onset of migraines after stroke

[Frances320]

Adult female, suffered mild stroke Jan 2004 at the age of 36.  Successful recovery from that event and on a daily regimen of Plavix and 81 mg aspirin.  In the last few months have experienced a couple of headaches.  None that could be pinpointed to anything other than I thought it was change of weather and/or sinus related.  Yesterday had a bad one that included classic migraine symptoms of pain concentrated to one area above the right eye, sensitivity to light and noise, vomiting, overall weakness, finally slept for 6 hours.  Pain was on the same side as the stroke.  This was the worst one of the 3 I've had in the past few months.  Do people who have suffered stroke become more prone to migraines?  Is adult onset of migraines common?  Wouldn't they have started at a younger age?  

[Frances320]

I do hope your dr can determine from the MRI what's up with your headaches.  It is a scary thought and the concerns of another do bother me at times.  I felt like something was wrong but it was more like "medicine head" all over.  I could see I was holding the steering wheel but couldn't really distinguish feeling it.  I went to work that morning and the more I moved around I realized there was more to it with sort of a disjointed feeling in my limbs.  Once I got to the ER the usual stroke symptoms began and resolved over the course of 10 hours or so.  The ER immediately did a CT scan but it didn't really show anything.  They called in neurology who didn't get there for another 4-5 hours.  By then the numb disjointed thing had gone away, my speech was slurred, the left side of my face was dropped.  Heparin IV was started and I was admitted.  They did an MRI as soon as they could which showed the evidence of the mild stroke.  I stayed inpatient for 8 days while they got my blood numbers the way they wanted it with thinners and ran other tests like an EEG.  I had some left side slowness but no PT ordered.  I went back to work a few hours everyday until I built the energy and stamina to full days.  That took me about 6 months.  On occasion I will have some trouble with my left hand being a little uncooperative but for the most part I have no residual effects.  I am thankful and lucky that God was watching out for me that day.  I felt better the day after it happened than I had felt in weeks and wanted to go home.  Ended up that was a life changing week for me in that I reevaluated my priorities, direction and status.  When you can't do anything but lay flat on your back for circulation purposes, you don't really have the ability to do much except think.  I would have to say as distressing as having the stroke was, it was just as amazing and positive an experience for me.

[ltunes]

Wow!  I never would have imagined so many young people having strokes.  It's a pretty scarry thought.  It's one of my big worries when I'm experiencing my really bad head pains.  They come on so suddenly and are so painful that each time I think ok this is it, I'm having a stroke.  Luckily that's not the case and my headaches are also not accompanied by any other stroke symptom but that's my only relief.  You said your stroke was mild so does that mean you didn't even know you experienced one or did you have many of the symptoms and you knew right away.  I've heard that some people don't know they've had a stroke until they've had tests done to confirm.  I have a scheduled MRI soon and I hope I'll finally get some answers to the cause of my headaches.  Was it an MRI that confirmed your stroke?  Also, did you still have any lasting effects of the stroke?  I really hope you've recovered well and that this was just an unfortunate one-off incident.  Take care.

[Frances320]

Thank you for your comments.  I have friends and acquaintances who suffer from them regularly and always sympathized for what they went through.  I am sorry they are a regular occurence for you.  On my stroke, not on the pill, not a smoker, no HPB.  I had a clot form in a small branch of the right carotid artery to the point that it restricted the flow to the brain.  At least that's what all the tests they did afterwards indicated.  Unfortunately, they can only give you the picture of the effects not really the cause.  I wasn't alone though as far as being that age.  The same week I had mine there was another female aged 38 and a male aged 39 had strokes and were in the hospital also.  The neurologist said there seemed to be a trend of younger people having strokes and lots of clinical studies were being done.  I saw my internist who did CT scan which was ok.  He gave me what he said were fairly standard medications to take if I have another one.  I will be keeping track if more occur so I can report it to the neurologist.

[ltunes]

Sorry to hear about your new headache development.  I suffer from regular migraines so I know just how you feel.  It's terrible that you suffered a stroke.  Was it ever determined why you had a stroke at such a very young age?  Were you on the pill and a smoker or was it the result of high blood pressure?  I'm just curious because I've never heard of anyone so young to have had a stroke.  Take care and I hope your headaches go away.