What is the cause for unexplained one sided aches?

Q: My wife is 40 years old. She suffers from severe one sided pain twice or thrice in a month. She has headache with pain in the hands & leg joints, all on the left side only. I consulted a neurologist who diagnosed it as migraine. My wife is taking the medicines, as directed by the physician, but the one sided aches still persist. After 3 months, the doctor asked me to take a CT scan and said that its not migraine, but a blood circulation problem. What is the reason for the half side aches? Is there any cure?

A:I am not entirely sure what is meant by blood circulation problem; I would speak with the Neurologist and ask for clarification of what the CT showed, what the diagnosis is and furthermore what steps should be taken as a result.From the brief detail in the question it is difficult for me to say anything meaningful about your wife's headaches. If they are predominantly one sided, and associated with symptoms such as sensitivity to light, sound or certain smells, or nausea and vomiting for example, then migraine becomes a very possible diagnosis.Migraines can sometimes be difficult to treat, and it is not necessary that the first medication is always effective. Again I think it makes sense for your wife to speak with the Neurologist; she should provide them with a detailed account of her headaches, including what triggers them (if anything), what makes them better or worse, the location of the headache, whether the pain spreads, the nature of the pain (is it a throb, ache, sharp pain, etc.), any accompanying symptoms (flashes of light, light sensitivity, nausea or vomiting), any history in her family of headaches, how often they occur and the severity of the attacks. This information will make it easier for the Neurologist to categorise the type of headache, allowing him to pursue the appropriate investigastions (if any) and treatment.