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Migraine W/stroke-like Symptoms

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Migraines!!!
July 28th, 2005
I've never thought to come to a forum about my migraines before, but i'm just so fed up with them.


I've had migraines for about 7 years but last october they started coming with auras (visual - like looking at a puzzle with big chunks of it missing), numbness, incoherence, and memory loss. I lose feeling usually in my left hand first, sometimes in both hands. Then the left side of my face goes numb - including my tongue, which doesn't help when I start speaking gibberish anyway and eventually lose parts of my memory - like my name and where I live, etc. I also get incredibly nauseous and kinda twitchy - which I think is my body trying to get my numb parts to respond.


Anyhow, i've had an mri, a few different tests on my heart (to check for holes and such and I believe to check my circulation), and a lot of bloodwork, and nothing. My auras last longer than an hour, so I can't take rx pain meds, only over-the-counter stuff that doesn't work so well anymore.


My doctor tried anti-depressants to help prevent the migraines which ironically enough made me depressed, so he took me off them. Now i'm on inderal, which is some sort of "beta blocker" used to treat high blood pressure and given after a heart attack (i have had neither), also to help prevent them. I think it might be causing flutters in my heart sometimes though, so no doubt i'll be back at the doctor's soon.


I'm curious first of all if anyone has similar symptoms and how they handle them and/or if anyone has any advice?

Edit: on top of this, I think it's causing nerve damage to my left hand :(
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First Helper rdyoung
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cloversea
replied August 10th, 2005
There is a category of migraine that causes such symptoms, but I can't remember which one. The american council for headache education (ache) has a forum with an "ask the expert" section, where you can post your symptoms and a headache specialist will be able to tell you what classification it fits. Having a classification might help your doctor find the right treatment for you.

Good luck!

-kerrie
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didymosgnosis
replied August 21st, 2005
Just a quick note...

The name of the migraine that you had is a "migraine with neuro deficit" -- or at least that was the diagnosis that I got a few months ago when I ended up in the hospital for what was initially thought to be a stroke.

Anyway, I don't know much more about it than the name, unfortunately... And the hope that I won't have one again. But I hope that helps some.
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Rebekah426
replied October 26th, 2005
I Know Exactly What You Are Talking About
Hello,

i have had two situations similar to yours. I actually went to the hospital and they told me I have no lesions, nothing like that. They suggested that I get a rare form of migraines that is like a stroke but it is not exactly. I am still looking for more information on them. I will post it when I find it. The thing that scared me was that my nose starting bleeding both times I had the attacks. Scary!!! Good luck! I will post it when I find more info.
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jenright80
replied October 27th, 2005
Look in to epilepsy and seizures. Not grand mal like the whole body jerks but there are other types of seizures which affect only your brain or make you twitch or both. E.G simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures, etc. Lots of luck. -jen. Oh and get an eeg.
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Rebekah426
replied October 28th, 2005
Really? Seizures? The first doctor I saw kind of laughed at me honestly. Then I went to the er room and then they took me seriously. They wont give me any medication until I see the neurologist. I will have him look into the possiblity of seizures. What is an eeg?
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jenright80
replied November 1st, 2005
Eeg
Hi. I got similar symptoms and seizure was just one of the possibilities. Look on emedicine.Com for simple partail seizures and seizures in general. That website is really technical and complicated but if you go on to where doctors are supposed to go, you get a lot of info. Eeg is an electroencephalogram. It measures brain waves kind of. They used to use it to detect lesions and such but now we have much better imaging techniques. It is the test they do to see if you have epilepsy. It can show you brain slowing down as you fall asleep. Mine showed that mine is slowed all the time. Unfortunately it was a "normal abnormality" with people with migraines and was dismissed. I suspect that if you are twitchy, it maybe related to seizures.Emedicine.Com says it can have headaches too. Eeg is a pain- in -the you know what test. They apply electrodes all over your head and you have to hold still for about an hour. No touching you teeth together no moving at all. Hope this helps. -jen
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joviyach
replied November 13th, 2005
I have similar things going on right now. I have clumsy twitchy hands, with pressure, sometimes ache in my head. Decreased peripheral vision, sometimes weakness in my legs too. I am going back to the Dr. Tomorrow. This all started with my arms feeling sort of weak on tuesday, and it has been downhill from there.
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ladybeth53120
replied February 13th, 2010
Migraines
I have had headaches with stroke like symptoms since I was a teenager. I am now 74. My doctor had me tested for tia's which I didn't have. I have no notice that I am getting one until I have it and can't see right. The part that bothers me the most is that I can't concentrate or talk right.
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tip12top
replied March 19th, 2010
Stroke Like Migrane Help?
My mother has been experiencing these symptoms over the last few years. She is 81. We have found that accupuncture has been of amazing help to her. Her doctor/healer has stressed that the area around the neck needs to be rotated regularly, as well. This is what is causing the constriction. When she goes to see him once a week, she does not experience these debilitating headaches. When she starts to skip weeks (3 to 5 weeks between visits), they come back with a vengence.
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jmae
replied October 31st, 2010
yup
I have similar symptoms, sometimes not even getting to the migraine until an hour or two later. The ER doctor had me get a CT scan and bloodwork. He also wants me to get a spinal tap.
I used to get migraines every year or two but I have had four in the last two months. I recently was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian disease(PCOD) and part of the treatment for that is to take birth control. I found out that with migraines I should not even be on the oral contraceptives and the more I thought about it the more I realized that when I had had my other migraines I was also on birth control. So I am in the process of changing medications and making sure that is the real cause of my migraines.
I do plan on getting the spinal tap and getting to the neurologist as well.
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violet129
replied January 31st, 2011
I have suffered from migraines for quite some time. but for the last few years they have changed. I now get full body tingling followed by full body numbness, distorted vision chest pain and then one heck of a headache. I have seen 4 Neuro doctors, 2 heart doctors and everything is good so still no answers. Its hard suffering from these, I also have HHT which causes me to bleed sometimes while having the tingling and numbness.
I've gone through EEG, ECG, stress test, blood work you name it and I have probably went through it. I suffer from these dibilitating headaches and do not have any relief. Has anyone else have these or similar?
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violet129
replied January 31st, 2011
migraine headaches with full body tingling followed by numbness
I have suffered from migraines for quite some time. but for the last few years they have changed. I now get full body tingling followed by full body numbness, distorted vision chest pain and then one heck of a headache. I have seen 4 Neuro doctors, 2 heart doctors and everything is good so still no answers. Its hard suffering from these, I also have HHT which causes me to bleed sometimes while having the tingling and numbness.
I've gone through EEG, ECG, stress test, blood work you name it and I have probably went through it. I suffer from these dibilitating headaches and do not have any relief. Has anyone else have these or similar?
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rdyoung
replied February 18th, 2011
My husband gets migraines with stroke-like symptoms. We found the culprit after a few times of his whole body numbness and slurred speech scaring the crap out of me! His is caused by a reaction to sodium nitrate, a food preservative. Ever since we started avoiding it, he has not had a single migraine or even headache. He even tested it out once, eating a few hot dogs and was sick within an hour!

Check and see what kind of chemicals you are putting into your body - one of them could be the culprit!
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Missoreo
replied March 25th, 2011
Stroke-like symptoms
There's a disease called CADASIL in which people experience headache with stroke-like symptoms. It is often misdiagnosed as Complex Migraine with Aura or Multiple Sclerosis. I urge anyone with migraines with stroke-like symptoms to check out cadasilfoundation.org or go to the Cadasil Support Group on Facebook.
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Missoreo
replied March 25th, 2011
Stroke-like symptoms
There's a disease called CADASIL in which people experience headache with stroke-like symptoms. It is often misdiagnosed as Complex Migraine with Aura or Multiple Sclerosis. I urge anyone with migraines with stroke-like symptoms to check out cadasilfoundation.org or go to the Cadasil Support Group on Facebook.
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havinfun7
replied June 16th, 2012
I was diagnosed with Hemiplegic Migraine Headaches in 2008 after a long time of misdiagnoses of stokes, seizures, heart problems you get the picture for over 35 yrs by Doctors. My heart has no problems, I have never had any seizure activity show in EEG, or a true stroke a problem. Hemiplegic Migraine is a Rare Heredity Migraine .... Blood work and questions of your family history will find it and The answers will give you a peace of mind ... Then you can find a Neurology Dr who can help you ... I have been paralyzed several times from the Hemiplegic Migraine before and after the diagnoses ... before I was scared to death and after I was scared but at least I knew what was happening to me .. please Rule this out ... for yourself my friend....
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Mac1307
replied February 3rd, 2013
Migraine with stroke like symptoms
I was hospitalised for 3 days observation last week after the worst migraine I have ever had. I tingled down both legs briefly, then visual aura in the right side and headache on the left side, with total confusion and loss of speech for around 12 plus hours. I was terrified. I was ambulanced to the local hospital and had ct scan, ecg, blood tests, lumbar puncture (spinal tap) and finally two days later MRI, none of which showed any sign of a stroke thank God. Still to see the neurologist for a final opinion !! Back on the beta blockers....
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