medical question

[Elaine]

I have a question about something that happened to me on the plane ride home the other day...just wondering if anyone has ever experienced anything like this

I suffer from (what I think are) migranes...everyonce in awhile that is!! I went to the hospital for it once and they couldn't figure out what it was....so I can only assume it's migranes...well, before we got on the plane...my vision started to blur...I figured it was just a migrane so I took some "Alieve" we got on the plane and I was just sitting there with my eyes closed relaxing, (the spots were still in front of my eyes)...and all of the sudden my right hand, left foot and part of my face (like from the right side of my lip up to right next to my nose) became numb...this has never happened to me before....does that happen with migranes?? I didn't tell my husband about this cuz we were on a plane and there was nothing I could really do about it...he gets really panicky so I decided to leave it alone! Was this a bad move?? It only lasted a short period of time and I haven't felt it since...do you think I should be concerned, should I find a dr.? or is this just a symptom of a migrane I've never felt before? Any help would be appreciated!! Thanks a bunch...Elaine

[MistOfTheSea86]

You should see a doctor. What a migraine does is dialate you viens in your brain theoritically. And puts constriction to certain parts of your body. Which could explain your vision. But what you described sounds more like a stroke or something else. Not to try to scare you, but from what I heard things like that happen from something other than a migraine, but it also could be one. Well my two cents you should really see a doctor. When something like this happens you should do nothing but.

[Mairwen]

I agree with Mist. What you described sounds like a minor stroke.

[Lavender]

Go see the doctor, Elaine! I agree with Mist & Mairwen. It may or may not be a minor stroke but you do want to get it check ASAP!

[EasternPriest]

Head for the doctor, preferably a neurologist. What you describe could be a type of migraine or cluster headache, or it could be a "mini-stroke", T.I.A., or growth...Either way..it needs to be checked out.


Prayers and Blessings......

[MistOfTheSea86]

Poor Elaine, don't let what all they say scare you. The odds of it being that serious are not that large, but they are just trying to help and warn you. I agree with them, but I think that they scared ya a bit. But no worries it'll probably be not that serious dont get me wrong it was serious but probably not that. You have all my blessings.

[Elaine]

the only reason I wasn't thinking minor stroke was a few reasons....#1 It was gone after just a little bit...#2 I haven't had the problem since #3 I'm only 22....maybe it was naive of me to think that something like that can't happen to someone my age...all I'm saying is that that was my thinking....if it was a minor stroke wouldn't I have things wrong with me afterwards?? I've never really known anyone that's had a stroke...(other than my dog when I was younger) I don't really know what they do and if it's possible to be completely fine after having one with no medical attention!! The weirdest thing about it is that my psychic has been telling my husband and I for some time that I should see a dr. she keeps saying that something's wrong with me....and until the other night I was completely fine....since the other night I've been completely fine...

I'm not gonna lie and say that the things you guys were saying aren't scarey....but I really appreciate the advise and the honesty in your replies....maybe I should sit down and have a talk with my mother-in-law and my husband (my mil is a nurse in an er) and see what they think....it's just so hard with my husband....he suffers from panic attacks and doesn't handle things too well, especially when it comes to me being sick....I guess it's better to do something about it though instead of letting it make me worse!! Thanks again....Elaine:)

[Mairwen]

If you've not been "fine" since, then you really should see an md. If it was a stroke, things could be wrong that aren't immediately obvious to you. Sometimes they come and go and people don't know they've occured ~ and have lasting results.

[Merrie]

I agree, see a doctor, just to check. It could be nothing, but it could be something, and it's best to find out sooner rather than later.
High hopes that this is nothing!

[Amethyst Rose]

Originally posted by Elaine
the only reason I wasn't thinking minor stroke was a few reasons....#1 It was gone after just a little bit...#2 I haven't had the problem since #3 I'm only 22....maybe it was naive of me to think that something like that can't happen to someone my age...all I'm saying is that that was my thinking....if it was a minor stroke wouldn't I have things wrong with me afterwards??

#1. minor strokes don't typically last for very long.
#2. there's no telling if a person who has a stroke once will have another one.
#3. your age has nothing to do with it. Granted, it's rare for a young person to have a stroke, but it DOES happen. And it is because these people are so young that they think they couldn't possibly have had a stroke, and they just end up getting sicker and siker. If it was a MINOR stroke there would be little to no lasting effects. Only major strokes cause damage serious enough to notice.

That said, I really don't want to worry you, I just wanted to pass on some of the information I have. A stroke is a blocked blood vessel in the brain. Blood can't get through, and part of the brain gets starved for oxygen. Hence, losing feeling in one side of your body and blured vision, -- loss of speach/comprehension and paralysis are major symptoms.

There could be a lot of different things that are wrong with you, all of them having to do with the brain. Therefore, it is serious. Please get this checked out before it gets anything worse.

[threenorns]

your husband is like mine, so do like i do: don't tell him jack-$.

if i know mine is going to get all phreaked out, i just go ahead and get whatever it is done, then inform him afterward IF he has to know. when i was pregnant, i kept it quiet while i worked out what to do (he's 41, i'm 34, between us we've already got four kids ranging from 12 to 20, so this was NOT an easy time for me). two days after it was confirmed, i miscarried in the middle of the night. again, i kept quiet and told him i had to go in to the hospital because "you know how i get when my periods are this bad". knowing i've a history of iron-deficiency anaemia, he bought it, but it was close.

after the doctor told me it was over and i was fine, i wouldn't have said a word to my hubbie about it, but the nurse blabbed and i had to spend a few hours calming him down, instead, which was SO not what i needed at that time.

in spite of what harlequin tells you, a good relationship is NOT based on 100% honesty -- it's based on each disclosing only what he or she thinks the other can handle.

leave your hubbie and your mother-in-law out of it. go to the doctor, get all the tests done (PLEASE include an MRI, a CAT, and an EEG), and if everything's fine, don't mention it: your improved mood and cheerful demeanor will tell him all he needs to know. if something's wrong, determine if you should tell him now or after it's fixed.

life's just easier that way.

[MistOfTheSea86]

A relationship that is made up of fear becomes no longer love but an obligation.

[Semele]

Ok I am a nurse but not speaking as one right now!!...just a little disclaimer ya know...don't wanna open any legally binding contracts!!!8O

I have suffered from migraines since I was 10 years old. They started when I began puberty and have for the most part stopped except for the occasional doozie. Mine always started with numbness and tingling in one hand and spread to my entire body on one side. Including my face and tongue. I had tunnel vision and nausea. This all precluded the pain. It would last about 20 minutes and then the pain kicks in...and oh what pain it is!!! Sometimes the numbness went away when the pain came...some times it didn't. I learned that when the numbness started I had about 20 minutes to get home and in bed because soon i wouldn't be able to function.

As a nurse I know that these are the exact symptoms of T.I.A's which are transient ischemic attacks or mini strokes. However they are also very common symptoms of migraines. My Uncle and a cousin also suffer from them with the same symptoms. Not telling you not to see your doc....just don't start panicking and really give yourself a stroke!!! There are a lot of new therapies for migraines availiable now....most seem to be variable, meaning what works for one may not work for all. Just see your doc...especially if this is a common occurence.

One more thing that used to happen to me....I used to get confused. I would try to say something and something totally different would pop out of my mouth. Also my own voice sounded funny to me. I have seen over 10 different neurologists before I was 18 and they all came up with the same conclusion...Migraines.

Good luck to you!!!

[Wyrdsister]

Please keep us updated Elaine! As you can tell we are all concerned about you :) :) and I'd be interested to hear what the doctor says. I suffer from migraines and, although everyone's migraines are different, I haven't experienced numbness before.

My mom works with a woman whose worst migraines leave her unable to speak coherently or even count to ten! She has regular check ups with her doctor to make sure she isn't getting worse.

But please give us an update after you see your doctor! We're all thinking of you. :)

Wyrdsister

[threenorns]

oh, there's no fear in it -- he's just lived in the same 25-mile diameter all of his life and has had a relatively easy time of it. i, on the other hand, have been put through the mill and can tolerate far higher levels of stress than he can.

therefore, i just don't tell him anything -- he freaks out and panics and ends up completely useless, paralyzed by indecision and fear. it's rather like having another kid around the house and yes, sometimes i wish i was with someone who can keep up with me and shoulder more of the emotional burden when dealing with an exceptional child, but there it is: he's a good man and it's not his fault his life didn't prepare him for me, lol!

[Elaine]

again, thank you all for your concern!! Thanks so much Semele for your opinion...it's nice to hear that it's possible that it's nothing:) I just don't know what to do....I still owe money for my breast surgery that I had a while back....the insurance just now decided to cover it...after a year and I don't know how I can get it onto the insurance and pay the copays without him knowing...I will have to tell him if I go...I'm just worried about worrying him
and I"m also worried that they won't be able to tell what's wrong cuz it's been so long since it happened....I HAVE been fine since then....perfectly fine actually....I'm just kinda confused about this...maybe once he's in a loving mood I'll talk to him about it and see what we should do!! thanks again everyone....I'll keep you updated on what I decide to do and if it happens again Elaine

[EasternPriest]

Originally posted by MistOfTheSea86
Poor Elaine, don't let what all they say scare you. The odds of it being that serious are not that large, but they are just trying to help and warn you. I agree with them, but I think that they scared ya a bit. But no worries it'll probably be not that serious dont get me wrong it was serious but probably not that. You have all my blessings.

I would be interested in knowing what medical knowledge this opinion in based on....particularly, what the odds are that are hinted at.

[MistOfTheSea86]

Elaine I am sorry If I misled you to believing it could be nothing. It very well could be something, but it can also could be nothing keep that in mind.

[Elaine]

hehe:) I wasn't expecting actual medical opinions from anyone:) I was just looking for experiences and such!! no one has led me to believe either way....I do think for myself:) (that WAS meant as jking around...if it came off as rude it wasn't meant to) I am aware that it could be somthing or nothing...I think that's obvious...:D *HUGS* to all:) Elaine:)