Half body numbness, vision problems and migraines.

[Ronnie_ca]

I have this half body numbness, vision problems and migraines since I was only 12 years old. It never happened more than once in 6 months period, some times it happens only once in 3 years but rare.
When ever this kind of problem occurs, my whole day and the next gets reserved with pain. Some times it triggers by bright sun shine or a camera flash. My vision starts getting impaired and then I cannot see objects clear (see mostly shadows). Some times it directly triggers by suddenly numbing my right hand fingers (I believe this happened to my left hand side body as well) and then slowly moves to my other right hand side body parts i.e. arm, leg, lip, nose and eye etc. I usually try to sleep so by the time I will wake up I will be start feeling better but it never happened. By the time I wake up after an hour or so, I will be having severe migraine pains on the left hand side of my head. I take Excedrin, Advil, Tylenol or Ibuprofen to get rid of this pain but no help. Some times I stay home and some times my family members take me to the hospital so the doctors can do something for pain but it never helped. I usually get big vomiting too. Another important point is that I cannot even speak correctly, I would be speaking incomplete and wrong words, this starts happening after half of my tongue gets numb and I believe one of the reason in speaking wrong and crazy words is that perhaps half of my brain gets numb as well.
I have never done an MRI but got some other brain scans done including blood test, blood sugar, uric acid and blood pressure etc. but everything looked normal. Please help me to diagnose this problem. I apologize of writing such a long essay. Thanks

[SoccerMom83]

I have been on several different preventive meds. Topamax, noritryptaline, celexa and the latest was verapamil which is a calcium channel blocker. I was actually having more migraines on some of them. I see a headache specialist but there are only a handful of them in the country that have actually ever treated this type of migraine. I definitely think that hormones play a role for me, as I have one of these migraines during every period, so there may never be a medication that works for me. The only hormone they will allow me to use is estrogen. I add that before my period to prevent a sudden decrease which can lead to migraines but still doesn't help. My grandfather and my mom also get these migraines. Two of my children do also. None of us see the same doctor and none of us have ever found anything that works.

[sara12345]

Above with SoccerMom's recommendation to find a really good neurologist, you might try to find a headache specialist, although there are far fewer of them, so potentially more difficult to find.  But since they only deal with headaches, they are more likely to comprehend a more unusual kind of headache.

Good luck to you.

[sara12345]

Why don't you ask your doctor for a different daily prophylactic migraine medication other than Topomax which you say is the worst. There are others that you could try.  

[SoccerMom83]

I have the same symptoms. Mine usually start with blind spots in my vision. Then I get left sided weakness and tingling. My tongue and throat get numb. My speech is slurred and I can't come up with the correct words because I get extremely confused. I try to sleep through those symptoms but then wake up with a horrible migraine on the opposite side, which usually lasts into the next day. I have been admitted to the hospital twice because they thought I was having mini strokes. I was eventually diagnosed with Hemaplegic/Complicated Migraines. My MRI comes back abnormal and shows white spots. I have been on Topamax(worst med ever!). Noritryptaline, and Calan(verapamil). With no relief. I take Zomig for the pain and usually end up having to add Advil on top of zomig. I get these migraines, usually once per month or every two months. I am not able to be on any hormones such as birth control pills because certain hormones contribute. Plus these types of migraines raise your risk of having a stroke. I have not found a doctor that is totally familiar with these migraines. Do your best to find a good neurologist that specializes in migraines. These migraines are scary to deal with, especially because they seem to come on without much notice and they are debilitating. Please try to find a good DR! Good luck and keep us updated!

[sara12345]

I agree with your pharmacist.  Be sure to go to a doctor.  This site cannot give diagnoses.

Good luck to you.

Sara

[blondie333328]

I've suffered from migraines for the past 5-6 years, and they have gradually been getting worse. Now when I get them, I can't move or see anything, and the only way to get rid of it is to be sick and try to sleep. Yesterday I had a really strange migraine where I had the headache the queasiness, and then my body started going numb- just on the left hand side. I couldn't talk, move, or see anything. I've never felt anything like this before. I rang up the pharmacist this morning to get some more of my prescription tablets, and he was concerned about the numbess. Said I needed to go to the doctors and have tests.
I'm reading all these comments, trying to see if anyone else suffers the same, and it is very reasurring that there are others. It drives me mad when I can't do anything and people say 'it's just a headache'.
Now waiting for my partner to get home, as I can't drive. I hate these things.
Does everyone get the numbness on the left hand side? And has anyone had any luck with working out how to get rid of these long term? I seem to have one every 2 weeks at the worst, and one a month at best.