A new diagnosis for Andi

Andi has finished all of her testing and appointments at the Mayo Clinic. She has been diagnosed with complex hemiplegic migraine headaches, a rare and extremely debilitating type of headache. A lot of the symptoms mimic a stroke.  The onset of these headaches for her was when she started just talking gibberish 3 years ago and ended up in the hospital.

If you look at the list of the following symptoms, you will see it fits her 100%. Symptoms include:
 
Severe, throbbing pain, often on one side of your head
A pins-and-needles feeling, often moving from your hand up your arm
Numbness on one side of your body, which can include your arm, leg, and/or one side of your face
Weakness or paralysis on one side of your body
Loss of balance and coordination
Visual aura, such as seeing zigzag lines, double vision, or blind spots
Language difficulties, such as mixing words or trouble remembering a word
Slurred speech
Dizziness or vertigo
Nausea and vomiting
Extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and smell
Confusion
Decreased consciousness or coma

Although some people only have these headaches for up to an hour, hers can last days. The doctor said that the seizure she had in May was just another side effect of the headache in her case.  She had a very extensive EEG, which showed no seizure activity and was perfectly normal.

As for her vision, the testing showed her eyes are perfectly healthy.  The vision problem is also a result of activity in her brain.  The doctor is hopeful that if they can get her brain settled down, her vision will return!!!

When she gets home, she will be getting botox injections, which has been shown to help people with severe migraines. I'm praying it does for her.  They will be adjusting her medicines as well.

The doctor told her this problem will never go away, but he feels certain it can be managed better to increase her quality of life.