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My Symptoms - Please read

Forgive me for the length below, felt this was the best way to see if someone else has experienced what I have/am.
I have been to numerous doctors with varying opinions but none seem to have a solution or accurate diagnosis.

I thank you in advance for any input/feedback you wish to share.

For as long as I can remember I haven’t been able to sleep at night – wake up more tired than the night before – mind races before bed and when I wake up in the night

October 2010 - vision went spotty, waves and colors, followed by numb hand and wrist for 10
minutes then moved to lip and nose then pounding headache – went to ER –
migraine was diagnosis - felt ok the next day

September 2012 - had the same experience happen but this time the vision problems, dizziness,
out of sorts cloudy feeling didn’t go away (still remains to this day) – seems to be aggravated by light changes, bright lights, poor lighting and looking at the computer for hours – although sometimes just walking around causes it – have this on a daily basis to some extent

Early December 2012 - was out to dinner with friends and felt like I was going to choke – coughed
food back up into my mouth – experienced shaking, panic of almost choking and racing heart – was fine the next day

Christmas 2012 - had this same experience 2x and haven’t been able to eat solid foods since - when I attempt to eat – I am so focused on every chew and bite, coupled with
the though of choking in my mind it makes it impossible to eat solids – when I sense a problem I have a quick 5 second moment of panic which stops me from continuing

- started taking some valium around this time (5mg – 10mg) which helped me sleep at first and controlled the physical symptoms above for the most part

March 2013 - stopped taking Valium and symptoms returned with a fury making it
impossible to function as the dizziness / foggy feelings were out of control

August 2013 - began taking Lexapro (5mg – 20mg) currently on 5mg – controlled my
symptoms once again for the most part but made it harder to sleep and left me feeling very cloudy and having memory problems – short and long term

February 2014 - began taking .5 mg Ativan (still taking) to help sleep, novelty has worn off
and still experience foggy/dizzy/eye problems / memory problems/weak hands
and coordination

Mid May 2014
- went to have an MRI – after leaving eyes couldn’t focus, hand numb, nose and mouth numb and pounding headache
- next day didn’t feel normal and have been having eye focus problems

I realize some of these symptoms don't relate to migraines, simply wanted to lay it all out.
I've had about 8 of these migraines the last 2.5 months, some come out of nowhere, some I feel are triggered by bright lights and possibly related to neck problems, as I sometimes suffer these attacks a day after having neck treatments.

I'm hoping that someone might be able to relate to this, mostly residual effects of the migraine itself:

vision seems to be brighter than it should sometimes when reading or just walking around
hard to focus
mind is foggy
hand and feet feel tense at times
neck pain
overall sense of being off balance - light headed

thanks again
timothy

  1. Hi Timothy,

    I'm sorry you are experiencing these disorienting and painful symptoms. Of course, as we aren't doctors and cannot diagnose you, I can't say for sure if this is all migraine related or not, but some of it sure sounds like it is. For example, it is very common for migraine to be triggered by bright lights, and often we become sensitive to light during an attack: https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-symptoms-photophobia-sensitivity-to-light/
    Also many get triggered by neck pain, and it's common to have visual disturbances (aura), brain fog, neck pain, etc.

    Sleep issues can tie into migraines, and if you're having trouble sleeping perhaps that is triggering them for you too. Here are some tips for falling asleep: https://migraine.com/blog/10-tips-quiet-mind-sleep/

    Trouble swallowing isn't normally associated with migraine, but I did find information on a related condition called "Arnold Chiari Malformation" that can include that as a symptom: https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-comorbidities-arnold-chiari-malformations/ Trouble swallowing can also be a side effect of a medication.

    Have you been able to see a headache specialist to talk about these symptoms?

    Hope this helps,
    Lisa

    Lisa

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