theanxiousone
27-12-23, 17:18
Hello! I'm back! More so because of an extremely scary episode that happened Saturday.
I went in to my part time job. Was working on screen for a half hour. Noticed the glare off one of the monitors started to bug me and was reflecting into my eye, so I closed the blinds. Well. Within 10 minutes, the vision in my right eye went shadowy (not fully dark, I could still see) but it was like pieces of information were missing- they were blurred out. The bottom half (more like quarter) was wavy- like i was under water- I guess it looked almost like chevrons going across my bottom vision. At this point, I started to freak out.
It felt like my right arm was SO far away. Like I was kind of disconnected with my body. I felt dizzy and unstable, like I was going to fall over. Now vertigo isn't uncommon for me- I get that a lot, but this was some kind of attack, or something different. My friend I was messaging said it was an aura for a migraine, and to take something for it ASAP and get to a dark place. Which I did (can only take tylenol as NSAIDS mess up my stomach and I am told I don't get enough migraines to be on meds as of right now). I couldn't get to a dark place cause I was at work. From there, weird things started to happen. tingling and prickling sensations. They were short lived, thankfully- but frightening. The scariest was my peripheral looking shadowy. I could see... but like I said, it was like peices of vision were missing.
My poor boss. He was about to call an ambulance cause he had no idea what was going on. The entire attack lasted about 30-45 minutes but the dizziness and everything stayed for most of the day. I felt drained. I ended up at urgent care where they did some testing and told me they really were not sure what is going on. I do have a history of migraines and headaches, stemming from my TMJ and I get headaches weekly (2-3 times a week usually). The weird part is with all of my migraines I ALWAYS had the pounding headache, nausea and vomiting for hours on end. Never this strange visual stuff. What worries me is I do have a clotting disorder (Factor 5 Leiden) and there is a stroke risk with my family as my mom has had both clots and a stroke befor. The doctor at urgent care said they didn't see any signs of it being a stroke- but having a clotting disorder at my age (I just turned 33 for context) is what the concerning factor is.
They left me off where I need to see an eye specialist to make sure there are no blockages, but i'm worried! I had another one of those attacks AGAIN last night. I was playing on my Nintendo Switch. I looked up to watch the news, and within a minute or two- those SAME wavy zig zags started. I immediately laid down in a blacked out room, and within a half hour it passed. About 3-4 hours later I started to get some pulsating in my temples- so I took some tylenol and went to sleep. I know for migraines, two of my largest triggers are flashing lights (bright lights that make me squint) and certain smells. Both situations that caused these attacks didn't seem over the top for me though to make me feel like it was a migraine, but I could be wrong.
At this point in time, I am waiting for my doctor to get back to me with info on the eye specialist. I just feel like I am playing the waiting game. I don't really know what to do, or what is causing these episodes or new symptoms, if they are migraines. I worry something sinister is going on behind the scenes. I also worry about driving- and one of these attacks happening while I am in the car.
Has anyone gone though this?
I never got one of my standard migraines with either one of these. Just these strange visual disturbances. I am left feeling weird and drained though, and it is impacting my day to day life right now. 2 attacks in 4 days and I admit, it's becoming a worry if/when another one will occur. Or- is it the waiting game for something worse to come?
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
EDITING TO ADD INCASE IT HELPS ANYONE: 1 month of tests and back and forth. Bloodwork, MRI's with dye and without dye and an eye exam confirmed ocular migraines. On a waitlist for a neurologist now. Iv'e been wearing my Theraspecs 24/7 and it has greatly helped the visual issues.
I went in to my part time job. Was working on screen for a half hour. Noticed the glare off one of the monitors started to bug me and was reflecting into my eye, so I closed the blinds. Well. Within 10 minutes, the vision in my right eye went shadowy (not fully dark, I could still see) but it was like pieces of information were missing- they were blurred out. The bottom half (more like quarter) was wavy- like i was under water- I guess it looked almost like chevrons going across my bottom vision. At this point, I started to freak out.
It felt like my right arm was SO far away. Like I was kind of disconnected with my body. I felt dizzy and unstable, like I was going to fall over. Now vertigo isn't uncommon for me- I get that a lot, but this was some kind of attack, or something different. My friend I was messaging said it was an aura for a migraine, and to take something for it ASAP and get to a dark place. Which I did (can only take tylenol as NSAIDS mess up my stomach and I am told I don't get enough migraines to be on meds as of right now). I couldn't get to a dark place cause I was at work. From there, weird things started to happen. tingling and prickling sensations. They were short lived, thankfully- but frightening. The scariest was my peripheral looking shadowy. I could see... but like I said, it was like peices of vision were missing.
My poor boss. He was about to call an ambulance cause he had no idea what was going on. The entire attack lasted about 30-45 minutes but the dizziness and everything stayed for most of the day. I felt drained. I ended up at urgent care where they did some testing and told me they really were not sure what is going on. I do have a history of migraines and headaches, stemming from my TMJ and I get headaches weekly (2-3 times a week usually). The weird part is with all of my migraines I ALWAYS had the pounding headache, nausea and vomiting for hours on end. Never this strange visual stuff. What worries me is I do have a clotting disorder (Factor 5 Leiden) and there is a stroke risk with my family as my mom has had both clots and a stroke befor. The doctor at urgent care said they didn't see any signs of it being a stroke- but having a clotting disorder at my age (I just turned 33 for context) is what the concerning factor is.
They left me off where I need to see an eye specialist to make sure there are no blockages, but i'm worried! I had another one of those attacks AGAIN last night. I was playing on my Nintendo Switch. I looked up to watch the news, and within a minute or two- those SAME wavy zig zags started. I immediately laid down in a blacked out room, and within a half hour it passed. About 3-4 hours later I started to get some pulsating in my temples- so I took some tylenol and went to sleep. I know for migraines, two of my largest triggers are flashing lights (bright lights that make me squint) and certain smells. Both situations that caused these attacks didn't seem over the top for me though to make me feel like it was a migraine, but I could be wrong.
At this point in time, I am waiting for my doctor to get back to me with info on the eye specialist. I just feel like I am playing the waiting game. I don't really know what to do, or what is causing these episodes or new symptoms, if they are migraines. I worry something sinister is going on behind the scenes. I also worry about driving- and one of these attacks happening while I am in the car.
Has anyone gone though this?
I never got one of my standard migraines with either one of these. Just these strange visual disturbances. I am left feeling weird and drained though, and it is impacting my day to day life right now. 2 attacks in 4 days and I admit, it's becoming a worry if/when another one will occur. Or- is it the waiting game for something worse to come?
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
EDITING TO ADD INCASE IT HELPS ANYONE: 1 month of tests and back and forth. Bloodwork, MRI's with dye and without dye and an eye exam confirmed ocular migraines. On a waitlist for a neurologist now. Iv'e been wearing my Theraspecs 24/7 and it has greatly helped the visual issues.