Has anyone been tested for Polycythemia vera?

[cmwil...@cs.com]

I started having migraine headaches with aura around 15 months ago. I had about five or six of them last year before I finally went to a neurologist in January 2015 to see what I could about stopping them. I had several MRI of the head to check for blood clots. Luckily those came back negative. I also had a routine CBC. (Complete Blood Count). My hematocrit was very high at 53.
After more blood tests I was diagnosed with polycythemia vera. Some people do not have any symptoms of this disease but it turns out migraine headaches with aura are one of the main symptoms due to really thick blood. In my case I had almost all of the symptoms which really helped point me towards a diagnosis.

There are only a couple of remedies for PV--in my case phlebotomy and a daily low-dose aspirin has worked wonders. My hematocit is down to 40 and I no longer have migraine headaches with the scintillating scotoma. This blood disorder is considered rare but if you're having severe migraine headaches it would be worth ruling it out.

I would recommend having the following blood tests performed to check for PV:

CBC( hematocrit will be high)
EPO (will be low)
JAK2 V617F genetic mutation( will be positive)


http://www.mpnresearchfoundation.org/Polycythemia-Vera--28PV-29

[ISeeNeonZigZags]

Thank you, Marie, that is good to know. I'm so happy for you that you found the cause for your migraines with aura, and that you can manage the condition in a straightforward way!