Serene Branson Had 'Complex Migraine,' Her Physician Says

Serene Branson--the Los Angeles reporter whose lapse into incoherent speech during a live report on Sunday sparked fears that she had an on-air stroke--suffered a "complex migraine," her physician told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

Dr. Neil Martin, the chief of neurosurgerery at the UCLA Medical Center, gave the diagnosis to the Times.

A complex migraine is often mistaken for a stroke. People can suffer loss of vision and have difficulty speaking when one is occurring.

The diagnosis comes after nearly a week of speculation about what exactly happened to Branson. She was giving a live report on the Grammys for L.A. station CBS-2 when she suddenly had trouble forming words. Branson was clearly disturbed by what was happening to her, and the station quickly cut away.

On Monday, after reports she had been hospitalized and had had a stroke, the station put out a statement saying that Branson had been taken home after being checked by paramedics. That evening, though, CBS-2 said that Branson had gone to a doctor to undergo medical tests--the results of which were revealed on Thursday.

Comments

[bmac8]

01:43 PM on 03/12/2011

I have suffered the exact same thing as Branson did--and twice. I have been told mine were TIAs--blood clots stuck in the brain, then moved or dissolved in time. But if mine were just "complicated migraines" does that mean I no longer should worry about a full-on strokes? If so, that would be great....but what bothers me about this event is that calling these "a complicated migraine" implies that she needs no treatment, nor should she worry about anything in the future. But if the doctors did not find anything, how do they determine that it was one thing or the other? A blood clot would have dissolved, so they could not find that when she went for tests. I am very concerned...for this woman, and for myself...because no doctor has made any of my questions (above) clear. For me, I assume there was a clot (TIA) because they have not found anything. I am thin and healthy (as Ms. Branson appears to be also.) Again, I really wonder what makes the doctors diagnose it as a migraine when they found...nothing [insert found-nothing brain joke or blonde joke here.] Anybody understand her diagnosis better than I am?

[bmac8]

06:09 PM on 02/23/2011

Doctor: Uhhhh we didn't find anything. You had a migraine headache.

Branson: Oh. Okay.

Doctor: I didn't find anything. I was absent from medical school the day the taught about TIAs--when a blood clot moves through the brain, denying oxygen for minutes, affecting your speech and right side motor skills causing you to drop the mic. Let's just pretend that this was a headache and you are at no risk for stroke as TIAs often indicate. Here's your bill for $4,000. Nice doing business with you.

[Walkwithme1966]

12:47 AM on 02/21/2011

I think the sad part of watching her clip is to see the terror in her eyes as she knew something was wrong! You could see the fear in her eyes - I hope she gets better soon and has good doctors!!
http://wp.me/pYLB7-Eh

[LogicalMathMan]

12:18 AM on 02/21/2011

I hope she recovers fully. I used to suffer from a milder version of migraines and it's never comfortable. My head would feel really heavy afterward.

[PresidentRobertBooth]

11:55 AM on 02/20/2011

Get well soon Serene
 
 

[momopopo]

11:31 PM on 02/18/2011

She is a yummy yummy lady.

[bagelmaven]

10:48 PM on 02/18/2011

I said it was a migraine before Nancy Snyderman was hyping up get the to a hospital it could be a TIA or a stroke....rubbish I said. It's a migraine. Not that strokes do not happen to the young but I am an optic migraine sufferer for 50 years and a friend of mine also has the optic kind and suffered the exact same symptom. She was on the phone and all of a sudden began talking rag time. Yes, it was scary but I know how my migraines work...I too can have slurred speech but mostly get the horrible occlusion of vision aura, numbness in my face and hand ...it lasts for twenty minutes then it's over and I feel like I got hit by a truck. Different symptoms at different times.used to get nauseated but now get stomach upset. It is a VILE happening but I have lived 50 years with it. Probably hereditary my mother had them and grandmother too.

My triggers were hormonal and emotional upsets. In middle age I got them SO often as hormones are going nuts. It's not fatal it just STINKS.

One caveat: Supposedly those who have OPTIC migraines are more at risk later for stroke..important to exercise, eat right AND most importantly keep blood pressure low. Also small amount of meds called Amiltryptiline helped three times a day..very very small dose. So far so good I haven't had one since last July.

[Counterglow]

11:24 AM on 02/19/2011

The problem is that unless a person has actually had a migraine, they have trouble comprehending just how completely overwhelming the symptoms can be. It's easy to assume in some cases that a sufferer is drunk or on drugs.

[bagelmaven]

01:50 PM on 02/20/2011

Absolutely. She has a job that requires she be in the spotlight. That can be a problem. I used to get them SO often that it is because of that somewhat that I could never take a higher level position which meant I would have to talk in front of a lot of people. I needed a job where I could go off and be by myself for a bit until they went away and that's what I did. I would go in a dark room and sit it out. BUT if you are someone in front of a live camera or programming you can't do it. That is the problem. Otherwise she could go off by herself and wait until it passes depending on the severity of the symptoms.

They can be a curse that is for sure..very unpredictable and like getting sucker punched. Sometimes you get a warning that maybe one could be on the horizon. It's too bad they don't have a backup for her just in case she needs it. Like an understudy sort of.

[logic-a-go-go]

09:40 PM on 02/18/2011

My apologies to the individual who suggested this was likely a migraine. I scoffed at the idea, having had migraines myself. Looks like I was wrong, and you were absolutely right.

[Boomerwoman]

02:16 PM on 02/18/2011

I assume she gave permission for her medical data to be revealed.

[amaboss52]

06:33 PM on 02/18/2011

She was on GMA this morning talking about it.

[Norm]

10:57 AM on 02/18/2011

I have had migraines exactly like this reporter's, the first right after I gave birth. They are plenty scary. I found that I also had them after drinking an alcoholic beverage. Trust me, it's a cure.

[greatness891]

01:52 PM on 02/18/2011

U had them after alcohol or never had them ,,,, where is the cure part ?

[Norm]

04:03 PM on 02/18/2011

I got migraines where I couldn't speak after drinking certain alcoholic beverages, which cures the alcohol habit. Margaritas and wine+very bad.

[daradar]

10:36 AM on 02/18/2011

My 38 year old cousin had a similar episode and was rushed to the the hospital. She was diagnosed with a complex migraine and sent home the next day. She had a stroke eight days later. I hope the doctors have made the correct diagnosis for the reporter.

[Norm]

04:09 PM on 02/18/2011

It is almost odd that they kept her for a day; there must have been some difficulty in the diagnosis. I was never tested at all for these, and was diagnosed five years later, by a doctor who prolly figured it was a migraine b/c I had not yet had a stroke.

[bmac8]

09:25 AM on 02/19/2011

Exactly. People are satisfied with one doctor--who found nothing and no cause for the symptoms--describing this as a complex migraine...which is just a really bad headache that affects brain functions temporarily. The point is, unless they have ruled out TIA and oncoming stroke, this reporter is still at risk...it doesn't matter who called migraine," who has their own migraines...this woman is still in danger. Her doctor found nothing. I have had two TIAs and the symptoms were identical to this reporter's. I hope to god she doesn't now have a stroke, or another TIA and just treat it as a headache. She may have a heart pumping out clots, a hole in her heart, or a blood cot in her neck arteries....she may have plaque in her veins and need to seriously change her cholesterol numbers...she may be in terrible danger of a stroke after what was really a TIA.

[Richcrafter]

09:59 AM on 02/18/2011

UCLA neurology? Get s second opinion! Yikes! Too many errors to trust The Best in the West as The Worst in Diagnostics! Friend's brother nearly died after their lousy medical antics. Hope she recovers and stays away from UCLA!

[bmac8]

09:28 AM on 02/19/2011

You gotta get a second opinion when all the one doctor has said is, "uh...it's a really bad headache." People listen and believe doctors way to readily. She has to question this guy. I think he was absent from medical school the day they covered TIAs leading to stroke. She really should get second and third opinions. Doctors? Anyone?

[NHGranite]

08:45 AM on 02/18/2011

I used to get full blown painful migraines, but finally figured out there were trigger foods - orange juice,, certain cheeses, wine possibly. After menopause, I just get "eyegraines", funny twirling zig-zag patterns that don't hurt, and no longer signal a headache. Once I got a blind spot in one eye for several days. Who knows?

[319]

10:43 AM on 02/18/2011

NHG... I too get those. I heard on a medical show on the radio that they are indeed a type of pain-free migraine. I wonder if those are also triggered by certain foods? I seem to get them when I am fatigued. The visuals ( whether your eyes are closed or not) are very strange... like a rippling neon banner of colors and shapes. It usually last about ten minutes are so with me... what about you?

[NHGranite]

11:10 AM on 02/18/2011

You are lucky. I get them off and on over the course of a day or two. I don't get too many colors, shapes are more like an Indian Blanket swirling. They never could tell me why that spot stayed for several days. So many things we don't know! Ibuprofen and coffee help! Yup, getting more sleep helps too. Interesting that they are pain free because the regular ones - sheesh!

Magnesium is a big help, for migraine and so many things for me. I try to keep up with a maintenance dose. Helps with TMJ too. Iron as ferrous sulfate gives me the worst pounding headaches - like a cluster headache. Unrelenting!

[bagelmaven]

10:53 PM on 02/18/2011

They just really really stink. I wonder if other mammals get them. I guess they couldn't tell you if they did. Maybe it's just a human phenomenon. It's a monkey on your back because you never know. I could be upset and get them OR conversely I could be very happy and laughing and get one. During menopause I wanted to cut my head off. The pain is not that bad through one eye but it's the visual symptoms I loathed. I would get them sometimes driving which is awful. Had to pull over or have a friend drive. it's just a disgusting thing and boy would I love a genetic CURE for it.

[Christie Nichole Feigal]

08:22 AM on 02/18/2011

I wonder if she actually had a painful migraine while reporting. Seems a little sad. I occasionally get a migraine, but about two days before it starts I'll get these nagging constant headache, all day long that IBProfin works about half as well as usual. Then when it starts, I could max out on IBProfin, and the pain is the same. I can't even function and she's quite brave for working through it. I can only imagine how scared she was during this event. It scares me just to watch it. I really wish her the best and I hope she doesn't hesitate to make the neuro team at UCLA (or any clinic for that matter) her new best friends. She and the physicians, I'm sure will do their best to prevent this from happening again or being something more serious.
I wish you well Ms. Branson and look forward to seeing more news reports from you!

[jlab]

08:04 AM on 02/18/2011

The clip is no longer available due to a COPYRIGHT CLAIM by CBS! Should I write them a polite letter and ask for a transcript?

[Christie Nichole Feigal]

08:23 AM on 02/18/2011

Maybe they're just trying to spare her more embarrassment too.

[jlab]

09:27 AM on 02/18/2011

Hm... it would be nice if they had motives like that. I am too jaded to believe it, but good for you for believing in the best in people, I mean corporations. (According to our brilliant supreme court, that's the same thing, anyway...)

[wdw808]

10:23 AM on 02/18/2011

the stammering was seen by millions.........i just saw it again this morning.........

[jlab]

04:02 PM on 02/18/2011

I was commenting on the ridiculousness of copyritghting a thing like this clip.

[bagelmaven]

10:56 PM on 02/18/2011

Actually it's a good thing because it is knowledge and gets people talking and even helps those who have them but are so scared to see a doc.

Sometimes you can control the triggers other times meds help ..sometimes it just has to be endured. horrible annoying thing!