View Full Version : Migraine aura... scared!
So I had my first migraine aura when I was 21 (around 3 years ago). I had 4 that year, one the following year, and none this year (so far...) Clearly they are becoming less frequent, although I still get nervous about having another one since the last one was quite scary (after the visuals, I got numbness spreading through my body).
A news article popped up about whether or not migraine auras could be a diagnosis point for astrocytoma (brain tumour). SO NOW I'M FREAKING OUT. It's a slow growing tumour, so I'm worried that is what has caused my auras, and is just slowly getting bigger and bigger.
I read somewhere that brain tumours in the occipital lobe would cause short visual hallucinations (< 5 min) which made me feel a little better, as I usually have a blind spot for 5 min and then the zig zag appears for around 10. From there, it can be the end, or I'll get tingling/numbness and then maybe a headache or maybe not. I'm so scared it's related somehow to a brain tumour, what do I do as I think getting a brain scan would just be silly at my age but I'm so scared!
I have read a few journal articles where patients had 'auras' of between 5 min to an hour, just like described as a 'classical migraine' but they in fact had a brain tumour :( The only thing they all had which I don't is the increasing onset of episodes...but I'm still so worried now
Peterthegreatworrier
20-10-19, 09:51
Hey there.
I think the fact that your symptoms are not getting worse is a big reason not to worry about it, along with the fact that it is infinitely more likely to be a typical migraine than anything serious. I know it's hard, but I hope this helps at least a little
ankietyjoe
20-10-19, 09:55
This post perfectly illustrates why you shouldn't research your own symptoms online.
Before, you knew they were migraines, now you're in the process of convincing yourself it's a brain tumour.
Thanks guys! I know the odds are low...it's really that it's not getting worse is the main thing that reassures me. I guess I'm stuck in the 'what if' loop...what if I'm the minority!
An astrocytoma is actually quite a broad term covering a range of brain tumour varieties. It can include oligodendrogliomas, anaplastic astrocytomas, glioblastoma (my Nr. 1 Fear from April 2012 until February 2019) amongst other less common varieties.
I researched brain tumours heavily, and I self-declare myself as an expert (Disclaimer: my advice cannot replace that of your doctors), BUT:
* Astrocytomas, of any variety, are very rare
* The occipital lobe is thee most uncommon area for a tumour to form (less than 5% of glial tumours form here)
* Whilst taking the previous bullet point into consideration, it's worth noting that only around 1 in 50,000 people develop a glial tumour each year in the UK
* Asthma and allergies reduce your risk of the same by about 70%
If I understand your post correctly, you report four episodes of visual disturbances occuring over a three year period, with none in the last year. If correct, we can rule out an astrocytoma right away, and you can forget about this worry immediately.
The most common form of the astrocytomas is the Glioblastoma - it causes death, without treatment, at an average of 8 weeks, although people can survive up to about 4 months without treatment. With treatment, the prognosis is equally grim, with the majority dying within 14 months - and that's with optimal treatment!
When brain tumours cause focal seizures (whether they're in the occiptal, temporal, parietal or frontal lobes), these seizures will happen multiple times per DAY. They won't happen one day, then stop, then occur at a later date. It's actually quite common for patients with GBM to suffer around ten focal seizures per day, until they're diagnosed.
I would bet everything I own that you're suffering from nothing more than migraine auras.
You can ask your doctor for reassurance, but please please please rest assured these episodes are NOT caused by ANY sort of astrocytoma.
Good luck
Dimdim, what you've described is a TEXTBOOK visual aura. You may have had four in a year, but I've had more than that in a week - once I had three in one day.
At no point was my GP even remotely worried.
Wow, thank you so much! This information was extremely helpful, you have no idea. Really, THANK YOU!
Can I just ask what you mean by this,
* Asthma and allergies reduce your risk of the same by about 70%
THANK YOU!
Asthmatics and people with allergies are essentially protected against glial brain tumours. It is thought this is (in part) due to a hyperactive immune system and the low grade chronic inflammation. However the exact way in which asthma/allergies protect against tumturs remains unknown.
but yes you can rule brain tumour out and move on, that I’m certain of :)
I didn't know my allergies could shield me from something worse instead of just being a mild annoyance. TIL!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Some great reassurance there thank've you, i been getting these arounsd once a month, there were more frequent but seem tobe not so now.
Would a Dr stop you driving whilst investigating the above does anyone know? how do they diagnose Migraine with Aura's?
I suffer from Stress and Anxiety but since having hypnotherapy and taking CBD ive been alot lot better.
If you get the classic visual aura, your GP will diagnose it from your description.
I don't drive, but I did read up on it - they don't automatically stop you driving by any means.
Thankyou BlueIris for your reassuring swift reply,
Glad to. You're the only person I've ever met who seemed to get them anything like as often as I did.
I've posted on here before a out aura, I had it twice when I was pregnant without the migraine, thought I was having a stroke!! The first one I couldn't get my words out and had tunnel vision, the 2nd time I had numbness down my left side, even in my tongue and couldn't get my words out aswell as wierd vision. It scared the life out of me, touch wood now I haven't had one in over 3 years but they are terrifying and for ages I couldn't accept that it was just an aura. Don't spend any more time worrying about this, like others have said, youd be getting them all the time if it was down to astrocytoma x
So I’ve been okay lately... but an article popped up about a girl having headaches and suddenly dying from brain tumour complications without even knowing she had one and I got really worried again.
When I was 18 I randomly started getting migraine auras (blind spot, then zig zag in vision and some numbness). It happened around 3 times in the first year, twice the next, and none this year... for now lol. Anyway, out of all the times I had 2 pretty bad ones with numbness that really freaked me out. I just worry that because it appeared so suddenly when I was 20 or so, and I had never had them before, that it means something bad. I also remember I had this weird OCD thing where I would shake my head up and down, and I did it on and off over a few years and I’m worried maybe that caused it too and I have brain damage or something.
Anyway, haven’t had a migraine aura in a year or so as I said, but still worried it’s somehow a brain tumour :( only thing logically telling me it’s not is that if it were a brain tumour causing random visual things, it would be an occipital tumour and so would be more frequent not less frequent, as it would be growing. So then the brain damage worry comes in again :/ aah help, convinced ill just die at any moment now
So I’ve been okay lately... but an article popped up about a girl having headaches and suddenly dying from brain tumour complications without even knowing she had one and I got really worried again.
When I was 18 I randomly started getting migraine auras (blind spot, then zig zag in vision and some numbness). It happened around 3 times in the first year, twice the next, and none this year... for now lol. Anyway, out of all the times I had 2 pretty bad ones with numbness that really freaked me out. I just worry that because it appeared so suddenly when I was 20 or so, and I had never had them before, that it means something bad. I also remember I had this weird OCD thing where I would shake my head up and down, and I did it on and off over a few years and I’m worried maybe that caused it too and I have brain damage or something.
Anyway, haven’t had a migraine aura in a year or so as I said, but still worried it’s somehow a brain tumour :( only thing logically telling me it’s not is that if it were a brain tumour causing random visual things, it would be an occipital tumour and so would be more frequent not less frequent, as it would be growing. So then the brain damage worry comes in again :/ aah help, convinced ill just die at any moment now
Random headaches aren't brain tumours, nor is occasional visual things. My father had one, and, trust me, there is no denying that you know there is something seriously, seriously not right
Random headaches aren't brain tumours, nor is occasional visual things. My father had one, and, trust me, there is no denying that you know there is something seriously, seriously not right
I suppose that’s what happens more often than not, but unfortunately there are so many articles around like ‘this woman didn’t know she had a brain tumour for years...’ or something like the one I read yesterday where she complained of headaches and died a week later with nobody considering brain tumour :( *sigh*
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.
Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.
It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.
Elen
So I just read an article about how some 17 year old turned his head quickly and he died because he tore an artery in his neck causing a blood clot and then stroke :ohmy:
I'm so scared. I'm only 23 but a few years ago I had this weird OCD thing where I would shake my head up and down forcefully for a few seconds at a time. I did it on and off for a few years - haven't done that for like 4 years now, looking back I have no idea why I was doing that. Anyway, I am worried I will end up like him now :( Obviously it happens in the moment so if that had happened to me I would have died ages ago from it, but I'm worried maybe I weakened the blood vessels or something and now any small movement will cause me to have the same fate...:weep: Could that be possible?
I know it's very rare, and who knows, maybe he had some genetic predisposition like those people who have heart attacks at 17, but aah it's so scary to think about and I feel so vulnerable. And when I think about it, there's lots of people who do head banging motions at concerts and don't get strokes so I think you just have to be unlucky for it to happen to you :\
Also like 3 years ago, I was doing the weird head bobbing motion and I got a migraine aura for the first time after which really scared me. Coincidence possibly, but I don't think so, and I worry then that I caused brain damage or something. I know a lot of people get migraine auras after neck strain, so it could be as simple as that, or as complicated as some brain damage. I feel so angry because this is something that I did to myself and I'm really scared now that it could kill me :(
Maybe it happened because of something as simple as neck tension from doing the head bobbing rather than anything sinister
ankietyjoe
08-12-19, 12:36
You're being ridiculous.
Stop reading stories like that if they scare you. It's like worrying about being struck by lightning. Sure, it could happen, but it's not actually going to and in the meantime your life is whizzing by while you worry about nothing.
It was three years ago!... and no you can't weaken blood vessels - if you could then dancers or all sorts, professional and nightclubbers would have weakened veins that just burst. Head-bangers - they don't drop dead at the time of taking part in their 'activity' (though actually the amount they do and the incredible force some do it at isn't advisable, but in the unlikely event that caused a problem it would be at the time!)
So I just had a migraine aura :weep: I went just over a year without having one and I thought I had beaten it... nope! I woke up, and as soon as I went to look at my phone I noticed I couldn't see properly, and it went from there. The zig zag grew and in about 20 min it was finally gone. I stayed relatively calm compared to my usual panics, and so after the zig zag I didn't have any other symptoms (in the past I have had numbness, tingling, slurring etc, but to be fair that was probably all just part of a bad panic attack from me freaking out about the visual aura).
I got a headache after so I went to have a nap (bit weird to do that after just waking up but didn't have much of a choice) and I feel much better now. I just have a slight headache and feel a little on edge... like at any moment it will happen again or that there's something wrong with my brain and I should watch out. I'm meant to go out tonight and have a few drinks, would this be okay? I'm worried I'll have a stroke or something:huh: Although one time I was actually out drinking and I got an aura and once it went away I kept drinking...
Let me know your thoughts please as I just want to move on from this and not keep worrying! I'm only 23 and just want to enjoy my life.
Just read a few threads on here about it and how it is linked to stroke and I'm freaking out again :( I suppose it's 'over' now and no stroke happened but I feel like a stroke could happen at any moment now :(
washingtonwaves
03-01-20, 03:15
Hi hope you're feeling a little better. I read your post and wow it sounds exactly like me. I'm 27 and healthy. If it's any comfort I actually had an MRI done and was officially diagnosed with these symptoms just being a migraine aura but without headache which is pretty common. I would rarely maybe one or two times a year get a migraine aura but mine come without any headache or pain. I usually start to notice it in one eye when reading it'll start with maybe a letter is blotted out or hard to see and in the center of my vision. Over the course of 10 minutes it gets progressively worse.
I'll see moving white zig zag lines throughout my vision like someone took a strange flash camera and blinded me. They'll proceed to get more prominent and slowly move towards my peripheral vision while the center of my vision clears up and by 20 minutes it's usually pretty faint and only in the corners of my vision until it finally fades away.
I also used to panic thinking it's a stroke especially since I didn't even get the tell tail headache but stokes are VERY different than what you described. They don't cause zig zag lines and they come on very fast and don't have the visual progression like an aura does.
Millions of people get migraines and yours is as classic as they come. Stress can cause them to happen more frequently and they're in no way a sign of an impending stroke (try not to google it's your worst enemy trust me). If it were something wrong with your brain you would have other severe symptoms that don't come and go. What you can try to do is make sure you drink plenty of water, lower your anxiety level, and get plenty of exercise. These are all good ways to possibly keep a migraine from happening. Drinking can sometimes cause headaches so it's not surprising you'd get a migraine from that but that's about it and you'll be fine.
Hope some of this helps hang in there!
The increased stroke risk that comes with migraine aura is relatively small. It only becomes an issue if you add in other factors such as smoking and oral contraceptives.
Wow thank you so much @washingtonwaves! This helped a lot. Compared to my first aura I was much more calm, but there is still some growth to be made as I have that lingering doubt. Unlike you I never got an MRI although I’m sure all would be fine too so it just seems very silly for me to go and do it. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this message, I really appreciate it!! :)
Hi
This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.
Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.
It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.
Elen
washingtonwaves
04-01-20, 02:30
Glad to help 🙂! I know the struggle especially when you’re first starting to get the auras. When I had it for the first time I ended up in the ER freaking out haha. It gets easier each time you have it though and and agree you definitely don’t need an MRI it’s expensive and didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know that it was a migraine aura yours would be the same!
yeah so true! there is always that lingering doubt though of 'what if' i'm different...'what if' mine shows something wrong! brain tumour, brain damage etc etc... oh well. I will have to try keep that voice quiet :lac:
Mrsmitchell1984
05-01-20, 09:55
Have you had a brain scan to check? I am not suggesting you need it at all- but it may just put your mind at rest. I had ocular migraines and had a brain scan and nothing was detected (I mean they detected a brain- but no tumour) x
I have not - as mentioned by the other poster, it really is quite a waste of time and money when there are no signs of anything being wrong. I also don't want to expose myself to any unnecessary radiation. I feel like it's a double edged sword - I may think a brain scan will put everything to rest, but once that comes back clear, I know I'll fin something else to focus on and worry about, so really what's the point? I think I'm better off just trying to accept it all and move on with my life
Mrsmitchell1984
06-01-20, 08:05
Easier said than done- but it’s a good approach to take x
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.