I'm 55 and have been on a very low dose estrogen since my hysterectomy 10 years ago. I recently cut to a smaller dose of Premarin and that seems to be about the time my dizzy symptoms started, too. I also have what looks like a tick bite on my leg that I have had for more than six weeks. If you look at the picture of Lymes Disease at Mayo Clinic online, the bite looks just like that. My dizzy symptoms started two months ago with several brief dizzy spells that caused my heart to beat rapidly and for me to feel weak for about 20 minutes. Last week, I felt a little weird while driving and very tired and short of breath which I thought might be the heavy allergy season we are having. Then, this week on Monday afternoon I started having a hard time focusing while driving and I really had to concentrate to get home. That evening, I felt hot and clammy and got a hot headache that went from my temples to my forehead to the back of my head- it moved around all evening. My eyes, ears, and throat felt hot, too, but I did not have a fever. In the morning, I was driving to work when I got the dizzy symptoms you mentioned and had double vision! I felt like I was losing control of the car! I got to work somehow and burst into tears. I made an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor that afternoon due to the dizziness. He suggested it might be related to migraines and called it possibly a Vestibular Migraine. I had an MRI today and a Lymes disease test. I'm waiting now for results. I was told not to drive until they find out the cause and that is really driving me crazy! This is scary, isn't it?! I want to know what it is and for it to stop! I also would like to know what other people may know about this problem.

debbie

2/19/11 3:25am

I may have an answer I have the same exact symptoms minus menopause, I get severe migraines with aura but mine last weeks sometimes as I write I am experencing one of the worst migraines of my life, this one is accompanied by a panic attack and fever of 100 as well as an inibility to focus on anything, I suggest you get tested for fibromyalgia as all my symptoms started at the same time and took 3 yrs but was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I had never had headaches in my life. My big triggers are stress,getting overheated,and a biggie is weather changes, especially humidity and storms then its automatic I will get one. But def have them give you the fibromyalgia pinpoint test. Good luck from there as its very hard to live with tiredness and muscle and nerve pain being the worst. Good luck too you I hope yours is something more easily treatable or fixable..

Q: SEVERE symptoms-aura, veritigo, nausea - long lasting & recurring...HELP!

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