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Migraines or just intense headaches....
Hello Everyone!!
I have been over on the MS site for over a year now getting advice from them periodically. Mainly because I felt all of my symptoms seemed to fit more with MS. Yes I know there are many mimics. I have also been tested for many of the mimics which I will get into. So why I am here is because I just would like to see if I can get some input from some of you about these migraines/headaches. Warning this will probably be long so please bare with me :)
My initial onset that started this search process of what is going on with me was back in July 2014. I took my daughter to work I had a headache. It was very hot, I was dizzy, told my husband I felt like I was gonna pass out and I was not gonna make it home. I had my 5 yr old with me. I made it less then a mile down the road and both my hands clinched up I could barely talk when I called 911. they loaded me with meds ct scan said it was a migraine headache. went home. The next day I had left side go numb tingly did mri found multiple small foci on my brain.
So things have gone down hill since then. the left side goes numb off and on un expectedly including my face. This latest time was just my face but it also included my left side of my tongue(not my whole tongue just left side). I have right side weakness. my right knee gives out on me often. I fall down and up stairs very often. trip on smallest crack in road or sidewalk. from right leg possibly foot drop not lifting foot high enough.
After talking to someone with migraines I got to thinking about all of my symptoms and realized that things had really started 3 yrs ago. I started to have bladder issues, bowel isuess and swallowing issues. which I had my esphogus stretched. I was also diagnosed with osteopenia at 36 yrs old. young for that!!
I have had headaches daily! I wake up with them and go to bed with them. they hurt but are not migraines I feel. im not sensitive to light during them. yes sound and annoying loudness but that's a headache to me. not migraine. My neuro has me on topimax for them but is slacking on right dosage to maintain and get them under control. he is adamant that all my symptoms and lesions are from my migraines. these have only been going on for a yr. I have 7 that are less then pea size. half are in the grey matter. then too many to count pen tip size I guess maybe 20 scattered in grey matter mostly some in white matter.
I have scoped out some here and I have seen so many of you suffer from these migraines since childhood. im actually in constant contact with someone. I can hear it in her voice. the pain from the migraine. I truly fell I do NOT have migraines.
SO on my recent Mri done this week it said history of migraines . then because of the spots obviously radiologist states that due to history of migraines they are probably are a result of the migraines.
So what do you all think? Thanks advance!! Im sorry this is so long!!!
I have been over on the MS site for over a year now getting advice from them periodically. Mainly because I felt all of my symptoms seemed to fit more with MS. Yes I know there are many mimics. I have also been tested for many of the mimics which I will get into. So why I am here is because I just would like to see if I can get some input from some of you about these migraines/headaches. Warning this will probably be long so please bare with me :)
My initial onset that started this search process of what is going on with me was back in July 2014. I took my daughter to work I had a headache. It was very hot, I was dizzy, told my husband I felt like I was gonna pass out and I was not gonna make it home. I had my 5 yr old with me. I made it less then a mile down the road and both my hands clinched up I could barely talk when I called 911. they loaded me with meds ct scan said it was a migraine headache. went home. The next day I had left side go numb tingly did mri found multiple small foci on my brain.
So things have gone down hill since then. the left side goes numb off and on un expectedly including my face. This latest time was just my face but it also included my left side of my tongue(not my whole tongue just left side). I have right side weakness. my right knee gives out on me often. I fall down and up stairs very often. trip on smallest crack in road or sidewalk. from right leg possibly foot drop not lifting foot high enough.
After talking to someone with migraines I got to thinking about all of my symptoms and realized that things had really started 3 yrs ago. I started to have bladder issues, bowel isuess and swallowing issues. which I had my esphogus stretched. I was also diagnosed with osteopenia at 36 yrs old. young for that!!
I have had headaches daily! I wake up with them and go to bed with them. they hurt but are not migraines I feel. im not sensitive to light during them. yes sound and annoying loudness but that's a headache to me. not migraine. My neuro has me on topimax for them but is slacking on right dosage to maintain and get them under control. he is adamant that all my symptoms and lesions are from my migraines. these have only been going on for a yr. I have 7 that are less then pea size. half are in the grey matter. then too many to count pen tip size I guess maybe 20 scattered in grey matter mostly some in white matter.
I have scoped out some here and I have seen so many of you suffer from these migraines since childhood. im actually in constant contact with someone. I can hear it in her voice. the pain from the migraine. I truly fell I do NOT have migraines.
SO on my recent Mri done this week it said history of migraines . then because of the spots obviously radiologist states that due to history of migraines they are probably are a result of the migraines.
So what do you all think? Thanks advance!! Im sorry this is so long!!!
I cut out all artificial sweeteners. You MUST do this. Then I realized that my mouthwash contained a variant of saccharin(worst of all the fake sugars) in it. I stopped using it and all symptoms stopped.
No, I don't think that is wrong of you. Your symptoms are quite scary so I definitely understand that you want it checked as well as possible.
If you have done both MRI and MRA of head and neck and they were all fine the problem probably doesn't originate from the brain, except for the possibility of migraine causing this. But I think you should try to get a second or third opinion on those MRIs and MRAs just to be sure that they really are normal and that the white spots probably are due to migraine.
You can also try to consult a doctor specialized in internal medicine.
Otherwise you have to just wait and see if more symptoms will show up or if the migraine treatments will start to work. But it seems like a very smart first step to try and treat the migraines and see what symptoms stay and what goes away..
If you have done both MRI and MRA of head and neck and they were all fine the problem probably doesn't originate from the brain, except for the possibility of migraine causing this. But I think you should try to get a second or third opinion on those MRIs and MRAs just to be sure that they really are normal and that the white spots probably are due to migraine.
You can also try to consult a doctor specialized in internal medicine.
Otherwise you have to just wait and see if more symptoms will show up or if the migraine treatments will start to work. But it seems like a very smart first step to try and treat the migraines and see what symptoms stay and what goes away..
Thanks. I have had an MRA of neck and brain and all were well.
My symptoms comes and go except my right side weakness has stuck around :(
Obviously with a gran of sat as well but my eye doctor and the ER doctors (who are sick of seeing me lol) don't believe what I experiencing is migraines.
Either way I just need doctors who will listen to me and who will do tests instead of sitting on there hands. Is this wrong of me to want them to try and rule it out?
My symptoms comes and go except my right side weakness has stuck around :(
Obviously with a gran of sat as well but my eye doctor and the ER doctors (who are sick of seeing me lol) don't believe what I experiencing is migraines.
Either way I just need doctors who will listen to me and who will do tests instead of sitting on there hands. Is this wrong of me to want them to try and rule it out?
Yes, you have quite a lot of neurological symptoms. Can happen with migraine but is not common and should be investigated thoroughly. It is important to know if all your neurological symptoms come and go or if some are always there.
White spots are typically associated with MS, vascular disease or migraine. From the location of them the diagnosis can often be suggested. It seems that in your case it kind of points towards migraine.
Don't pay attention to if you "feel" that this is migraine or not, there is no way to feel that.
It is a little bit strange that you suddenly get these headaches at the age of 35.
You could maybe try to get a MRA to look at your blood vessels in the head and neck to see if something is not right. But your doctors seem to think it is migraines and it probably is a plausible explanation.
I hope the medicine will start to work for you. Otherwise there are a lot of others to try as well.
Good luck!
White spots are typically associated with MS, vascular disease or migraine. From the location of them the diagnosis can often be suggested. It seems that in your case it kind of points towards migraine.
Don't pay attention to if you "feel" that this is migraine or not, there is no way to feel that.
It is a little bit strange that you suddenly get these headaches at the age of 35.
You could maybe try to get a MRA to look at your blood vessels in the head and neck to see if something is not right. But your doctors seem to think it is migraines and it probably is a plausible explanation.
I hope the medicine will start to work for you. Otherwise there are a lot of others to try as well.
Good luck!
Hi and welcome to the Migraines & Headaches Community.
If you are asking about the CT results being due to MS or migraines...I cannot help you. I know nothing about CTs.
What I can tell you is that migraines are pretty much a disease all of its own. There are more symptoms to a migraine than just a headache and yes you have a lot of those symptoms. I can also tell you that you don't have to have every symptom for it to be a migraine. So, the fact that light does not necessarily bother you doesn't mean it's a migraine. And also most people when they think of a migraine they think a headache rated 10 on a 1 to 10 scale. That is not true. They feel different, they have symptoms like we discussed and they can be of varying degrees. A migraine rated 3 and not 10 is still a migraine just not one very severe.
I hope that helps answer some of your questions and maybe someone will come along that can help you better with the other questions.
If you are asking about the CT results being due to MS or migraines...I cannot help you. I know nothing about CTs.
What I can tell you is that migraines are pretty much a disease all of its own. There are more symptoms to a migraine than just a headache and yes you have a lot of those symptoms. I can also tell you that you don't have to have every symptom for it to be a migraine. So, the fact that light does not necessarily bother you doesn't mean it's a migraine. And also most people when they think of a migraine they think a headache rated 10 on a 1 to 10 scale. That is not true. They feel different, they have symptoms like we discussed and they can be of varying degrees. A migraine rated 3 and not 10 is still a migraine just not one very severe.
I hope that helps answer some of your questions and maybe someone will come along that can help you better with the other questions.
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