Dr. Teshamae Monteith, M.D., is a neurologist and Chief of the Headache Division at UHealth, the University of Miami Health System. For more information on migraine and headache treatments and services, click here or visit the UHealth Collective:
MEET LINA LEON:
Lina Leon, a busy mother of four, was flying to see her daughter in North Carolina when she suddenly felt strange.
“Halfway through the flight, I started feeling tingling and numbness in my face,” Lina says.
Teshamae Monteith, M.D., a neurologist and headache specialist at UHealth, part of the University of Miami Health System, diagnosed Lina with new daily persistent headache or NDPH, which can resemble chronic migraine.
“So, she had a viral infection and started developing facial weakness, numbness, and tingling. It’s really the headache that persisted more than anything else. Because this headache happened within 24 hours and never went away, we diagnosed it as new daily persistent headache, which is exactly that, a headache that happens one day and comes on, and does not go away. And we sometimes ask patients, “Do you remember the day that it happened?” If a patient is able to tell you the day, that’s highly likely that that is new daily persistent headache. Of course, you still have to do tests and make sure that there’s nothing else going on,” says Dr. Monteith.
She says the symptoms of NDPH can be very similar to chronic migraine and can often respond to migraine treatments.
“Patients may have sensitivity to light and sounds, smells and movements. They have nausea and vomiting at times. They may have vestibular symptoms, so sensation of imbalance or vertigo. They may have cognitive impairment, they may have brain fog, so processing, reading, sometimes even writing can be very difficult,” Dr. Monteith says.
That’s why it’s critical to receive the right diagnosis in order to get the proper treatment.
“The treatments can be classified as non-pharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments, and then acute treatments and preventive therapies. We treated her with a number of different therapies. The nice thing is that you can talk to a patient and then come up with an individualized treatment plan,” says Dr. Monteith.
This includes an infusion that blocks a protein that triggers migraine.
“Now I have 18 days out of 90 days without pain,” Lina says.
“She’s a completely different person. And she’s so happy, and it makes me so happy to see her doing so well,” says Dr. Monteith.
Lina spoke at the Miles for Migraine Walk to raise awareness.
“I was not alone anymore. Finding resources, the right doctor, and a support group that understands and supports me through my struggles, it was light at a very dark time.”
She thanks Dr. Monteith for giving her back her life.
“I am really super grateful to her,” says Lina.
FOCUSING ON YOU
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