The Mystery of My Migraines

I was grocery shopping when my right hand suddenly became numb. It was one of the first unusual migraine symptoms I would later look back on, though at the time, I had no idea what was happening. I figured I must have held the grocery cart handle in a way that pinched a nerve. Within a short time, the feeling returned to my hand, and I forgot all about the incident.

The second episode

While visiting my sister out of state, I developed stomach pain and felt quite ill. Once again, my right hand became numb, and the numbness spread up my arm. We had gone to a restaurant the night before, so we assumed the fish I had eaten must have made me sick. The rural area where my sister lived had no emergency facilities, so two days went by. Eventually, I recovered, assuming my body had overcome whatever bug had made me ill.

Facial pain

One day, while my sister and I were traveling, we drove to a grocery store. I began experiencing pain on the right side of my face. It felt like the neuralgia I had experienced as a child. My face was extremely sensitive, I had ear pain, and my entire head hurt when touched. Once inside the store, I suddenly felt very ill and had to lean on a food stand for support. I needed an electric cart to get back out to the car.

An unexpected diagnosis

After returning home, I met with my general practitioner. She was a migraine sufferer herself and diagnosed me with either Ménière’s disease, an ear problem, or a migraine. "Migraine?" I said. "But that’s a headache." She explained that migraines do not always involve a headache.

My Migraine experience

This was just the beginning. Over the past eight years or so, I have experienced many migraine attacks with a wide variety of symptoms. These include vomiting, body, neck, eye, joint, and head pain, light sensitivity, ocular symptoms, nausea, numbness down the right side of my body, yawning, head and foot paralysis, aura, and an inability to speak or write legibly. At times, my mouth feels as though I have had a shot of Novocain.

Treatment attemps

I have been twice for suspected strokes and have seen six different neurologists. I have been prescribed approximately six different medications, some of which made me feel even worse.

The changing pattern

I currently see a neurologist affiliated with a major Philadelphia hospital. Over the years, my symptoms have changed and vary considerably. Occasionally, I can go a few weeks without any symptoms, but eventually, they return in different forms and with varying levels of intensity.

So far, I have found little that provides lasting prevention or relief.