Acute Anxiety Trigger
Hey all,
Long story short...over the past 7 ish yrs I've had approx 2 bad migraines every year. I'm talking, extreme vision problems (aura), numbness throughout half of the body (right side), confusion, slurred speech, trouble ambulating...let's just say, I was CONVINCED I was having a stroke. After trip to ER and CT scan, doc says "you had a hemiplegic migraine". Here's some nosespray and some big red pills...cheers. Didn't happen again for 8 months. Then didn't happen again for another yr after that. All instances, I was also convinced, were brought on by very stressful ACUTE events. Think, trying to get the boss out the door for a deadline and binding mtg materials until last minute, or, clients calling every 5 minutes wondering why a $26M wire hadn't posted for them to their escrow account for real estate purchase...cue the aura and wait on it...so, now, in the past yr i'm having these episodes more and more frequently and i feel like when i'm in the midst of them, if i panic or get even more worked up then when the aura started it gets worse by the minute. I can literally see/feel an aura start and then almost control how bad it gets based on whether or not I get more worked up or make a very concerted effort to remain calm...PLEASE let me know if this happens to anyone else? I'd really like to be able to speak (seriously) with someone with similar story bc I'm actually very scared despite the candor...many thanks... -Shelley
Hi Shelley,
I'm sorry you've been feeling poorly, and can understand how scary these attacks can be. You've found the right place to come for information and support. Let's see what I can provide you to help.
Migraine with aura can have many of the symptoms you describe and more. These include but are not limited to; visual issues, facial and limb numbness and tingling, nausea and/or vomiting, mood changes, stomach distress, irritability, nasal congestion, watery eyes and more. These two articles have information on some of the symtpoms that may occur during an attack; https://migraine.com/migraine-types/migraine-typical-aura/ and https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-is-more-than-a-headache-the-many-symptoms-of-migraine/.
Many of us go for many years before we get an accurate diagnosis, which prolongs treatment and can make things worse. Once we have a proper diagnosis we can get the correct treatment and learn all we can about our particular type of migraine and/or headache disorder. We have information on how important this is here in these two links; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-management-essential-diagnosis-and-doctors/ and https://migraine.com/blog/how-long-did-it-take-for-you-to-get-your-migraine-diagnosis/.
I'd like to share this information on Hemiplegic migraine, a rare form of migraine disease; https://migraine.com/migraine-types/familial-hemiplegic-migraine/.
I've given you lots of information, so I'm going to stop now so I don't totally overwhelm you.
Let me know if you have questions,
Nancy
