Hemiplegic Migraine

What do all these symptoms have in common?

Muscle weakness on one side of your body.

Vision changes (blind spots, flashing lights, zig-zag patterns, double vision).

Numbness or tingling sensations in your face, arms and legs.

Difficulty with speech.

Fatigue.

Confusion.

These are the symptoms of hemiplegic migraine that I have been dealing with for over 20 years and in particular, in the last two weeks...

Hemiplegic migraines can affect your muscles, speech and vision in ways other types of migraines don’t. The symptoms can last for a few hours to days and rarely can last up to four weeks. The symptoms resolve completely in a majority of the cases.

You’ll know you’re having a hemiplegic migraine after you lift both arms over your head. One of your arms will likely feel heavy and be more difficult to raise and keep upright than the other. You will probably lose all motor control in your body (for me it's from head to toe on my left side), you'll be unable to speak, or slur your words, feel disorientated and confused and want to sleep for days...

www.migraine.org.au has more information on Hemiplegic Migraine and the other subtypes of Migraine and next time you hear someone say they have a migraine, remember...IT'S NOT JUST A HEADACHE!!

It is a day to day reality for people in the world...just like me!

This is exactly what I, and countless others, do everyday - we put up a ‘public persona’ to hide what we’re truly going through. We pretend that we aren’t: in #AGONY or #depressed or #exhausted or #anxious . We pretend because we are #scared of how others would treat us if they really know what we were going through. The thing is though, by pretending we are something we’re not, we are giving ourselves more #Stress but also denying someone the opportunity to help us deal with the things that are really going on in our lives.
#itsokaynottobeokay #itsoktoneedhelp #ChronicIllness #chronicillnessawareness #ChronicPain #chronicpainawareness #mentalhealthmatters #MentalHealth #MensMentalHealth #CollegeMentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #Disability #IntellectualDisability #DevelopmentalDisability #InvisibleDisability #disabilityawareness #invisibleillnessawareness #FunctionalNeurologicalDisorder #FND #FNDAwareness #JointHypermobilitySyndrome #ChronicMigraineSyndrome #ChronicVestibularMigraine #HemiplegicMigraine #Migraine #BipolarDepression #ChronicDepression #Depression #ChronicFatigue #Anxiety #SensoryProcessingDisorder #BrainFog #PanicAttacks #PanicDisorder #notalone #BeYourself

I just spoke with my neurologist letting him know that hemiplegic migraine and dystonia were tolerable this month till it wasn’t! A few hours after discussing supplements, etc, I sit in my sofa ready to unwind and watch a little TV. Out of the blue, I felt off, my left side got heavy and was unable to move. My face drooped and was unable to talk.

After a few days of good health, I got struck with hemiplegic migraine again which led to another dystonia attack! Boy, these things always take me by surprise, but my dog, Rondo is always ready to be by my side.💜

#ChronicMigraineSyndrome #IntractableMigraine #CervicalDystonia #DopaResponsiveDystonia #HemiplegicMigraine

I have a very firm belief that chronic pain changes the entire landscape of friendship in ways that no one can fathom until they themselves become that chronic pain patient.

In my experience, a condition like migraine inherently makes people like me less reliable and less communicative — but neither has been my choice. I know in my soul that I’m still worthy of connection, of love, of support.

Here are my top three qualities that I’m looking for in a friend these days:

💛 Patience
💖 The ability to sit with harsh truths
❤️ Thoughtfulness

What about you?

🎙️ P.S. A few Mighty staffers sat down with me to explore this concept in this week’s newest Table Talk episode! I hope you give it a listen: anchor.fm/mighty-table-talk/episodes/Getting-to-the-Heart-of...

#mightywithmigraine #Migraine #HemiplegicMigraine #Fibromyalgia #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Disability #RareDisease

You may have seen actress Tori Spelling speak about her daughter Stella’s recent stint in the emergency room. Stella was discharged with a diagnosis of hemiplegic migraine, a rare type of migraine that causes symptoms similar to those of a stroke.

While I do not have hemiplegic migraine, I have experienced migraine attacks that caused me to slur my speech, become quite confused, and feel weak on one side of my body — on top of all my usual symptoms. Needless to say, these symptoms are a bit terrifying when they occur and usually put me in the ER.

Have you or anyone else you know experienced a hemiplegic migraine attack? What was it like?

P.S. To learn more about hemiplegic migraine from a Mighty who lives with the condition, check out this story: When Hemiplegic Migraine Sent Me to the Emergency Room

#Migraine #HemiplegicMigraine #RareDisease #ChronicIllness #CheckInWithMe