Migraines Without Headache

[LindaJoy]

I just saw Dr. Chelinsky last week, at Case Western, as part of a new dizzy clinic they're offering for those who pass out due to POTS or other problems. Interesting--not too helpful, but interesting.

Anyway, he said that he things I suffer from migraines, yet I don't get headaches that often. He said you can have a migraine without head pain. Anyone here ever hear of that? Do any of you do that? If you don't get head pain, what symptoms do you get with these migraines?

That just seems so weird to me, migraines with no head pain. Hmmmmm.....as I said above, interesting.

Gentle hugs,

Lindajoy

[runningshoe]

My husband has left side of the body tingly, numbness, and was told it was a migraine.

[JenniferInOhio]

Without other symptoms? I'd say he's stretching, but what do I know (I've heard of this, but I think it must be rare).

I do have the visual aura for 20 minutes and sometimes no headache at all, but I would think you'd have to have at least *some* symptom(s) like lina's husband.

[doctorguest]

Linda,

While I understand the hesitancy to accept the kind of information that may seem counterintuitive to you, I would not question the existence of such a phenomenon that your doctor described to you. Trusting a doctor can be difficult, especially if you had bad experience in the past - which I know you and others have had, but it become futile to even go to a doctor if there is always doubt and disbelief about their response to your problems. I just hope that you can eventually find a doctor whom you CAN trust, so that both of you can work towards better managing your symptoms.

[mkoven]

I have strange neurological symptoms that sometimes co-occur with a headache and sometimes not-- and they've been diagnosed as migraine. I usually get one-sided weakness/clumsiness, sometimes vertigo.

[maryfw]

I have heard of ocular migraines where you see the pretty lights without pain. Usually when I see the lights I have the most severe of migraines ever but ONE time I had the pretty lights and the migraine did not follow. Also I have been told that dizzy spells and vertigo can be a migraine without the pain but I think my dizzy spells and stuff are my POTS and not the other way around.

mary

if you are not having the pain along with it at least that is some good news.

[preacherswife]

I've absolutely heard of migraine without pain. Actually, migraine, from what I understand, isn't necessarily synonymous with "headache." It's the phenomenon that can cause dizziness, numbness, tingling, headache, etc. The worst migraine experience I ever had landed me in the hospital thinking I was having a stroke (and the doctors too) because I had right-side weakness, along with a droopy side of my face, but it was not a stroke. There was no pain until much later- after I left the hospital. My doctor at Mayo, having looked at the records from that day and the CT results, told me it was absolutely migranous episode.

[pat57]

this is Re with Doctorguest wrote.

During my cognitive therapy there was a issue called "group mindedness". Although there are many parts to it, the one that matters is.

"You and your Dr. form a group. The Dr. is the expert. Failure to accept the Drs. diagnosis is sabotage of your mental health." "Your mental health is your supreme goal".

There is much much more to this cognitive therapy. One is free to ask questions and seek another Dr. But at some point it is understood that the

patients sense of security and thereby mental health is effected if there is lack of trust between the Dr. and the patient.

I am going to say again there is much more to this issue. What I'm stressing is you will never feel safe (inwardly) until you do trust your/ a Dr.

[juliegee]

Hi Linda Joy-

I've had them with and without pain. I certainly prefer the ones without! My symptoms include flashing lights (sometimes) as an aura or warning, then left-sided weakness. I just feel really slow, numb, and, tingly on that side. Whenever I see a flash of lightning, I always ask "Did you see that?" If I'm the only one....I know a migraine's comin'.

Feel better!

Julie

[morgan617]

I don't believe they are that uncommon. I know two people who have the auras without the headache. My husband and son have the pain without the auras, but would switch in a heart beat.

On the trust issue, it's okay to disagree with a doctor, but it doesn't have to ruin the doctor/patient relationship. My pcp and I are like an old married couple, and we argue, but I trust him with my life.

I tell my doctor I will agree to disagree and we need to move on, and he will agree with that. You need to have a doctor you can be open with, but he/she also needs to be able to be open with you. There are migraines that do not cause pain, so it's not as though he was blowing you off, it was a legitimate diagnosis. We've all had those visits where we walk out wondering what the heck just happened, but this doesn't sound like one of those types of visits.

I hope you can get this worked out and find someone that you really can trust, even if you don't like what they say or disagree with it. Sometimes it's just a matter of time and more than one or two visits. I guess I'd be thrilled it was being called a real migraine, as opposed to psychogenic. If that doesn't come up in the first couple of visits, I find that to be a good sign....morgan

[mkoven]

I was diagnosed with migraine after stroke was ruled out. I think I'd had episodes before, but there was never an explanation, and the "stress" diagnosis was handed out. Not that anyone wants migraines, and to some extent, it seems they are a diagnosis of exclusion after more dangerous things are ruled out, they are not nothing. and the stress diagnosis never satisfied me.

Come to think of it, some of my first weird symptoms were when I was weaning off neurontin--again, strange one-sided weakness/numbness/clumsiness. I wonder if returning me to a non-neurontin state made my brain a little too excitable, hence the non-head-pain migraines.

[LindaJoy]

Thank you, everyone, for your input.

I do want to clarify something, though. This is the first time I've seen this particular doctor, so there is no relationship, yet. I was invited to this clinic via another doctor, so I went, mostly as a research subject. As far as the "diagnosis" of migraine, it was thrown out at the end of the visit, so there was no time to actually discuss it.

As I said here, I found it interesting, as I've never heard of it before, and when I hear something medically interesting, I like to talk with my friends about it.

Again, thank you, friends, for chiming in. I appreciate your sharing.

Lindajoy

[Maxine]

I was told by the same doc the lesions in my brain could be from "migraine". hmmmmmm

I don't have migraines. When I get headaches it's always at the base of my skull near my cervical/cranial instability, and if it's bad enough it will spread into the rest of my head and down my spine. Most of the time the headaches come with activity----sitting up to long, walking, ect.

I hope you know that if you feel a red flag go up, you have the right to running away as fast as you can from any doc you feel you can't trust.

HUGS,

Maxine :0)

[preacherswife]

I was also told by my neurologist at Mayo that the type of lesions I have on my brain could most certainly be from migraine. In fact, he said, "I'd be surprised if your MRI didn't show these lesions with your history of migraine."

[Mrs. Burschman]

Yep, I've heard/read the same thing about brain lesions because of migraines. I've had two brain MRIs (to rule out MS) and neither doctor said anything about lesions, but I do get migraines, so I wouldn't be surprised.

Amy

[yikespanic]

What kind of POTS symptoms does he think are caused by migrains? I had a very scarry episode a few years ago, I felt a funny feeling in my head, not a headache, and I got out of bed, went into the bathroom to get a drink and when I looked into the mirror the left side of my vision was all fuzzy and silvery colored. I totally freaked out and thought I was having a stroke. I woke my husband up and by the time I turned on the lights inthe bedroom both sides of my vision were like this and he called 911. by the time they got there it was beginning to go away. When I got to the emergency room and explained what happened the doctor said I had an occular migraine. THey don't have theusuall pain associated with migraines. Turns out we linked caffeine to the trigger and thank god it wasn't a stroke but it scarred me so badly. I know exactly what you mean by not trusting everthing every doc says. If I did I would have never been diagnosed with my POTS or my Lyme desease.

Kim