Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Migraine Headaches

alicat · 10-07-2004, 08:59 PM

I don't experience migraines in the typical sense, but like Alibaba and Wrkime said, I've had two Optical migraines. The first was about 2 1/2-3 yrs. ago. My mom had a retinal detachment when she was 16, so I freaked out when it happened. About 10:00 at night I'm watching t.v. w/ my hubby when all of a sudden I notice a weird flickering just off-center to the left of my focal point. It was just a strange disdurbance at first but over the span of 15 min. it widened outwards to encompise my whole left-side field of vision (in both eyes, whether one was closed or not). It consisted of jagged, flickering, red-green-blue shapes putting on a Pink Floyd show in my eyeball's.

I went to an opthomaligist (sp) the next day and he diagnosed it as an Optical Migraine. I went online and found nearly the same thing I'd experienced by Googling it.

Just yesterday, nearly 3 yrs. after the first one, I had another. I woke up, did a little puttsing, and then came downstairs and logged on to TFP. Not even a minute after I logged on I noticed a spot in my vision that looked the size of a hole punch hole on a piece of 3 ring binder paper (at about the distance from a chair to a computer screen). It was totally different than the first optical migraine I'd experienced so I was sort-of getting worried. Over the next few minutes, it started to expand and take on the flashy, multi-colored context that I'd seen with the first one. It then proceeded to expand outward to the left as before, only this time my head felt strange and I felt disoriented, whoosy and a bit sick to my stomach. It got larger and larger until it disappeared from my vision after 22 minutes (yes, I timed it this time!). The other symptoms lasted for about 3 hrs. afterwords though.

I realize they (optical migraines) don't compare to the debilitating pain that those of you suffer with "normal" migraines, however, it's scary as hell when your vision is involved! Especially to me since I've got pretty bad eyesight and have worn glasses since I was a kid (and like I said before about my mom, a history of retinal detachment). I didn't realize those that suffer "painfull" migraines could also have them affect their vision. I guess I should be grateful that my "optical" one's don't involve much pain per se...

Edited to add: TheShadow: When I do get headaches, they are always on the left side. I have had "headache" headaches before but in the past 8-10 yrs. I just experience a sharp pain and throbbing in my left temple. Sometimes I have pain at the base of my skull on the left and it skips the rest of my head until my left temple (so there's no pain elsewhere except the base and temple). I can usually apply pressure to my temple and it helps to stop the pain, but if I let off the pressure it is right there again. When this first started I constantly freaked out and would think "brain tumor, stroke, embolism". After 8-10 yrs. I've stopped thinking catasrophy everytime it happens.

I read somewhere that headaches and migraines aren't really in the brain (because we can't feel pain in the brain itself) but are rather caused by constriction (I think) of the blood vessels in the scalp. I may be wrong with what I remember (thanks brain

) or the info. was possibaly faulty. I'd like to learn more about this though.

Ali

10-07-2004, 08:59 PM	#12 (permalink)
alicat Baffled Location: West Michigan	I don't experience migraines in the typical sense, but like Alibaba and Wrkime said, I've had two Optical migraines. The first was about 2 1/2-3 yrs. ago. My mom had a retinal detachment when she was 16, so I freaked out when it happened. About 10:00 at night I'm watching t.v. w/ my hubby when all of a sudden I notice a weird flickering just off-center to the left of my focal point. It was just a strange disdurbance at first but over the span of 15 min. it widened outwards to encompise my whole left-side field of vision (in both eyes, whether one was closed or not). It consisted of jagged, flickering, red-green-blue shapes putting on a Pink Floyd show in my eyeball's. I went to an opthomaligist (sp) the next day and he diagnosed it as an Optical Migraine. I went online and found nearly the same thing I'd experienced by Googling it. Just yesterday, nearly 3 yrs. after the first one, I had another. I woke up, did a little puttsing, and then came downstairs and logged on to TFP. Not even a minute after I logged on I noticed a spot in my vision that looked the size of a hole punch hole on a piece of 3 ring binder paper (at about the distance from a chair to a computer screen). It was totally different than the first optical migraine I'd experienced so I was sort-of getting worried. Over the next few minutes, it started to expand and take on the flashy, multi-colored context that I'd seen with the first one. It then proceeded to expand outward to the left as before, only this time my head felt strange and I felt disoriented, whoosy and a bit sick to my stomach. It got larger and larger until it disappeared from my vision after 22 minutes (yes, I timed it this time!). The other symptoms lasted for about 3 hrs. afterwords though. I realize they (optical migraines) don't compare to the debilitating pain that those of you suffer with "normal" migraines, however, it's scary as hell when your vision is involved! Especially to me since I've got pretty bad eyesight and have worn glasses since I was a kid (and like I said before about my mom, a history of retinal detachment). I didn't realize those that suffer "painfull" migraines could also have them affect their vision. I guess I should be grateful that my "optical" one's don't involve much pain per se... Edited to add: TheShadow: When I do get headaches, they are always on the left side. I have had "headache" headaches before but in the past 8-10 yrs. I just experience a sharp pain and throbbing in my left temple. Sometimes I have pain at the base of my skull on the left and it skips the rest of my head until my left temple (so there's no pain elsewhere except the base and temple). I can usually apply pressure to my temple and it helps to stop the pain, but if I let off the pressure it is right there again. When this first started I constantly freaked out and would think "brain tumor, stroke, embolism". After 8-10 yrs. I've stopped thinking catasrophy everytime it happens. I read somewhere that headaches and migraines aren't really in the brain (because we can't feel pain in the brain itself) but are rather caused by constriction (I think) of the blood vessels in the scalp. I may be wrong with what I remember (thanks brain ) or the info. was possibaly faulty. I'd like to learn more about this though. Ali __________________ 'Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun, The frumious Bandersnatch!'--Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll "You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late."--Ralph Waldo Emerson Last edited by alicat; 10-07-2004 at 09:27 PM..