Loss of cognitive connection?

[BugsCoke]

I have had migraines since early childhood. I usually get them 2 to 3 times a year and it is usually when there is a change in the weather (like from spring to summer). In the past few years they had gotten so bad that I would sometimes lose vision in one eye or would have a massive aura that would debilitate me for a few days.

Usually, when I feel them coming on, I could wane them off with two aspirin, 5mg of Lexapro and applying ice against my carotid arteries. Starting last year, I noticed that even though I seem to stop them, I still get slight headaches lasting for a few days and I lose the ability to make mental connections, such as putting names to faces of friends. Doctors have done tests, MRI and CT scans and I have taken different types of prescription medications, trying to find one that works. It is starting to scare me, but doctors say it’s "normal" and that not much is known about migraines to accurately treat them. Does anyone else have these symptoms?

[whatuask]

maybe this will help-i'm pasting it many places, so sorry if you've seen it before!  
some part of it might connect with your story-
I've had these things for 14 yrs now, & this is the first time i've ever gotten involved w/ a forum!

my story is similar, but for sure more severe. there must be a genetic component, b/c my mom (i'm 35) has been able to guide me through it since she had the same thing. she hasn't had one (i think) since menopause, so we believe there's a hormone component.

lots of things to say that seem like might help others, so here goes!

i had my 1st one after being on the birth control pill for just under a year. sounds just like many stories: going numb on 1 side, but i completely could not communicate, talk, write, my vision went weird, hearing in & out-i woke up in the hospital cuz i blacked out completely. i literally thought i had gone crazy. the ER doc told me (i was only 21 & very naive!) it was a TIA brought on by the BC pill & to never go on it again, that some women couldn't handle the hormones.
we moved from CO (high altitude & 300 days of sun) to Chicago (not much sun & sea level), & for 8-9 yrs, i didn't have a single one. as soon as we moved back to CO, I had maybe 3 within a couple months, & a few more within our 3 yrs there.

mine were so bad a couple put me in the ER b/c i couldn't function & people around me didn't know what to do!
i also had never had headaches, but boy did i get a rude awakening!
mine slowly (maybe several minutes) went from tingly numbing face, hands, arms (usually 1 side, sometimes both) to worse & worse confusion, always losing my ability to communicate, read, write-anything. my husband has gotten used to it, keeping my kids away b/c i get really confused easily, then i cry b/c it's scary.
anyway, if i took a Maxalt right away, it would keep the headache at bay, then i'd need a solid 12 hrs to sleep, & i'd be pretty normal the next day-maybe just a bit tired.

they varied in severity. then we moved 2008 to China (sea level, completely different climate). i didn't have one the 1st year; i had a mild one the 2nd year, & i just had maybe my worst ever 2 wks ago. i had been convinced it was the altitude, sun, maybe dehydration. but not so apparently!
here's a theory: 3 mos. ago I had a D+C for a year's worth of irregular bleeding. it could very well be the whole hormone theory wreaking havoc on my body. who knows.
but this aura was so bad that it made me more depressed than ever (thinking thoughts like "what if this is related to alzheimers & dementia like my grama? what if i lose my mental acuity more & more from this?" i've heard we suffer slight brain damage from these!). in the last couple years i have just felt like my mind is slipping, i'm not as quick as i used to be-not getting younger, right:)
importantly, the Maxalt simply didn't work this time. i had maybe the worst headache EVER-i was writhing in pain. i have the utmost sympathy now for sufferers. i was also confused from the moment i woke 7am for maybe 8-10hrs, but still slow for days after. yes, i need help. i don't have the medical care till summer, but will for sure get it!
i am now working part time, so it's not necessarily stress, although i do have 1.5 special needs kids (1 pretty needy, the other not as much)
hand tingling & overall cloudiness of mental state has become normal almost daily occurances, but i notice less if i'm active & outdoors.  
i just have to acknowledge that at least i'm at peace about it b/c of strong faith. God will take care of me & lead me to the right doctors & medication & won't give me more than i can handle. look to Him, the Great Physician...
-fellow sufferer

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
It is good that the MRI and CT scan results were fine. If there was no previous trauma to the head and the diagnostic tests showed no organic causes of your headache, then there is nothing to be worried about. I know it is hard especially if  there are no answers or solutions to these headaches. Try not to be scared. Migraine headaches are primary headaches and this means that proper medications, avoidance of triggers and  biofeedback therapy (as I mentioned in the other post) may help.  Hang on and take care always.