There Are Many Types Of Migraines With Different Symptoms

DENVER (CBS4)- There is a lot of speculation about what happened when a Los Angeles TV reporter started speaking gibberish during a live report at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. She was suffering a migraine and not a stroke as many had feared.

KCBS reporter Serene Branson said she knew what she wanted to say, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"I knew something wasn't right as soon as I opened my mouth. I hadn't been feeling well a little bit before the live shot. I had a headache, my vision was very blurry, I knew something wasn't right, but I thought I was just tired," said Branson.

Paramedics responded and Branson was driven home after she was checked out.

Most people think a migraine is simply a bad headache, but CBS4's Medical Editor Dr. Dave Hnida said there are a lot of different types of migraines with different symptoms.

Some people do suffer from a severe headache. Others get a warning that the headaches are on their way, such as blurred vision or zig-zagging light flashes.

Others experience vision loss and a mild headache or even no headache. That is called a complex migraine, which is what happened here.

The symptoms of a complex migraine all depend on what area of the brain the migraine affects.

Dr. Hnida said when she stopped making sense, her eyelid drooped, which is a sign that there was a spasm of blood vessels in the area of the brain that controls the muscles of the face.

Once the spasm went away, she was fine.

Dr. Hnida said it's important to go to the emergency room if you're experiencing the worst headache you've ever had before, you have numbness, weakness, problems speaking and severe dizziness.