I really can't find a whole lot of information on this but I will tell you what I know about it from my experiences.

First, you need to understand that you don't always have to have a migraine when you have an "episode". Symptoms include stroke like symptoms such as loss of movement/feeling on one side of your body, loss of feeling/movement in any part of your body such as your hands or feet, slurred speech, pain, trouble concentrating, and muscle spasms. Look up what happens to you when you have a stroke, and this is what it feels like, minus having the damaging part to the brain.

I was diagnosed with having a stroke back in 2004. I remember walking down my hallway when I begin to feel weak and nauseous and realized that the left side of my body was no longer working (moving, feeling, etc). I fell to the ground and I laid there for about 3 hours until my husband came home. I thought I was going to die. At the time, I did not have a headache. I was rushed to the emergency room where I waited 3 hours before someone got to me. I got a CAT scan and blood work done, and the doctor announced to me that I had a stroke and was going to move me to another hospital that would know more about strokes. I only stayed 12 hours at the hospital until they told me there was nothing more they could do and said I needed to take an aspirin a day, change my birth control, and stop smoking. They also said that since I had a stroke at an early age (25) it was more then likely I would have another one and I might not be so lucky next time. I was only off work for a week because I just started a job and it was HELL trying to function. It took me almost a year to gain function of my left side normally and I had trouble speaking and thinking.

Since 1998, I started having problems functioning, I would shake for no reason, get light headed a lot, no appetite, and was tired. But this didn't last for very long, it would come and go whenever it wanted as it seemed. So when I thought I had a stroke, I was furious because I was in and out of the doctors all the time.

September 2008, I was driving to work when I got a migraine very quickly. It was the worst in my life. I managed to get into the doctors the same day, but they did nothing until 3 weeks later when they sent me to a neurologist. Again, I had all the tests done and nothing showed up. I got treated pretty badly in my opinion. Finally, the neurologist said I suffered from complicated migraines, which means I can have migraines whenever and I can also have the stoke like symptoms whenever also. He put me on two different migraine medications which really did nothing. I was still having a bad migraine for at least 3 days a week and it lasted all day. I was finally put on muscle relaxers which helped out the migraines, I might have 2 a month but does nothing for the stroke like symptoms. When I feel like I am having a stroke, it is so scary to me and I have been lucky enough to not be stuck somewhere where I had to hide it or be embarrassed about it.

Currently, I can not get a straight answer from anyone on how to help people with complicated migraines. I do have a number to call for the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers Inc. in hopes they can recommend someone for me and to help me with my fibro.

That number is 1-866-443-4276. I am hoping to call tomorrow if I feel well enough to get more information.