alarming new symptom

[wheeler641]

Well i have a new symptom of something, it has happenned 3 times in the last week. The only way I can desribe it wavy vision, like there are waves in my vision, with spots, kind of like when you stare at a light bulb and than look away, but the thing that bother me the most are the waves. I have high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, so when this happenned a second time, I was already in my car and drove myself to the local emergency room. They took my blood sugar and blood pressure all within normal limits. They convinced me to stay to see a doctor, who examined me to make sure I was not having a stroke, he assured me I was not and signed me out Now I have had an mri on my brain which was normal. Anyone else had anything like this happen to them, it just happenned again this morning while I was at Wal-Mart. I do not get dizzy or anthing, just kind of afraid to drive when everything goes wavy on me. Thanks Margaret

[crystalkk]

Have you seen an eye doctor?

[wheeler641]

hi, yes I have, got new glasses, even though I never had them, kind of seems like a description of a migraine. Is there such a thing as a silent migraine??

[BethU]

Margaret, I've had "auras" since I was in high school, where I get flashing light in a circle in one eye. It takes about 15 minutes for it to stop. The circle gets narrower and narrower till it is a spot, and then it disappears.

Twice as an adult, it was followed by what I think was a migraine, but I've had no other bad experiences connected to it. Never gotten dizzy or light headed. I just wait for it to stop. Auras can take different configurations, so don't know if mine are related to yours.

I believe you can have benign auras as I do, or they can preceed a migraine, or they can preceed a seizure. Since you haven't had migraines or seizures, hopefully it's just a benign wacky thing the body does to amuse itself and scare the bejesus out of us. If anything about this changes, I'd see a doctor again. It's a shame the doctors didn't give you an explanation of what it could be. If doctors would just EXPLAIN what could be causing these scary things, and give them a name, it would eliminate a lot of anxiety in the world.

[wheeler641]

thanks beth and lydia, well I did the Dr. Google thing and the most common cause is silent Migraines among a bunch of more treacherous stuff that I refuse to let myself delve into. It only lasts about 10 minutes than goes away, no dizziness, feel quite normal, today I just went and sat in my car till it went away. I guess I will just wait till I see my doc in 2 weeks and then mention it to him. I wonder it it could have anything to do with the prednisone I am taking. I know it has a bunch of quirky side effects. Just hope this attacks do not happen more often, Margaret

[KeeKer]

Did your eye doctor check for macular degeneration? That causes waves.

[awieleba]

Wheeler.

I had this a few times a year and half ago when grace was a baby. I had waves, I had prisms and just plain freaky eye stuff. (this was before any neuro/muscle issue). It is ocular migrane. My eye doc told me it was classic. I double checked with my PC and she ironically did a doctoral paper on ocular migranes and agreed that is what had. If you take a heavy dose of ibufroin than it will help. I know I was scared that i was having a retinal detachment or something. It can be hormonal, mine were 4 weeks post partum.

april

[GlenBrittle]

OOooo ... Auras ... Its a sign . A sigh to get the hell home and go to bed. A migrane is coming. Other signs , all of my teeth hurt. Any light is too bright. My head will tingle on top when it starts.

Someone said "a silent migrane" . Yes , if I have a migrane , you had better be silent.

I do not take anything for them . I know the triggers and stay away. I know the symptoms and will go to bed before it hits full force. Sad , but true , I can not eat any chocolate. That used to be a food group in my house.

Glen

[rose]

Margaret,

From my doctor's lips to your ears...

Flashing lights and/or an aura can be signs of migraine attack. pain is optional

I personally don't get aura's, but my emotions often times are affected before a migraine actually starts though.

So, if I find myself on the brink of tears for no good reason, I take the mental multiple choice quiz.... is it because:

A) menopause is in my near future
B) I'm having an emotional lability moment
C) A migraine is imminent
D) I'm sad
E) all of the above

I always wanted the auras, closest I ever came to it was seeing the aurora borealis while flying over Alaska.

[GlenBrittle]

Be glad you do not get the auras. They have a nausiating effect on me.

[trying to stay positive]

Hi Margaret,

I get flashing blue lights in the lower portion of my vision, as well as what I can only describe as vibrating vision. Sounds kind of like your wavy vision, only mine is really fast. I also have light sensitivity and long lasting after images. Flourescent lights are particularly hard on my eyes, to the point that some days I cannot tolerate them at all. I can get intense pain in my eyes from them and at times feel like if I don't get away from them I will have a seizure.

I too have had many eye exams & a brain MRI and the doctors have decided that they are ocular migraines. Only had migraine pain associated with them twice. That is enough for me! I too think that there is a hormonal connection as this started for me during peri menopause and really intensified once I reached full menopause.

Oh, and lower barometric pressure makes it way worse.

Hope yours goes away soon!

[wheeler641]

weird that you should mention the flourescent lights all three times this has happenned to me has been in a store with flourescent lights, I do not get dizzy or anything and actually feel quite well, I also never have had any pain afterward, but it does kind of scare the heck out of you. As far as macular degeneration, I have been to an opthmalogist in the past few months and did everything from dilating my pupils to looking behind my eyes with what looked like a giant x-ray machine, so everything thing I read leads back to ocular migraines. Just hope it does not happen again, oh one more thing it always happens in the morning around 10.00 a.m and always when I enter a store with bright lights, thanks everyone for your replys, margaret

[LauraW]

Mom has lost partial vision in her right eye and had flashes in her left but they are gone now.
Laura