Severe headache that affects right side of body

[ArielM]

For a few years now I have been getting severe headaches that not only affect the right side of my head, but the entire right side of my body. It starts in my temple and radiates to the entire right side of my head, also affecting my vision in right eye, then moves down the right side of my body. All the muscles hurt, I cannot lift my right arm all the way, and I have to favor my right leg because it hurts so bad I can't put full pressure on it. I have seen doctors, but not recently due to having no insurance. The optometrist said it was my eyes that were causing the problem, that the muscles in my eyes weren't relaxing even with my glasses on. Then a GP didn't know what to think, but put me on Amitriptyline, which did not help but instead made me loopy.
I don't know what to think, I have tried different meds, but Ibuprofen(800mg) is the only thing that relieves even a liitle bit of the pain.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Thanks for writing.
Migraine and stroke present with similar symptoms so it is very important to differentiate both these conditions from one another.
There are a few differences between the two conditions. Stroke is more common in elderly while migraine tends to occur in young people. The symptoms of stroke have a sudden onset while symptoms of migraine develop slowly. In stroke there is vision loss while visual symptoms in migraine are Zig Zag lines, flashes of light and tunnel vision.
Good clinical examination, investigation like MRI and MRA and CT scan help in differentiating the two conditions. TIA occurs due to occlusion of small blood vessels and this can be visualized on MRA.
Hope this helps!

[Butterfield88]

I read your comments.   I was in hospital as I said on my email and they think I had Hemipegic Migraine.    They cou;dn't say for SURE.     It only appeared that way.  They are not totally ruling out TIA  -  how does one have a test that is conclusive?

[Butterfield88]

I had an episode (several strokes) Jan 2007.   After many tests and an astute neurologist asked if it was possible I had a hole in my heart associated with ocular migraine.   They performed a TEE test and sure enough I have a hole (Didn't close like it shoul;d have when I was born)  I have ocular migraine for years.  When I had the strokes I was getting at least three ocular migraine episodes each day.  Had been working a lot on the computer.  They said at the hospital that I had hemiplegic migraine.   However they won't rule out TIA.    Since TIA wouldn't show up on the scans and MRI's.   I was unconscious for many hours at a time.   I am so scareed it is going to happen again.    I am over 60 so they don't really recommend the closing of the  hole.   It doesn't always help anyway I have found out.   Look up hole in the heart migraine and you will find a lot of info on the internet.  Or look up Hemiplegic Migraine.

[anomale]

Hi, I have suffered severe migraines on the right side of my body since I was 5. I was told it was my sinuses, then allergies, and so forth. I later began to get the pain you are talking about all down the right side of my body. I am 28 years old now and still have migraines, I have taken everything from BC powders, goodies, tylenol, advil, motrin, aleeve, and Imitrx, Inderol and Relpax. The last 3 were prescription b/c the others no longer worked. The Imitrex, and Relpax worked for a short time and then but they had bad side effects on me so I am totally off of everything except tylenol. Long story short,,, I have been doing research on migraines for a long time and found what I think is a concrete connection between a PFO and migraine. A PFO is a hole in between the chambers of the heart. Everyone is born with it but for some it does not close up. Children usually do not show symptoms of this and so it goes unnoticed until middle age where people begin to stroke. People noticed once their hole was closed their migraines were gone. Some people didn;t notice any changes but it is worth looking into. I have a test for myself coming up called a TEE test. It will tell me if I have a hole or not. DO YOUR RESEARCH and you will find what you are looking for ...eventually.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Thanks for writing in.
Your symptoms are very suggestive of hemiplegic migraine, which can be confirmed only by clinical exam. This type of migraine is characterized by one sided body numbness, and weakness accompanied with one sided headache.
This type of migraine is rare. Also the symptoms are very similar to stroke so it is important to differentiate between the two.
As you have also mentioned NSAIDS like Ibuprofen do help with the symptoms. Other medications include calcium channel antagonists, antidepressants and beta blockers.
Conventional migraine meds like Triptans are not effective.
Hope this helps!