This week I went to the Royal London Hospital as people have been noticing times when I cannot get words out in a simple way.
I was told by my neurological consultant that I was likely suffering something called Migraine Aphasia. Aphasia is a disorder that affects how you communicate. It can impact your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.
To me it stops me not just speaking with people but getting words out on my keyboard. I can put words down on this blog but I cannot make sense of how they wind into sentences. Some people who follow me digitally will notice that there was nothing on this blog before 10am, that’s because I could not put words together. There may be oddities on the blogs since then.
A year ago I was in the neurological ward of Kings College Hospital recovering from a double brain haemorrhage (left and right).
I have been getting better in many ways but I continue to have these migraines. I am not sure if there will be any improvement.
Those who’ve seen me struggling will know that I smile my way through it. I know now it will go away as it has this morning. But it’s a freaky thing to happen.
Here’s an article by Paula Dumas
Doctors refer to this symptom as “transient aphasia,” a temporary communication disorder characterized by word-finding difficulty.
Aphasia impairs one’s ability to process language, both in written and spoken words. People with transient aphasia have trouble putting words together to speak or write, understanding what others are saying, and comprehending what they read. When they try to speak, words come out garbled and unintelligible.
Experiencing migraine aphasia can range from frustrating to frightening — here’s what you need to know.
What Causes Transient Aphasia?
Aphasia usually results from damage to the left hemisphere of the brain. Many stroke victims suffer aphasia causing partial or complete loss of speech and difficulty with word-finding.
Trouble with speech, mainly word-finding difficulty, is also a possible side effect of (topiramate) Topamax, a medication frequently used for migraine prevention, according to Migraine Again’s network site Everyday Health.
Aphasia Is a Migraine Symptom That Affects Language
Why does it happen? Amaal Starling, MD, neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, explains that when someone is having a migraine attack:
- They often feel like they aren’t thinking clearly. There’s some slowing of cognition.
- Other people may experience speech symptoms, a symptom called aphasia: difficulty understanding language or expressing words.
- Some people may have dysarthria: slurred, garbled speech.
Migraine advocate Cannon Tekstar Hodge describes how dysarthria disrupts her speech with a “sharp, staccato stutter” in her battle with an extremely rare form of migraine, migraine with unilateral motor symptoms (MUMS.)
Never ignore migraine speech problems. If you’re experiencing speech issues or trouble word-finding for the first time, contact a doctor or headache specialist to make sure it’s not related to a more serious issue, such as a stroke.
If your friends tell you that you’re talking gibberish, or if you find you can’t get the words out, it could very well be a migraine symptom, regardless of whether you’re having head pain at that time.
How the Community Feels About Aphasia During Migraine Attacks
We asked our community how they feel about the inability to express themselves during a migraine attack. Here’s what they had to say:
It’s a horrible feeling wanting to speak and the words don’t come or they’re all slurred. —Lauren W.
Yes, very scary. I speak two languages and during an attack I cannot put words together. I usually point to things to communicate like a cavewoman! —Sandra R.
I often slur. I know what I’m trying to say, but I can’t get it out. —Dawn R.
Additionally, read Julie H.’s Migraine Journey, where she describes experiencing transient aphasia while reading to her daughter.
Glad you’ve at least got a working diagnosis now, Henry.
It’s the lottery of health in later life, isn’t it.
Our GP daughter very recently had me reciting the calendar months in reverse order and various number crunching tests, which are too easy for retired bean counters still with some marbles. She was just checking a temporary impairment wasn’t something else …
I look occasionally at year groups I’m in (school, final year at university, first office intake) and see both winners and losers. That’s the lottery, but for now, at least with my groups, the winners are still in the majority.
I have migraines and the lost words is very real. It is often accompanied with slurring or full paralysis down my right side. It feels and looks like a stroke. I carry a tag on my keys that has a contact number for my husband in case I am out and about and can’t communicate. Sending lots of support and understanding, knowledge is power, keep reading up on it and sharing your findings, Linda xx