basilar migraine symptoms
Read and learn more about basilar migraine symptoms. For more, visit the Migraine Headache website MyBrainPain.com
Q: Vague Symptoms, but “Normal” Test Results?
I am a long-time migraine sufferer w/ basilar migraine as well as PCOS, but for the past year or so I have had generalized joint pain (worst in my hips) of varying severities. Recently I have had shooting pain down my right arm to the pinkie and ring finger as well as pain in my legs and shoulder blades along with generalized fatigue and muscle pain. This week my throat has been quite sore, the lymph node in my left armpit hurts and my temp has been elevated- 99.4. My blood work came back normal- including my sedimentation rate- and I was negative for ANA. Today I had an MRI of my brain, neck and lumbar spine and all that came up was some scarring in the brain (neuro said that happens with severe migraine) and one degenerating disk. I am now taking amitriptyline at bed time and tramadol for pain. Any medical professionals with an opinion regarding what I’m dealing with? Blood tests seem to rule out Lupus, MRI rules out MS- Fibromyalgia? Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you
Oh, I forgot to mention that my thyroid levels came back normal as well. Really, on paper there appears to be nothing wrong with me- but everything hurts and I’m still getting at least one migraine a week.
The more research I do, the more I come up with CFID or Fibromyalgia- both of these are “diagnoses of exclusion” so how many more tests need to be run before I have an answer? With the swollen lymph nodes and sore throat, the neuro wants to check me for Epstein-Barr- will that be enough to point to CFIDs?
Sorry to ramble, but I have two small children and would like to actually be involved in raising them- my husband is wonderful, but I’m still their Mom, ya know?
A: hello,
I’m not yet a doctor, I’m a medical student.
I have absolutely no idea what you have. But I can try to explain some stuff that’s going on.
The shooting pain that affects your pinkie and ring finger is something affecting your ulnar nerve (which supplies these fingers). You might even find that on the ring finger the pain is localised to the pinkey side of it only. (This nerve is the one you hit when you hit your “funny bone”)
When I started reading it I thought it was SLE for sure! And then I got down to that line where you said ANA was negative so that’s a real curveball.
I would’ve also thought for sure that it was an inflammatory process but your ESR was normal.
So yeah, sorry I can’t be of any help, but I’m not going to take careless stabs in the dark (like saying it’s all due to the degenerating disc).
All I can recommend to you is that you write down all these symptoms you have and make sure you tell every one to the doctor.
The patient history is one of the most important aspects to a medical examination and resulting diagnosis.
Make sure you also mention your sore throat, fever, and enlarged lymph nodes and mention when they came on. Although it might all be connected, these symptoms could be an infection that has manifested independently of your other symptoms.
Also, think of your family’s medical history aswell. If your parents or siblings had any particular conditions.
UPDATE:
Please try not to worry too much. We have no idea what this is, so there’s no reason to assume the worse, it could really just be a simple infection like EBV as your doctor wants to check for.
Q: Migraine Types?
When I was 4 years old, I started getting weird migraines until I was 12 years old (the last one being the worst).
The symptoms are most similar to Basilar type with aura, but with a little twist: I lost the ability to understand and speak English (my native language).
When people would speak to me, I would think they were speaking jibberish… I would *try* to respond. Attempting to say something like “I don’t understand you” would come out as “Duck store over water” (just as an example…). In my head, I would think “Did that make sense? Did what I just think make sense? Did what I think about what I just thought make sense?”
Eventually, I wouldn’t even be able to respond non-sensically (I know that’s not a word). All I could do was hold my head and scream. Then I would kinda black out, fall asleep for 12 hours, and have a dull headache for 2 days afterwards.
Has anyone heard of this kind of experience with migraine before or what type it is?
Thanks in advance =)
A: that is odd i have never heard of aphasia being associated with migraines. I guess that could make sense because the Wernicke’s area or Broca’s area of could be affected.
I just asked my friend and he said migraines and other neurological disorders can cause transient aphasia.
Q: Does anyone know what this could be?
Late Saturday night, a friend starting acting weird. She was having movement disorders and said that she could not control them. Sunday was the same way. Just constantly moving and not being able to control arms from moving. I also noticed that she was exaggerating her speech to say words and has become very talkative. I have checked the net and these symptoms are seen in a variety of disorders like Tardive Dystonia, Wilson’s Disease, Basilar Artery migraines etc.
I don’t think she had TIA or stroke because she did not exhibit facial paralysis or pain on the appropriate side. I also checked the side effects of her meds. Has anyone every experienced this or know someone who has. I think she should see a doctor but she has been through so much this year already, and may decline. I even thought about a nervous breakdown.
A: For three months I was having uncontrollable twitches and electrical sensations all over my body. I went to the doctor he said come back if it got worse. I went back 6 times! He never did anything, than one Saturday it got really bad I told my husband I was going to go crazy, 1 hour later I had a Grand Mal seizure! I had been really feeling electrical problems and the twitches were warning me. a year later we are still trying to find out what is wrong. Please don’t leave her alone or let her drive. I was not breathing and had to be given CPR, if I was alone I probably would have died.
Q: Multiple Sclerosis or Chiari Malformation?
Patient 29 year old female. She is right-handed. History of migraines since age 6, often severe. However in recent couple years her migraines have begun to include partial paralysis and temporary blindness. In past, menses had triggered them, also MSG, intense light and red #40. Weight 208, Height 5′ 10″. Her migraines begin with blurred vision, then she will see “disco ball light show”. She then loses her vision. 15 minutes after this the headache begins, up to a 7 on pain scale. There is pulsation, photophobia, nausea and vomiting, phonophobia and prostration. Typically last 6 hours at worst several days. She has also had trouble concentrating and finding words. Vertigo now precedes the headache and continues independently.Burning sensation on right side and extreme tenderness in feet also independent of migraine. She has muscle jerks at night with a “surge of electricity” through out her body, compelling her to move. Moving alleviates sensation. In short she has intractable migraine. There is hemiplegia
CT scan w/o contrast. Axial images of head were obtained. The ventricles and sulci are age appropriate in size and configuration. There is no intracranial hemorrhage, extraaxial fluid collection, mass effect or midline shift. There is normal gray-white differentiation with no findings of edema or acute infarct. The paranasal sinuses and mastoid air cells are clear. There is no destructive bone lesion.
MRI with and without contrast:
Technique Multiplanar, multisequential images of brain were performed w and w/o contrast
Contrast 19 mL Omniscan
Comparison: the aforementioned head CT
FIndings: No midline shift or hydrocephalus. No evidence of acute infarction or parenchymal hemorrhage. No evidence of an expansile mass lesion or pathological postcontrast parenchymal enhancement. No significant volume loss. MILD CEREBELLAR TONSILLAR ECTOPIA ASSOCIATED WITH CROWDING AT THE FORAMEN MAGNUM. Basilar cisterns are otherwise patent. Orbits are grossly unremarkable. Major intracranial vascular flow voids are present.
In summary
1. Mild cerebrellar tonsillar ectopia.
2No. intracranial mass or acute infarction.
Her symptoms overlap with both afflictions, however the tonsillar ectopia inducing pressure on the foramen magnum suggests Chiari malformity.
If any doctors happen to stumble across this I’d love your opinion.
A: Defintely could be the chiari.
edit: What made you think MS? It never even mentions it in the MRI. It however, mentions cerebellar ectopia, which is arnold chiari.
