Just a Complex Migraine

Shortly after B went to work this morning, I reached up to open the curtains and thought "whose hand is that?" And then it occurred to me that my vision was not normal. At all.

I immediately wondered if it was complex migraine-related despite the fact that my head did not hurt, and quickly made and consumed a double-shot espresso and went to lie down. But the vision just kept getting worse. There weren't any migraine-classic flashing or blinking lights, just lots of blind spots, making things like reading (or using my cell phone) almost impossible. I've had these sorts of migraines before, but at this point I wasn't having any of the other neurological symptoms, and was starting to get a little nervous since blurry or disturbed vision can be a scary thing during pregnancy. B wasn't answering his cell, so I got a message to him by texting one of his coworkers. I wasn't sure if the text said what I intended, but B quickly came home.

We were trying to decide if I should call my midwife, and then my left hand started tingling. I was strangely relieved. The numbness intensified, and the left side of my face (and nose and tongue) followed suit. And then the recognizable pain in the right side of my brain. I called my Dad (who just happens to be a doctor, and is quite familiar with my medical history) just to make sure I shouldn't freak out for the baby's sake. He said not to worry, "the migraine won't effect your uterus." I just needed to hear someone else say it.

Then I couldn't connect my brain with my mouth. Expressive aphasia. I wasn't using the weird word substitutions that I have in the past (B's favorite from a couple of years ago was when I said "macaroni" instead of "elbow"), but I couldn't really recognize my own voice, and it almost seemed like someone else was talking for me. That's when I just avoid talking. It's too weird to have such an out-of-body and out-of-mind experience. B tried offering some words of encouragement, and then I realized I wasn't really understanding what he was saying, either. Receptive aphasia. That's a complex-migraine first for me.

B made me some more coffee, bringing my caffeine intake up to four shots of espresso, and I noticed a marked increase in fetal movement. I told B it was okay to go back to work, and somehow fell asleep. I woke up a couple of hours later with some lingering blind spots and an ache in my head, but semi-functional, and relieved that what had just happened was no big deal for our baby. She just had a little taste of a caffeine buzz. Pregnancy crisis averted.

(My sister once blogged about a past experience I had with a complex migraine. She's such a great writer.)