Diagnosis at last!

[tracey c]

I finally saw the neurologist last week and my diagnosis is chronic migraine and migraine related dizziness. He's prescribed pregabalin starting at 75mg working upto 300mg. Anxiety is a side effect of these conditions. For some reason my anxiety has reached a peak at the moment, I feel really 'on-edge' as if something awful is going to happen. I get the prescription today so will start taking the tablets tonight, I'm hoping they work really quickly as I can't take much more.
I've also got to stop smoking immediately as the Dr says having these conditions can increase the risk of stroke by 8 times!!! I've already had to stop caffeine and chocolet (can't have any of these for rest of my life!) So I don't know if the anxiety is higher because my crutch (smoking) has been taken away. I've got about 8 cigarettes left and thats going to have to be it - I can't start worrying about a stroke on top of everything else!
Anyone any tips for stopping (apart from sewing my lips up!!!)
Take care

[Horse]

I tried all the usual ways, patches, gum etc. What done it for me was having to go to A and E with cronic pain in my shoulder blade everytime I breathed in.
My own diagnosis was lung cancer (what else) but it turned out to be muscular. That was enough for me, I just stopped from then on.

I could quite easily have a smoke now, but I just think of that pain and it's enough to keep me off the stuff.

[Groundhog]

Hi
I have never smoked even though I come from a family of smokers but my sister has just stopped (on her fifth week) She has done it firstly, like you, after a lecture from her doc basically telling her she was at major risk of stroke/heart problems if she didn’t coupled with my father who died a couple of years ago with smoking associated cancer. She is doing it on patches and really has not found it too bad, she has smoked around twenty a day for thirty five years. She has also shed six stone in weight this year as not only was she a smoker she was also morbidly obese
She also put her fag (And chocolate/chrisps/sweets) money in a jar, I know it’s a bit of a cliché but she found watching the money tot up was a massive insentive, she has just bought herself a new plasma tele with the money saved this year.

[paula lynne]

Treat yourself with the money you save, and remind yourself you have done this best you can for your long term health, Im going to pack up after xmas. You can do it xxx

[Dizz]

Hi Tracey

Good that you have got a diagnosis for your problem although must be hard to know you have to stop smoking... but from what you have said I recon that is as good an incentive as you need 'will power' wise anyway.

Sorry I have no suggestions re how to stop smoking as I've still not managed to start to try to stop yet.... if that makes any sense.

Found your post very interesting though and if you don't mind me asking....

apart from the obvious symptoms associated with anxiety that your condition was causing..... when you say 'chronic migranes' do you mean you got sever head pain when you had them and what other symptoms did you get?

My reason for asking is that since March I have been back and too to the docs with what they have always written 'possible stress/anxiety' on my notes although never told me until last month.

Prior to March I was absolutely fine but now I just feel trapped in a body that seems to have a mind of it's own. Fine one minute.. awful the next... with no warning. I've had to pack my part time job in that I loved etc etc etc.

Strangely enough my 'symptoms' all started after a few episodes of 'swirling vision' over a couple of weeks which were simply diagnosed as that of migrane auras but without the headache. Never had them before in my life and although they subsided after a few weeks (and I had no obvious ones for around 6 months) I had a couple again last week. They scared the living daylights out of me at first as I had no idea what they are but I just ignore them if they happen now as they usually go after about 20 minutes.

I do get a fullness/pressure in my head and ears quite a lot and slightly fuzzy vision which accompanies other odd bodily wobbles and twinges which just happen out of the blue. This happens a lot BUT WITHOUT the so called silent migrane aura (is that spelt right?) Like I said I don't really get the auras a lot now. I also get a heaviness on the left hand side of my face, left arm, left leg..... tingling in the fingers of my left hand and foot.... EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS ON THE LEFT SIDE... never the right.

I was presuming all these are all just stress related, even though I never feel stressed or particularly anxious before they happens.

After reading your post I'm wondering if maybe I could have something similar to you.

Sadly though the various doctors at our surgery will not refer me to a neurologist or for for any scans or tests but I may mention it on my next visit depending on your reply.

Last question... how did the neurologist identify that this is what was causing your symptoms of anxiety etc. Was that by scans or oter tests.

Many thanks and sorry for asking so many questions but like I say although I can understand my doctors so called diagnosis of stress/anxiety based on my symptoms but other people such as the cbt therapsit(who I only got to talk to once), doctors at A&E (when I finished up there the other week) and even my chiropractor all say that I do not seem stressed or anxious and they all say I should see a neurologist...especially as the physical symptoms of heaviness are always on my left side and acompanied by symptoms of anxiety..... but my doctors STILL wont let me

Again sorry for all the questions and the long post but any help or advice along with your symptoms and diagnosis route would be VERY VERY helpfull if not only to show that I have only got stress/anxiety after all ha ha.

Cheers Dizz
x x x

[tracey c]

Dizz, mine started in April this year when I woke in the middle of the night with spinning vertigo and vomiting, for a week or so I was very poorly, head full of cotton wool, ear pain, unbalanced, weak, 'not with it'. It was first diagnosed as labyrinthitis and then changed following a brain scan and balance tests to vestibular neuritis. Although I improved slightly, it never went away and I've struggled all year with everything. The anxiety didnot kick in until August time - I think as a reaction to not improving. At my last ENT visit he said he thought I might have migraine associated vertigo and told me to ask my GP for migraine tablets and if that didn't work to ask to see a neurologist. The tablets didn't work and in Oct my GP did a referral to neurology.
I had done alot of research on the internet in the meantime and found a really good neurologist who specialised in migraine assoc vertigo. I saw him last week and he confirmed the diagnosis.Basically the term chronic means that you suffer for more than 20 days a month. There is no cure, but its not life threatening, just very unpleasant! I have to say I donot really suffer from headaches, but the consultant said that migraine is little understood and can show in several ways:
chronic fatigue
neck/back pain
dizziness
vertigo
poor memory/forgetfulness
sensitive to noise/light
IBS
anxiety
'not with it'
struggle with conversations of more than 3 people!
(I have all the above!)
He has produced many papers on this and what he insists on is that you STOP all caffeine/choclate and STOP taking all painkillers. He has you do this before he'll consider giving you medication. I do have to say that I gave all up in October and have improved around 20-30% so I do believe in him.
He also says that this is genetic - either parent suffer from migraine? Also you are likely to have had travel sickness as a child. He belives all this prediposes you to be a sufferer, but ususally there is a 'big bang' that triggers it - in my case this was the initial ear problem.
If you want to PM me with your email details, I'll forward you the stuff I've got and you can have a read through and prehaps show your GP?
It's improtant to realise that migraine isnot a headache, but a variety of neurological symptoms. One paper I have says that migraine is a complex neurological disease that affects the central nervous system.
Good luck!

[blueangel]

This relates to a lot of the stuff that I was told about migraine by a neurologist when I went to see one about three years ago. Research suggests at the moment that migraine is actually a brain disorder, rather than just headaches. Also, it seems to be caused by the same gene fault that triggers epilepsy. I get migraine with aura rather than the vertigo, and there is definitely a hereditary factor for me as both my mother and grandmother suffered from them as well.

[Magic]

hi there,I used to smoke through stress.any thing that upset me I reached for my cigs. I used to love em. Then out of the blue one day I was walking down the road- and I felt dreadful, I did not know what to do.I nearly knocked on someones door to help me.To cut a long story short it turned out to be angina.I went to have an angiogram within two weeks I was told I had to have heart operation. I was told If I continued to smoke I would die. I stopped smoking straight away.I did not want to die. I had to many responsabilities, I could not let my family down. I feel for you . I really do
take care

[Dizz]

Hiya Tracey

Thanks ever so much for the detailed reply. I'll PM you with my details and if you wouldn't mind emailing me the info that would be fantastic. I always thought migrane was just a very bad headache so thanks for putting me straight on that.

I can relate to a lot of the symptoms you mention although I don't really have a problem with poor memory/forgetfulness (well no worse than I have always had ha ha ) although I do get confusion when I'm feeling 'iffy'. I am sensitive to noise but not light (although can't see very well in the dark) and I don't get IBS.

I guess I possibly don't have it but you never know and I'd still like to read the info and discuss with my doc especially as I have been getting these so called 'silent migrane auras' just incase if that is ok.

many many thanks for your reply and I will pm you now

Dizz

[mr badger]

Tracey. May I recommend Alan Carr's, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking.

Sounds cheesey but it's really good. I've stopped now for maybe 15 years and was very hardcore smoker. Only a fiver too.