Migraines with aphasia

[OptimisticRealist2024]

Full disclosure that I'm actually posting this about my husband's health, but I can't find the topic!

I'm going to caveat this here: I have health anxiety and don't want to hear about mini-strokes. I specifically want to ask about migraines. Kindly, I've been up since 4am and just want to know if this is common or not.

About once a year, DH has a migraine. Usually feels sick, tingling in one arm, vision goes, headache on one side. It comes and goes in a couple of hours, sorts itself out with ibuprofen and sleep. Wakes up next day with an all-over headache, that eventually goes.

Last night he had a migraine - usual symptoms - except that he struggled to get the right words out for about 10 minutes. Then it fixed itself.

Being pregnant and - unrelatedly - not able to drive, I freaked out and called 111 thinking something was wrong but not am emergency. I didn't call 999 because he didn't have face droop, he could still actually talk, he still had usual use of his arms and legs, pupils were normal. 111 suggested we go to A&E. I got him to A&E, triaged, but then he was feeling absolutely fine. He was triaged as a category 3, but after triage he said he felt fine. Knackered, headache all over and didn't want to wait under strip lighting for hours. But otherwise exactly like every other migraine.

I spoke to one of the nurses who said that he's at perfect liberty to discharge himself, it's a 24 hour service so come back if he needs us. She said it's likely to be another three hours for scans and things, so we went home. I wanted to stay, but he's a grown man. He says he'll see a GP next Monday when he gets time off work. (His workplace is a nightmare - I won't go into it here.) He's gone to work this morning with his usual headache but speech, face, arms absolutely fine. I've told his mate at work to keep an eye on him (DH is cool with this).

What I want to know is how common it is/if anyone else just muddle words temporarily? For just 10 minutes? He wasn't confused, disorientated, dizzy, or off-balance. He was frustrated while it was happening, but he didn't think he was having a stroke.

I don't know what type of migraines he has but gets sort of peripheral vision loss and things go darker at the corners. Is this an aura?

I have had aphasia during a migraine, so it does happen. Mine have only been very occasional so I've never investigated further, but if your DH's are more frequent I can see that you'd want him to get properly checked out to make sure there's nothing else going on.

I have migraines where my left side won't work properly too. I also get word finding difficulty, not to that extent but where I can say fridge instead of oven, and can't finish my sentence because the words needed escape me.

Of course, it's better to get checked out, but as you say, it's up to him.

I get migraines with aura and aphasia. (I didn’t know what the communication issue was called until you said the word so thanks!)

I can’t mentally find the words nor say them. This comes on towards the start of the migraine, after the first signs of aura. It can be more or less severe and last for 10mins or a few hours. I can usually say something, but not always what I want, and it takes a huge effort and makes the migraine feel worse if I am stressed about it, ideally I would shut myself away and not need to talk. I also get tingling and numbness early on in the attack, which is asymmetrical.

When I first started getting migraines in my late teens I went to the GP and had some checks done. Definitely worth getting checked if a new thing.

I used to lose speech with migraines, I also lost of parts of my vision, in several ways, flashing lights, numbness in parts of my face and hand. Each symptom lasted for about 20 minutes and then either the pain really ramped up or the next symptom started. Sometimes I had all of them, sometimes one or two. They are all partsof the migraine aura.

If it happens in future may I suggest you time how long it lasts? Under 30 minutes, for each symptom, is usual.

The other thing i used to do, when the symptoms started was look in a mirror, smile to check both sides of my mouth were even and lift up both arms to check i could hold then straight up without one drifting. That way I was fairly sure it was migraine not stroke.

It can be scary when you first experience these symptoms but I had them frequently for years and never had a stroke.

It happens to me. Not every migraine (I get them regularly) but when this happens, I know I know the word, but can't think of it.
It passes.

I had this once about 10 years ago. It was really scary and I got an ambulance to hospital and stayed overnight but they decided it was a migraine. I did actually have leftover word finding difficulties for a few months afterwards (not very bad but noticeable to me) and did go to the GP and have a brain scan but there was nothing to see. I usually have the same aura every time which is like a sparkly curve that gets bigger but once lost half my field of vision - a different time to the aphasia. There is an online video of someone having the aphasia when trying to read the news. It is a thing.

Like your husband, once the ambulance arrived and onwards I felt fine and like a fraud but I hadn’t heard of aphasia with a migraine aura so was worried. All the stroke tests they do (one sided weakness etc) were negative.

Hi Op, yes I have had this. My migraines used to be pain and vomiting, but as I've got older (50s) I've had a few where I get visual auras like bright zig zags in my peripheral vision, followed by speech difficulties. Like others, knowing what I want to say but it coming out all wrong. Can't find words. Lasts less than half an hour, followed by painful headache. First time it happened I went to A&E thinking it was a stroke. I had CT scan and ECG, and also was referred to the eye consultant the following day, but they found nothing wrong. I believe it's brought on by stress in my case. Now I can fend them off with a strong coffee and a couple of paracetamol when the first flashing lights start. I also wrote some texts which read back as complete rubbish afterwards, but I sent them at the time not recognising that they were unusual. That was helpful as I showed them to the docter in A&E, so she took me more seriously than the triage nurse did, as I was more or less ok bar the headache by the time I got there.

This is the sort of thing i get in peripheral vision, and also when trying to write.

I suddenly started having aphasia as my main aura symptom in my 30s. The longest it has lasted has been half an hour. I went to the hospital the first time, after going to the chemist and being unable to communicate and also being unable to read so couldn’t call anyone. All tests were fine.
It’s actually been really helpful because I take my medication the second I stop being able to talk or read and I haven’t had to have the headache for years.

I was admitted to hospital with a suspected stroke that turned out to be a migraine!. Lost use of left side of face, arms, altered speech. Woke up in agony and couldn't stand. DH called 111 who send ambulance. Height of covid too so worrying. Very scary.

I have migraines with aura and sometime my speech goes a little stammery amd stuttering for a bit and my speech goes 'empty'. Basically I'm not really thinking straight so i don't know what to say.
I would be worried if he can't remember what's happening, or if he doesn't know that his speech has gone. Ie if he's talking lots as if it's coming out OK but it's very muddled.
Going to his gp would be good but.... as I said I'm actually worried the Dr might say Stoke or epilepsy and stop me from driving so as long as I am stable and the pattern isn't changing I'm just carring on.
FYI I had my first migraine working in a stroke ward ! Luckily it was in the middle of the ward round and the consultant was very kind and assessed me there and then !

Thank you, everyone! He really does only get them about once a year - I think it's stress and tiredness triggering it because there's a lot going on atm with baby, work and some stuff with the house (our builders are being a PITA 🫠). But the speech thing is definitely a new symptom and we'd never heard of it before.

Will send him to GP on Monday. He was using the wrong tenses for things but knew what he was trying to say and knew it wasn't coming out quite right (e.g. it are frustrating instead of it is frustrating).

RE: driving, hopefully as they aren't regular they won't ask him to surrender his driving licence? (He never drives with a migraine.) He can't get to work without it and that would be a world of pain and stress.

(My sister actually did have a stroke at 28 because of the pill, but she's in her 40s now and definitely allowed to drive.)

Thank you again. I didn't sleep much last night - I spent the whole time worrying he was going to have a stroke in his sleep and it was my fault for not holding him hostage in A&E. He's 32 and otherwise fit as a fiddle, never goes to the doctor so I fully believe his leg would actually have to fall off to believe there's something wrong. 😑

I get these monthly, often DH can tell I’m getting them before me due to not having words. Sometimes loose vision too.

GP was able to diagnose, and don’t blame DH, I was in hospital with a migraine once and it’s genuinely the worst place to be with one. You just need home and bed to sleep it off as much as possible.

@Phunkychicken Thanks! Realise now I sounded a bit harsh but I don't blame DH at all -- I really do feel awful for taking him, since I knew he wanted peace and quiet and a soft bed. But I also feel awful for not making sure he was seen after triage in case it is actually serious. I've spiralled a lot because of Dr Google in the past so avoided that, which meant I only had 111 advice to go on tbh. It's hard to know what to do for the best sometimes. Bodes well for baby! 😐

For me mixing up words is sign I amgoing to get a migraine. I put the wrong letters in or get a two syllable word back to front for example. Or for the life of me cannot say the correct words. I usually get silent migraines (I think it really helps I know they are starting so can take tablets quickly) so the headache part is often non -existent or mild but I still get the tiredness, speech issues, forgetfulness etc. I need lots of sleep to get over them, difficult with dc.

Anything out of the ordinary like that though you should always get checked, just to rule out something more serious.