Dealing With Headaches

Yesterday’s post gave us a basic look at the two types of hemiplegic migraines (migraines with partial bodily paralysis, usually only on one side of the body). The cause of call migraines are mostly mysterious, but it is thought that genetics play a big part in hemiplegic migraines. A link from one of our readers touches on a theory that familiar hemiplegic migraines might be linked to cortisiol spredaing depression.

Obviously, something is going on in the brain that is darn uncomfortable. Since the brain doesn’t feel pain, the pain just merrily travels along the rest of the body in order to express itself.

No matter what causes hemiplegic migraines, the big question is — is it treatable?

Yes

Although it may take a little while to diagnose. The symptoms look and feel a lot like a stroke or epliepsy, so you will most likely be tested for those conditions before hemiplegic migraine. If other members in your family have hemiplegic migraine, then your doctor really needs to know this. This could be familial hemiplegic migraine.

The other kind — sporatic hemiplegic migraine — is a little more difficult to diagnose, but there is treatment for when it is finally diagnosed. Odds are, your regular doctor will have to send you to a specialist like a neurologist who will be able to help you better and quicker.

Both kinds tend to be treated with preventative medicines. These medicines are called abortive medicines, but don’t let the name get your worried — it has nothing to do with abortions. It just means stopping a migraine before it starts. These families of abortive medicines are called triptans and ergotomines. You might have to have regular heart tests to be sure that you’re not getting a bad reaction to the medicine.

There are also some pain medications which can help once the pain hits — however, if you are already taking the abortive medicines, then your choice of pain relief is more limited. Best go over your options with your doctor or specialist to be sure there won’t be any medicines that react badly to your preventatives.

Other preventatives getting some buzz are called a calcium channel blockers. The most recognizeable drug of calcium channel blockers is verapamil. There are a lot of precaustions with verapamil, so it’s not a drug your specialist will lightly let you take.

There is also a possiblilty that your neurologist or migraine specialist will put you on a combination of drugs, not just one or the other. Depending on yor circumstances, you may also be put on an anti-depressant, whether or not you are diagnosed with depression.

There Is Hope

Although I do not have hemiplegic migraines (knock on wood), from my research, it sounds like a pain that comes and goes, rather than a continuous pain. So, there are rest spells in between attacks. (Please feel free to reprimand me if I’m wrong!) The knowledge that my migraine attacks do have ending points does help me from aggravating the pain I’m currenly in. I survived one attack — I can survive another.

Fear and stress certainly can aggravate any migraine attack. Staying as calm as you can, with deep breathing, meditation, trying to think happy thoughts, mild massage — if it helps your body to relax, go for it. I find the sounds of my goldfish tank very relaxing, as well as the smell of peppermint. If you want to take herbs to help you relax, please discuss it with your doctor first to be sure the herbs won’t react badly with your vital prescription medicines. Relaxing your body and not panicing can help you float through a migraine attack rather than be dragged under with panic.

That being said, if you ever get a migraine that results in you being uncoordinalted or partialy paralysed, please call an ambulance or have somebody drive you to an emergency room, just on the off chance that you might be having stroke or an epliepsy attack.

These two posts only scratches the surface of a very complicated and rare form of migraines. Still, I hope it helps.