(VIDEO) Serene Branson at the Grammys: A Stroke Survivor's Opinion

She was having a migraine aura, not a stroke or TIA. This was determined after extensive examination by a neurologist over two days. Everything folks are saying about TIA being a serious symptom of worse to come is true, but not related here.

I have had migraines all my life with a wide range of symptoms, some of which are simply bizarre, including trouble talking, sudden blindness, sudden vertigo worse than the most violent carnival ride and distortions of space, distance and size.

Ms Branson and her MD said this:
"Neurosurgeon Neil Martin, of the UCLA Medical Center, met with Branson and concluded she was suffering from migrane aura, which can sometimes trigger stroke-like symptoms. According to Martin, many people have had similar experiences -- just not on live television.

Martin said, "It's as if there's a wave that's shutting down functions through the brain over a period of minutes."

Branson told Hill she'd never had a migraine before.

"I had headaches throughout my life, but never what I would have called a migraine," she said. "And the doctor ran lots of tests. I saw some of the best doctors in the world, top neurologists and cardiologists. They ran tests for three days. I was there for nine hours Monday, back for nine hours the next day and finally they diagnosed me with migraine aura, which is much more serious than what people think of as a migraine."

Migraine symptoms are so varied that she might have been having them without knowing it. Some people have primarily gastric/abdominal symptoms.

Hopefully she is not entering a new phase where this becomes common for her.

It's worth mentioning that what she experienced was a migraine attack. So many people think migraine is nothing more than a headache, but Serene's attack is a great example of what it can really be like: neurologically complicated and extremely scary.

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It's sickening that anyone would mock someone having an episode of any sort.

I had a TIA in October. I was in the hospital recovering from surgery to remove cancer from my scalp. It was the day that I'd had the dressing from my head removed.

I was a nervous wreck all day and then so relieved that it was over. I was relaxing after dinner with my husband in my hospital room. I was suddenly overcome with an overwhelming anxiety and my hand started to twitch. My face felt funny so I went to look in the bathroom mirror and my mouth was drooping. By the time I came back out to tell my husband, I couldn't talk right and then just like that it was over.

They sent me down for a CAT scan right away and by the next day we knew my episode was a TIA. The neurosurgeon said it could most definitely happen again or that it also may not. The uncertainty of when or if is terrifying. Every little twitch every little anything sends me in to fits of panic for fear that it's another one or worse.

How anyone could find that funny is beyond me.

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I can't imagine what she must have been feeling as she attempted to speak, on national television on such a busy night, and heard those sounds coming out of her mouth. Yet she held it together! I'd probably have dropped the mic and ran away. It's mean, but not surprising, that people are laughing at it. Society's lost a lot of compassion in the name of entertainment. I do hope she seeks medical care, and I bet she did and just wants it kept as private as possible.

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Having watched the video several times it is clear that this was beyond just tongue tied. It really grieved me to read comments about Serene mocking her,how cold our society has become. My father and Maternal Grandmother both died from strokes.

I hope that Serene remembers she has a chance to make the difference in someone's life by being honest and forthright if she gets any treatment. But most importantly, stroke or not, she should use this remind that it's not something to be ashamed of.

Anissa Mayhew

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The video seems fine now but my pain feels almost physical to know that people could find this funny.

It just makes me shake my head that this is a joke to some.

Anissa Mayhew

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I first heard about this from a co-worker who then showed me the video. As speech therapists we both felt a bit panicked for her as we watched her struggle to form words. I really hope there is some follow through from her doctor. Those of us in the office felt like it looked most like a TIA, but also wondered about the migraine theory. We're no doctors of course, but when something like that happens, it's not wise to ignore it.

-julie

http://tri-ingtobeathletic.blogspot.com

Has anyone heard of a complex migraine?

I had one about 6 months ago but I wasn't talking at the time so I'm not sure if it affects speech but it mimics a stroke.

I suddenly had a pain in my head, my right arm and face went completely numb and letters would be missing when I looked at things. I was driving and had to pull over.

The episode lasted about 2-3 minutes in varying degrees. I had the whole round of tests done and was diagnosed with a complex migraine due to dehydration. I had in fact not been drinking enough water.

I educated myself about strokes when that happened. So scary! I sure hope she is okay....

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As a 6 time stroke survivor, I watched this clip over and over, finally having to click off of it in tears. This was EXACTLY how I would talk whenever I would have an "episode" before my final diagnosis of Moyamoya Disease, which is a very rare, very serious vascular condition only correctable by brain surgeries. My heart goes out to her, and I hope she follows up..this is NOT normal, no matter how many people tell her it is. I pray for her to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. I applaud her for trying her best to continue broadcasting; no one knows how very difficult this was unless you have been in a similar situation.

I had heard about this but hadn't seen it until just now. My heart sank watching this clip--how on earth people can be so callous is beyond me. She was obviously having an issue. OBVIOUSLY. That's not humor, that's a medical issue.

Thank you Anissa, for sharing your perspective.

~Margaret

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It looks like a mini-stroke to me. I had one when I was only 30. I hope she gets checked out. That is so sad that it is being played for entertainment value.

Thanks for addressing this, Anissa. That was such a sudden and peculiar shift in language and I hope she is checked out. I think it's easier when you are younger and feel more invincible to overlook things but it's so important not to. Also having it happen in public like that and having a regionally high-profile, I'm sure it was rough but the idealist in me hopes someone reaches out to her from the community and helps her out.

Laurie
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It is disturbing to me that the footage is on Funny or Die.

Though her station is reporting that she never went to the hospital. That she was observed on site and released. It's possible that it wasn't stroke related. Though... if that's the case, what was it?

Strokes worry me immensely. I hope she does get follow up care.

Melissa writes Stirrup Queens ( http://stirrup-queens.com ) and Lost and Found ( http://lostandfoundandconnectionsabound.blogspot.c... ). Her novel about blogging is Life from Scratch ( http://www.life-from-scratch.com/ ).

This is amazing footage to me. I have watched it over and over. I am completely mesmerized by the way this mysterious condition just took over this very capable and professional woman in the middle of doing what she is trained to do. I am amazed at her perseverance and composure. I suspect she has looked over and over at the footage, too. Trying to figure it out.

Our ability to look on at these accidentally public incidents and to look on over and over is such a blessing and a curse.It's a good thing that perhaps now the spotlight will be on this medical condition. We can all be more aware. And maybe even having the occurrence on film helped or will help the medical doctors figure it out.
On the other hand, the ability to make an unfortunate medical emergency a spectacle is problematic. Folks are so quick to make of it...put it on as a gag reel. But this is done at someone's personal (and perhaps professional) expense.I worry about the long and short-term impact of our America's-Funniest-Video mentality.

Thanks for reminding us of the personal side of Serene Branson's episode, Anissa!

Gina Carroll, author of 24 Things You Can Do with Social Media to Help Get Into College, also blogs at Think Act Parent.com and Tortured By Teenagers

And since the video didn't seem to be showing up here, I searched for it online and found it at "Funny or Die," a comedy site, where 79% of people found it funny. That discouraged me. If someone showed up on TV with a visible tumor, would it be listed on a comedy site as funny?

I think there is this big strange disconnect between illness and injury that affects the rest of the body, and illness and injury that affects the brain. It's like we still think brain problems are either the fault of bad behavior or demonic possession or something. It feels like we are still in the dark ages regarding problems with the brain.