Stroke, Tia or Hemiplegic Migraine?

Hi Dan

Thank you so much. Sorry to hear you get these too. I wondered if mine was caused by medication, so have spent the best part of a year coming off them and didnt have a migraine for most of this year until recently. Now its constant. Did you mean private message? that would be great to speak to a fellow survivor.

I've been on 5 sorts of different tablets the last one's where epilepsy tablets not took any of them for probably 8 months now as did nothing. My first attack happened 5 years ago this coming January with right hand side going weak to the point of collapsing and loss of speech. I still have them regular now but not as often as 2 years ago and have memory loss and still get slurred speech. I get attacks in shops by the lighting and noise and get quite a few in my sleep which leaves me drained also i'm not half as strong as i used to be.

I have a yearly appointment with my neurologist tomorrow so good chance i will be signed off by him and forgot about.

Good luck tomorrow. Doctor has signed me off work, still have tingling, numbness down my rightside and arm a bit weak. Feel shattered. Its been two days, have pressure and tingling rightside of head, does it last this long with you?

I cant cope with noise and lights either.

Hi Dan I went into hospital today and was given an emergency ct scan and bloods all came back clear thank god. I am now being tested for MS. They said I am getting Hemiplegic cluster migraines which are difficult to distinguish from a stroke, so could not tell me how to work out difference and said that they would assume its a stroke until tests prove otherwise. Not helpful for me as it would mean I would need regular ct scans, and they advised me to go on meds to control attacks. they also said that the continued numbness and weakness down rightside is another condition hence ms check. Am not convinced what are your thoughts on this .,? hope everything went well with your neuro appointment.

Hi Paula, went better than i thought with the consultant i expected to be signed off but completely the opposite. He has booked me in for another mri scan as the last one was showing white matter and slight vessel damage which the ones in the past have not shown. My last mri was just over a year ago so he wants to see if it has increased and also have to have another memory test which is abit of a bore as last 5 hours. Yours symptons are pretty much same as mine and something i've realised i just have to put up with, tbh i feel quite weak constantly and sometimes it makes you feel like you are in your own little world don't know if it makes you feel like that.

Yes, I do feel very much in my own world at times, infact, I have zoning out times and people have to get my attention.

I do not feel the doctors hear anything I say either, and my family and friends keep telling me to stop refusing meds, no-one gets any of this. I am going cold turkey on my last med tonight, and then will see what I am left with.

Its good they are checking your white matter, just to rule out MS. Have never had a memory test, have learnt how to work around memory issues, and given up remembering peoples names lol.

Its mad unless you are going through it friends and family will never know what you are going through and it can make you feel that nobody understands you to the point it gets annoying

I get frustrated with people and keep telling them to trust me as I know my body better than anyone including the doctors. I discharged myself because I don't want to be drugged up and want to see what symptoms I am left with, that sounds logical to me. I am sick to death of side effects from meds.

Hi Paula

Just a message to see how you are feeling now

Dan

Hello Dan

Thank you for your message. I went cold turkey off citalopram which has caused lots of migraine aura's. I saw my doctor today and we are keeping me med free and once my withdrawals are over will see what symptoms I am left with, with regards to these scary migraines.

How have you been Dan?

Withdrawal is hell, I do not advise anyone to go cold turkey off meds, I had too, due to scary symptoms/side effects.

hi there!!! how did you get them to scan you?? im highly concerned about tia or stroke. Ive been having terrible headaches and numbness in my right hand and right leg. went to a&e but didn't scan me and said if it was stroke, Id have more neaurogical symptoms!! im desperate for help!!

Hi Christine,

I have had the same problems that you are facing at A & E. They scanned me this time because my face dropped too in addition to my other symptoms (which can happen with hemiplegia), otherwise they do not scan. I asked them at the hospital how to work out if I am having a stroke or a hemi migraine and the doctor said to me that they assume its a stroke until they have done the tests, and I always pass the neuro tests, apart from the slurring of words and stumbling. A close friend of mine, has had three strokes, (thankfully she is ok) and she has recently given me tips on working out the difference, and the biggest difference with regards to a stroke and my symptoms, is I can still grip with my numb/tingling side, even though its weaker I can grip. I also do the F.A.S.T test and I have always been able to raise both arms without one dropping, even though it is weaker. Even so, its so scary, and I am worried that I will stop worrying and will end up having a stroke and think its a hemi migraine. So will always be vigilant. My neurologist said that if my aura lasts more than an hour go to the hospital, so I now time them and the worst is over in approx an hour does depend, but then it takes a week or so to fully recover, and the numbness/tingling stays around a long time.

After a hemi migraine the tiredness is disabling..........its all so similar to strokes, but the cause is different. I have been passed a telephone number of a specialist who knows alot of about these migraines he is based in London, if you would like his details, feel free to private message me.

hi hi thank you for your reply back. I tried private messaging you but I didn't find out how to do it. yeah it is scary and I actually fumbled to get words out about 10 minutes ago but I got myself together. so your migraines also cause you to have slurred speech and also numbness? Yes it's quite scary I'm going to go see my primary doctor today so I could put my mind at ease. the doctors keep saying that if it was a stroke or even a mini stroke that symptoms wouldn't just disappear they would progressively get worse and I've had these headaches for weeks now

i will private message you. Re headaches, I had almost daily ones for four years, worst one lasted nearly 3 months where I couldnt function properly or work. my neurologist told me that if I had a tia, the symptoms disappear quickly, unfortunately it doesnt surprise me anymore to hear of doctors saying different things.

Hi Dan, I am nearly 6 weeks medication free, and all my headaches and hemi migraines have disappeared. Fingers crossed, that they stay away, time will tell if it was the meds or not. How have you been?

How do you "work around" memory issues? My stroke was 8 years ago, and my memory is worsening. I'm interested in any tips people have, as I have lost all faith in the Quacks! I can't see how going for a memory test will be of much use. Do you know the Prime Ministers name? who cares! Who was Queen in 1706? What worries me is not knowing the names of my children, or grandchildren. What brand of coffee should I ask for?