I have a form of Migraine called Hemiplegic Migraines.
What is hemiplegic migraine?
Hemiplegic migraine is referred to as a “migraine variant”. The word hemiplegic simply means paralysis on one side of the body. A person with hemiplegic migraine will experience a temporary weakness on one side of their body as part of their migraine attack. This can involve the face, arm or leg and be accompanied by numbness, or pins and needles. The person may experience speech difficulties, vision problems or confusion. This can be a frightening experience for the individual as these symptoms are similar to those of a stroke. This weakness may last from one hour to several days, but usually it goes within 24 hours. The head pain associated with migraine typically follows the weakness, but the headache may precede it or be absent." - The Migraine Trust
I usually get a pre-migraine headache or warning, which is when I take my Sumatriptan which is a migraine medication. Hemiplegic Migraines can be quite scary, both for me an other people. I hate loosing control of my body and speech and the pain can become unbearable at times - every tiny movement of my body is like a huge stab and I throw up (sorry TMI!) and the smallest noise or glimpse of light is horrendous. I've sort-of gotten use to attacks now, and have a good management plan though I'll never grow for of them that's of sure!
My Migraine go-to's are:
- Bed
- Forehead cooling pads
- Darkness - either wearing tinted lenses or an eye mask. My Dad also installed a dimmer switch in my room so I can have better control of the lighting.
- Medication including pain relief, anti-sickness and Sumatriptan
- A sick bowl *yuck*
- Lots of pillows to hold me in place, esp with my muscle weakness I find it hard to hold myself in a comfy position as I'm a bit floppy
- My Stickman Communications © cards
- Ear defenders to keep things nice and quiet
- A tumbler of juice to ensure I'm topped up with fluids
Migraine vs Headache video
Migraine Facts:
- 1 in 7 people suffer from Migraines
- People with Migraines experience on average of 13 attacks each year.
- A migraine can last for between 4 and 72 hours.
- Migraine affects twice as many women as they do men.
- There is no cure for migraines, only management of attacks.
- The exact cause of migraines is unknown, although they're thought to be the result of temporary changes in the chemicals, nerves and blood vessels in the brain.
- There are many possible migraine triggers that have been suggested, including hormonal, emotional, physical, dietary, environmental and medicinal factors.
- There are many different types of migraines.