Just need to vent! (Basilar Artery Migraine)

[Tracy0713]

Does anyone else have doctors who provide you with a diagnosis, admit they know nothing about the condition, then send you home to research your condition and treatment?  That is exactly what happened to me 8 years ago ... since then, my neurologist has retired and my cardiologist and doctor of internal medicine (primary care dr.) treat me like an alien from outer space ... or a nut case!

It gets so frustrating.  I am self medicating with Hawthorn and Magnesium for my decreased pumping function of the heart, and have learned my migraine triggers well.  See, I am one of the "lucky" ones with Basilar Artery Migraine -- with aura, without pain.  Although I don't have pain, I have blurred vision, dizziness, inability to concentrate,  incoordination, numbness on left side of my face and body, slurred speech, ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting, etc.  Since I don't experience a "headache" my family calls them "spells" -- and they can last long enough to put me down for several days.  I've tried lots of different medications, that didn't work.  Now, I realize that I MUST eat several small meals throughout the day, drink plenty of water, get my rest, avoid stress, practice breathing to keep the panic attacks at bay -- it all helps.  But, they still happen, and would still happen if I were taking all that medication.

Are there any clinics in the US where a person can have different specialists who actually consult with each other about their patient's conditions and needs?  There must be a clinic somewhere that sees the correlation between heart disease and migraine, and work together to treat each condition with a common goal:  THE PATIENT!

It is so frustrating to always hear, "Hmmmm, never heard of that."  And they don't even care.  So, needless to say, I stay away from the doctors as much as possible, and try to find information on my own from places just like this.


Grrrrrr!!!!

Oh well.  Thanks for letting me vent.

[kimiko06]

I know exactly what you mean. My daughters "Neurologist" told me last week to stop calling him because he has no clue what is wrong with her. He then proceeded to tell me to take her to the Mayo Clinic because he had never seen anything like the problems she is having.

The biggest problem I have with that is he diagnosed her with Epilepsy with Complicated Migraines without ever seeing her with a Migraine or a seizure.

I have now taken her to a Neurologist, an Opthamologist, an Endicronologist and an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. The only one so far that seems to want to find out what is wrong is her Opthamologist and she is not sure where else I can turn.

I just wish that doctors now a days wanted to help people get better instead of just pulling in a big paycheck. So far, in the last 4 weeks the medical bills have topped $15,000 and we still have no answers.I guess we just have to keep trying and hope that someone will stumble on an answer.

[Tracy0713]

Thank you for your compassion and understanding.  It does get extremely frustrating -- which you know about as well.

It is interesting to see how far medicine can advance in just 8 years.  Too bad the doctors in my area are so far behind the times.  I think part of the problem is the fact that I am a woman -- and most doctors here send women to larger facilities for treatment.  As a matter of fact, I was sent to another facility for testing 8 years ago.  Prior to my diagnosis, the local doctors had been treating me for Mitral Valve Prolapse -- for 10 years!  Oh well.

Thank goodness for this site, and others (just like you!).

I don't plan to give up anytime soon!  Thank you for the encouragement.

[LifesAHeadache]

I do not have bam but I do have migraines And a differnet headache that may be connected to blood flow/heart problem.  I completely understand the vent.  Dual diagnosis within differnet specialities is a SERIOUS problem in the medical field.

I know you may have tried this already but did you ever take Inderal?  Also, if you get panic attacks?  Don't ever take Compazine for nausea, it REALLY makes panic bad.  

I would look up which providers in your area are participating in the MIST II project - it is a research project where closing PFO (hole in heart) to alleviate/possibly cure migraine in many.  You may/may not have a PFO but anyone researching MIST II may have answers for you.  Vent all you want but don't give up.  Let me know if you find anything.