From migraine to ....?

[granniem]

I've had migraines for about 4 years, mostly Aura and no unbearable headache as long as I quickly take Imigrain50. However, last week I had unusual symptoms, an aura followed next day with a creeping feeling on right hand side of face that was pins and needles, then the one sided headache started followed by shooting pins and needles down my right arm into my fingers. I was unable to speak properly and could'nt remember words. In hospital I was told after a brain scan that I have trigeminal neuralgia. One of the meds I came home with is folic acid. Can anyone shed any light on this please?

[MaryF]

I would be seriously checking out my B12 levels if that was me! mdedge.com/neurologyreviews... MaryF

[granniem]

Is that because of the folic acid or because of my funny symptoms? I was also diagnosed with Addison's Disease as a consequence of the many blood tests and MRI brain scan. The treatment for this is lifelong prednisilone.

[Gambit62]

as per MaryF - get your B12 levels checked - and don't take normal for an answer - get the exact readings - B12 serum is not a definitive guide - and evaluation of symptoms - migraines and trigeminal neuralgia are potential symptoms.

B12 is used with B9 (folate - of which folic acid is one form for a lot of processes in the body - including maintenance of the nervous system

This is link to symptoms

pernicious-anaemia-society....

if it looks likely then please join the PAS forum on Health Unlocked - it can be very difficult to get diagnosis and the treatment that you personally need for a B12 absorption problem - which is the most likely cause of a deficiency. Diet is another possibility but you'd have to basically be eating no meat, dairy, fish and egg for that to happen.

healthunlocked.com/pasoc

[magirose]

This is sooo interesting to me. I have Behcet's and have a history of these kind of migraines. I recently have been feeling awful with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy for first time ever. BD was well controlled. Only unusual thing on blood work was low vit b12. My mum had pernicious anemia. I am waiting for a further test. Feeling pretty crap. Going to my doc to get print put of blood test. Not sure how low vit b12 was.

[granniem in reply to magirose]

Thanks for your reply I'm going to try and get vit b12 levels checked by go in next few days, what di I ask to be done, sorry, all of this is new to me and I need to get understanding of 'jargon' associated with neuralgia probs and the Addison's. it may all turn out to be connected.

[granniem]

Thank you everyone for your replies. All of these diagnoses have left me feeling like I've been whacked on the head and left to find things out for myself. All the consultants were great who assessed me but I have been discharged with no info until I get to see my endocrineologist in a few weeks.

[MaryF in reply to granniem]

Also if you have these things please also check out your Thyroid function, be aware the GP will only do the TSH, to get to the bottom of it all you may have to pay for private tests I did. thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

I also have Hughes Syndrome/APS which often goes with a Thyroid problem, usually in the family a history of Thyroid, multiple miscarriages, strokes and heart attacks at an early age, plus other autoimmune diseases.

Also if you already have a thyroid problem, most are shoved on Levo thyroxine and not everybody can convert the T4 into the T3 that the body needs, a genetic test is available D102 which shows who is not doing so, the you can fight for more natural desiccated thyroid, which unfortunately is on a named patient basis only.

MaryF

[granniem in reply to MaryF]

Thank you Mary.