what type of migraine do i have and why is this happening

[meghan965]

my name is meghan i am 18 years old i have been haveing this problem scene i was 16 ,the docs have been saying i have migraines , it starts with my left arm going numb then my left side of my face then the left side of my tongue , then i have these crazy vision changes that get bigger as time goes on and i cant see any thing  and after that all goes away then i get a bad head throbbing in pain and nothing i do makes it go away , the numbess lasts for 20 mins then the head pain lasts all day some times 2 days  

[twitchychick]

I was like you mumztheword.  They started in my teens but I would only get them a few times a year.  As I approached 40 I was getting them 4-5 times a month, around time for my period.  I had a hysterectomy this past April and they have totally changed.  I didn't even realize they were migraines!  The aura would be off and on, with vision changes.  The numbness occurs in my entire left side of my body, all the way down to my toes.  My foot would also feel as if it were cold, even with socks and houseshoes on.  I am still being tested but am doing some checking on my own with hemiplegic migraines.   Alot of the symptoms seem to fit with me.  

Meghan965, are you taking anything like Imitrex?  When I would get the aura (visual changes and numbness) if I took the Imitrex quickly enough I would not even get the pain.  You have to keep them with you at all times in case something triggers your migraines.  Also, it comes in a nasal spray.  It makes you have a bad taste in your mouth but it can stop a migraine if you take it quickly enough.

I always kept Imitrex in a pill or spray form, so I could be ready.  Keep a headache diary and look for clues as to what might trigger your migraines.  My son is 9 and he was getting them very frequently.  We learned that the drive to school, where he was facing the sunrise, and his not really eating his breakfast together triggered his pretty quickly.  This school year we are doing a different routine and his are much less frequent.

Also, I recently got the book "Migraine for Dummies" and am learning a lot!  And I've had them for years.  I was in the PAINFUL cycle of "rebound" migraines.  This book has helped show me how to slowly break that cycle, along with the right kind of meds, and I am finding some relief.

Hope this helps.

[mumztheword]

Sounds like the same ones I get, and I started the same age as you.  I find if I take my pain meds (along with some caffeine, either in a drink or in the meds) the pain is under control by the time it sets in... if that makes sense.  It's not so debilitating.  I don't get too much of the tingling in my extremities anymore.  I know what my trigger is (barometric pressure changes along with my hormone levels) so unfortunately I can't avoid it, but I know to expect them certain times of the month if the weather is getting bad.