Migraine with Aura

[AnxietySufferer]

Hi Guys,

so far I have had 5 of these.

3 with headaches and 2 just with visual disturbance and numbness.

This has occurred over the space of a year.

weirdly 4 of them have occurred in the summer so i wondered whether this could be a seasonal thing?

Anyway I haven't been to the doctors about it. But I get really anxious every now and again that it is an ischematic stroke / warning.

I also get really anxious about when they might occur such as whilst driving etc.

I am going to book an eye test and mention it then.

Description of symptoms;

First my vision will become blacked out in places. Like when you have been looking at a bright light and areas go black. So i will be looking at my hand and won't be able to see part of it which is obviously very scary.

Then the eye vision thing will pass after around 30 mins and then my fingers on my left hand will go numb as well as my lip. By this point I am feeling very anxious obviously and doing my best the relax.

In the first 3 cases this was followed by a really bad headache (i am not usually prone to headaches).

In the other 2 cases I have just felt like my brain is kind of foggy and really tired.

Then i will sleep and by morning I am usually feeling okay again.

I haven't actually been diagnosed but I am assuming this is migraine with aura.

This causes anxiety as it makes me worry more about heart problems and stroke.

and what if its a warning sign of a stroke etc which is petty scary.

I just need some advice / reassurance really.

Thanks guys ,

[fruitandnutlover]

I get this and so does my mum and sister.

For me it starts off as a small blind spot in my vision then this turns to a small zigzag which gets bigger and slowly moves across my vision then disappears (usually after 20-20 mins), sometimes a headache follows, sometimes not. Sometimes I get numb hands, fingers and lips and can feel completely disorientated its horrible and it leaves me feeling drained.

Even though I have had these on and off for the last 10 years, I still freak out when I get them and go into a complete panic (there is nothing worse than something affecting your vision) so can totally sympathise.

[Katy_o]

What you are describing are all classic symptoms of a migraine. It's definitely worth mentioning it when you get your eyes tested, but it does sound like a migraine. Might be worth keeping a diary of when it happens as for some people there can be triggers. Certain things you eat or drink, menstrual cycle (not sure if that applies to you), stress etc can all trigger a migraine. Although unfortunately for some people there is no clear trigger and it just happens. It is very unpleasant and can be really scary, but it will pass. The best thing you can do is take pain killers the moment you start getting the visual disturbance and lay in a dark room and try your hardest to relax. Sometimes if you take the pain meds before the pain starts it can stop it developing into a full blown migraine. Hope this helps.

[amck]

Hi !

I suffered some times Migraine.

When i was young i had soooooo many tests about it since i had a stroke when i was a kid so the doctors wanted to discard any thing related to that.

Those Migraines were like yours. Black vision, really, really bad headache and vomiting.

You only have Migraine . Don't worry about anything else, really, it could be like if you are dying sometimes, but you won't die :P.

I didn't have other episode since 2 years ago.

I think they come when you are so stressed. (Bad sleep, so much work, alcohol, smoke, etc.)

Relax and live your life as well as you can .

Hope these Migraines won't come again .

Otherwise, you can take a pill like Ibuprofen just beggining (Obviously, ask your GP first, but it did work for me a lot of times) and the symptoms will pass faster.

Best,

[Phuzella]

Make sure you're well hydrated too

[AnxietySufferer]

awwww thank you guys

Its nice to know there are others who have been suffering from the same symptoms and can make me feel sane again.

I honestly feel as though I'm going crazy at times.

I don't know why I can't just relax and make the most of feeling ok but i am constantly worried about when a 'silent migraine' attack may occur.

Its so frustrating!! But definitely helps talking to you guys who have gone through a similar experience.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to me it helps me out more than i could ever put into words.

Its so nice to be able to talk to people who can understand my thought process and understand why i think the way I do. Theres only so many times you can talk to a doctor / therapist or family member, who although will always be there for you cannot understand why / what you are actually thinking.

Anyway i REALLY do appreciate it.

<3

[amck]

awwww thank you guys

Its nice to know there are others who have been suffering from the same symptoms and can make me feel sane again.

I honestly feel as though I'm going crazy at times.

I don't know why I can't just relax and make the most of feeling ok but i am constantly worried about when a 'silent migraine' attack may occur.

Its so frustrating!! But definitely helps talking to you guys who have gone through a similar experience.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to me it helps me out more than i could ever put into words.

Its so nice to be able to talk to people who can understand my thought process and understand why i think the way I do. Theres only so many times you can talk to a doctor / therapist or family member, who although will always be there for you cannot understand why / what you are actually thinking.

Anyway i REALLY do appreciate it.

<3

We are here to help .

Don't worry about it anymore! Just live your life so brilliantly as you can

[hanshan]

The zigzag light-show effect is known as a scintillating scotoma. I've had one just once, but it was quite a show, and I was trying to advise a student at the same time. Thankfully, a check later with Dr Google actually reassured me that I wasn't having a stroke, and it wasn't dangerous.

---------- Post added at 17:45 ---------- Previous post was at 13:50 ----------

Actually, I should add that you should still check with a doctor if (a) it's the first time it has happened, and (b) particularly if you are over 50. Light shows could be other problems, but probably won't resolve of themselves like a migraine aura.

[helenclaire]

I get exactly the same symptoms, blind spots, zigzags, numbness in fingers and a tingly nose.

If I take painkillers as soon as the aura starts it usually stems the headache but if I leave it to late I get the one sided headache and sometimes nausea.

[hanshan]

The French novelist, Flaubert, suffered from neurological problems, and referred to what he saw as "black butterflies", which may relate to blacking out of part of vision posted here.