Posted 2/20/2007 7:40 AM (GMT -7)
Hello! Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, hope your medicine is helping.
I was diagnosed with hemiplegic migraines last year. Last May I was at work and my entire right side went completely numb. I was taken to the hospital where they diagnosed me with having a stroke. I was only 29, I don't smoke, no hypertension, no diabetes, etc. so that dx was a little hard for me to swallow. It ended up happening again the next day and after a complete battery of tests, they decided that it was probably hemiplegic migraines. I was put on topamax and aspirin, which helped for a while, but then I started having the episodes daily again. I would also have some periods of aphasia, where I couldn't talk or think clearly. It was hard to work and just go about my day when I wasn't sure when the next bout of half-side paralysis would start. I went to a neurologist who specializes in migraines and she made the official diagnosis and started me on verapamil. The medication has been great. She started me out on 40 mg and I have worked my way up to 180 mg, based on how the dosage was working. I would still have occasional episodes while on the lower doseages, but they were extremely mild. Just weakness in my right arm and cheek. Definitely tolerable!
I still find it odd that I have a migraine disorder when I have never even had a typical migraine, with pain in my head. My neurologist said that what I have experienced is the actual migraine aura and that at some point I may get the pain associated with migraines, but I haven't had that yet. (thank goodness) My mother has typical migraines on occasion, but nobody else in my family suffers from them, much less the hemiplegic kind. I'm worried about my children getting them when they get older, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there and at least I'll know what we're dealing with.
Hope you're doing ok!