Complicated Migraine

[Naomi]

Has anyone ever experienced a "complicated migraine"? This was my diagnosis after sitting in the hospital for 36 hours.

On Monday I had a migraine and by the time my husband got home from work, I was having difficulty moving, talking, or thinking. I somehow indicated that I had a migraine and my husband got me some exedrine migraine and a mountain dew. That made my head feel better but I was left with a numb, weak left arm and some chest pain/achyness. I finally gave in and went to the ER. They did a CT scan and some blood work which both looked fine but my arm was still weak and would sometimes still have pins & needles and I still had some chest pain. So they put me on Heparin and admitted me. In the morning I had an echo (it was unchanged from my last echo in April) and an MRI (looked good). Of course it took all day for my 4 doctors to decide I did not have a stroke and the echo report was not back yet so I had to stay another night. I was able to go home this morning, FINALLY!! I was sent home and told to take 325 mg of asprin a day and call if it happened again.

I thought my arm was back to normal starting yesterday evening sometime but after I got home and started doing some things I don't think it's as strong as it was. I'm hoping that it will regain it's strength and that I'll never have another "complicated migraine"!!!

 

[centuryltd]

I was diagnosed with a complicated migraine after the right side of my face went numb and my right arm would be weak and hard to move. The symptoms would last about 20 minutes then go away but it happened every day. I was diagnosed 3/8/06, had all the tests and nothing showed up. 4/2/06 I was diagnosed with endocarditis and the doc said what happened was vegetations breaking off of my infected heart valve and going to my brain. So I'm not sure I ever had a complicated migraine. To this day if I'm stressed the right side of my face will tingle at times.

Good Luck,

Steve

 

[marky]

Naomi..
I personally had never heard of it, but you did the right thing by going to the ER..
I would stay on top of things..and go back to your cardio if the numbing/tingling persists..
HOpe that you can get to the bottom of this quickly..and not need to experience it again.

 

[Elise Lucas]

complicated migraine

complicated migraine

I have never heard of it either. I have always suffered from migraine and things like the usual suspects... red wine, chocolate can trigger one . But one of the drugs I was on when I left hospital after my valve replacement triggered a headach every morning so when that was reduced I was fine. I also remember when I was on the contraceptive pill I also had them and had to stop taking it... then the migraines stopped....anyway lots of causes obv but take the hospital advice and go straight back if it happens again...cheers Elise

 

[Naomi]

Steve did you have valve issues before your endocarditis? Your story makes me nervous because I'm not totally convinced my problem is migraine related. How is endocarditis diagnosed? Would it show up on an Echo?? My arm has been weak (really fatigued feeling) since Monday (the day I had the migraine). While I was in the hospital it would get all numb and tingly along with the weakness but the numb and tingly hasn't returned since leaving the hospital. The weakness seemed to be better yesterday morning and then this morning also but then as soon as I do something with it it gets all weak again. It's driving me a little batty. I'm thinking about calling the neurologist to see what he thinks.

 

[musician2k]

My neuro always told me any significant change in your migraines or the patterns of them is indeed a cause for alarm. What you're describing is what I'd call 'hemiplegic' migraine, and there are people who have them fairly regularly. Since you hadn't had them before, it was wise that you had it checked out, definitely.

I'm really beginning to wonder about the heart/migraine connection, however.

I hadn't had a migraine with aura in several weeks (that couldn't be aborted by inhaling 02) until last night, the evening of my cardiac cath. Hrm.....?

Makes you wonder...

 

[Naomi]

I keep hoping that when I get fixed my migraines will change for the better! Probably just wishful thinking but hey you never know!