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Migraine Headache
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Posted 7/29/2010 8:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi.  I am new to this site and so grateful I found it!  My daughter is 19 years old has at least 3 migraines per month. I know this does not sound like many, however, if these migraines are not gotten under control quickly she becomes confused, paranoid, and sometimes very physically combative.  She cries uncontrollably and I just don't understand how she can scream and holler if her head hurts so much.  The only good thing is that she never remembers these episodes.  She has had 4 since January 2010, the most recent being last night.  Somehow she hurt her face and was screaming that I did that to her.  When she awoke this morning she had a huge scab, like a brushburn, on her cheek.  She has no idea how it got there.  She did not go to work today because she was physically exhausted from this episode, as she is with all the others.  When she was 16 she had a seizure and the doctors put her on Lamictal.  Seems to be ok.  Then January 2010, she had a complete meltdown, paranoia, disoriented, violent.  The doctors added Atenelol (blood pressure medicine) and Lexapro (anti-depressant).  They worked at first, but now she has had two episodes since adding these new medications.  We have been to several neurologists and Headache Centers.  Our next trip is to Cornell University in two weeks.  We are really struggling and she is losing hope fast.  Has anyone ever experienced this with an uncontrolable migraine?  Any suggestions?
Posted 7/29/2010 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
Migraines can be caused by many things. Food, drinks, allergies, air quaility, detergents, soaps, odors, perfumes, even health problems like heart problems, neurological, orbital, side effects from medications, etc. Start writing everything down that she eats, drinks, puts on (like perfumes) daily. Look for commmon traits like milk every day. Eliminate one hting at a time in a 2 week segement. She can even have something mentally where she has like a split personality, you just dont know til all the tests are complete. In rare circumstances, it can be something like a tumor. A MRI can reveal if that is even an option. Some people can even just get them because of something wrong in the wiring of their brain. So keep us posted :) Feel free to ask anything.
Posted 7/30/2010 1:19 PM (GMT 0)
Smurfy Shadow:  Thank you for your great advice.  I will track the perfumes and things.  We are currently tracking food.  Thank you again.
Posted 8/2/2010 3:51 AM (GMT 0)
Has she been to a psychiatrist? I don't see how migraines would make someone lose memory, become paranoid, etc.
Maybe it's some bizarre allergic reaction to something, but good luck!
Posted 8/2/2010 8:35 AM (GMT 0)
If anxiety is severe enough a person can lose memory. Depending of situations, perhaps a migraine causes anxiety or anxiety triggering a migraine could be very likely in your daughters case. Sorry I did not think of it earlier, headaches made a comment about physic and that triggered my memory for more issues. I actually have a friend, we will call her Elmo, who suffers from severe anxiety off and on. Anyhow recently Elmo had a severe enough attack where she passed out and hit her head as falling, quit breathing and I started mouth to mouth, and afterwards she had a splitting migraine. Elmo also has depression and her medication doesnt really help her. I just thought I'd mention this, as headaches triggered this memory of my Elmo. It may or not be the case with your daughter. Ask your doctor if it could be posisble.
Posted 8/2/2010 7:17 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the great replies.  We actually saw a psychiatrist in January when she had her first real meltdown.  They put her on an anti-depressant but that was it.  We are going to New York in a couple of weeks to see more doctors.  Hopefully, we will get some answers.  thanks again!!
Posted 8/4/2010 6:14 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

So sorry to hear what your daughter is going through, it is very tough for both of you. Please bear with me as I am in the UK, but I do know of an extremely good Headache Specialist who is well worth making the effort to travel to see, he is Professor Peter Goadsby at Headache Group, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco.

Now I do not know where you are in relation to him but if you are able to get to see him he will not stop until he gets to the bottom of your daughters problems. Prof Goadsby diagnosed me in 2007 after 20+ years of misdiagnosis and I have gone from strength to strength since!! Not all of it has been easy but I have a lot to thank that man for.

I would not normally recommend a particular Doctor, but this guys specialises in Headache especially rare ones - who better????

Hope this helps, take care

Ann
Posted 8/4/2010 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
Hi!

Just reading your post and it reminds me slightly of how my seizures use to be. I have temporal lobe epilepsy and I use to cry and become confused, hit out at people and start walking on the spot. I never had any memory of the seizure afterwards. I had a 24 hour EEG which showed all this up. Getting a headaches or fuzzy feeling in the head could be to do with epilepsy, especially since your daughter has had a seizure in the past.

Maybe a EEg might help. Like you said, when I get a migraine I don't think I could shout from the sheer pain, so maybe it's something else. Good luck, really hope your daughter feels better asap.
Posted 8/4/2010 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the great advice about CA doctor.  We are actually heading to New York in a couple of weeks to see a neurologist and a seizure specialist at Cornell.  Very scared, but I really need to get to the bottom of this for her.  She is only 19 and should be enjoying life instead of wondering where the next headache is coming from.  I will also ask about the epilepsy.  We are having an EEG when we are in NY as well.  Thanks again for the great info.
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