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Ms Or Atypical Migraine?

Adalaide

By Adalaide
in Related Issues & Disorders

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Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

Sunday morning started out typical. Alarm went off, I debated throwing it across the room, after a few minutes I dragged myself grumbling from bed and talked myself into a shower knowing and resenting it would wake me up. So far, so good. Then as I ate breakfast I started seeing a brightness in the lower left side of my vision. I was seeing it with both eyes but figured it would go away. Over the span of about half an hour it changed to a halo of blurriness clouding about 1/3 of the left side of my vision and then fully half of my vision after another hour.

Finally alarmed I went to the ER. They did a CT and MRI which both showed a whole lot of nothing. (Apparently they were looking for signs of a stroke.) They pumped me full of some migraine cocktail and after a few hours sent me home. I never had more than a mild headache which has been my constant companion the last week or so to accompany my shoulder pain. I was told that this was probably an atypical migraine but could possibly be the beginning of an MS flare. (I'm currently in limbo awaiting specialist care to determine if I have MS and/or lupus.) Over the course of my hours in the ER the blurriness had resolved a bit but not fully.

This morning I got up feeling fine, if a little tired, after 12 hours of sleep. (Part of the cocktail was benadryl which always knocks me out for half a day or longer.) I was pretty thrilled about that since I have to work today. Well I get to work and get ready to dive into my review of the student material when I realize that it's all come back. I've entirely lost half my vision to blur again, I can barely concentrate, I don't have pain but pressure in my head and I feel mildly disoriented. I've found someone to take the afternoon class for me so I can head home (via public transit, I can't drive like this) and see if I can get in to see a doctor.

I'm curious if anyone has had similar symptoms. I haven't gotten glutened, I always have GI symptoms pretty immediately if that happens. If this is MS I could finally get a firm diagnosis, and if not I have a whole new symptom to add to my extremely rare migraines. If anyone has any thoughts or experience I'd be more than happy to not be alone.

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cavernio Enthusiast
cavernio
Posted

Wish I had any advice. Sounds scary. Let's hope it's just migraines and not MS.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I have borderline glaucoma, and I have had a few (VERY few, thank God!) migraines. Whenever I have one though, my eye doctor has told me to come in right away to get checked. He said a spike in eye pressure will cause that kind of pain and should be checked IMMEDIATELY, because if the pressure spikes hard enough and quickly enough, I could go blind within minutes.

Have you had your eyes checked recently?

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I second the suggestion to see your eye doctor. If you can get in while this is happening that might be a good thing to do.

I used to get migraine auras without the headache at times but it was more like a halo of sparkles. Not saying what you are experiencing isn't an aura though as different folks have different aura effects.

Is there any chance you are getting glutened?

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted
  • Author

Thanks guys, I'll make an appointment to see my eye doc this week and get checked. I used to be a member of the Lion's Club which does a lot of work with trying to preserve eyesight. Since my mother is also blind in one eye I do know to watch for the loss of peripheral vision. Never dawned on me it could start like this but it's a good reminder to get my butt in and get air blown in my eyeball. Frankly I'd rather have my blood drawn which sometimes makes me pass out.

I was in to the doctor today because of it coming back this morning. He seems to think it's likely that it's a migraine, gave me a prescription for generic imitrex to see if it helps. We are also getting me in to see a neurologist in the next few weeks which I'll have to pay for out of pocket but I'm actually scared enough now to pay without question.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Thanks guys, I'll make an appointment to see my eye doc this week and get checked. I used to be a member of the Lion's Club which does a lot of work with trying to preserve eyesight. Since my mother is also blind in one eye I do know to watch for the loss of peripheral vision. Never dawned on me it could start like this but it's a good reminder to get my butt in and get air blown in my eyeball. Frankly I'd rather have my blood drawn which sometimes makes me pass out.

I was in to the doctor today because of it coming back this morning. He seems to think it's likely that it's a migraine, gave me a prescription for generic imitrex to see if it helps. We are also getting me in to see a neurologist in the next few weeks which I'll have to pay for out of pocket but I'm actually scared enough now to pay without question.

You mention that you had an MRI. If that was of your brain usually MS lesions will be visible if you have MS. Try not to worry to much but do get things checked out. Make sure you check to make sure that the med you were prescribed is gluten free.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I'm not sure about all eyedoctors, but mine doesn't use the puff test anymore. He has some new equipment that is more accurate, and although it LOOKS like that blue light is going to touch my eyeball, it never does. My eyedoctor is WONDERFUL, and I have told him I wish I could find an MD whom I trusted as much as I do him.

What was funny was the day I had a customer in here and we happened to get on the subject of vision. I went on and on, raving about my wonderful doctor. And HONESTLY, I had no idea I was talking to his mother! :D

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Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted
  • Author

Thanks Raven, it was my understanding that new MS lesions won't show up without contrast and none was used. The ER doctor refused to rule out MS and frankly I've been sitting in limbo between MS and lupus for years so it wouldn't be a shock. After all the difficulty in confirming that my prescription is gluten free I need a pre-authorization for it from my insurance. Who thinks up this crap? For migraine medication? Someone, somewhere is a sadist. I was like oh, I'll just pay for it.... then she told me it was over $100 for ten pills. I was like screw it, I'll spend the next millennium waiting on the insurance people to remove their heads from their butts. Who needs to see? Right?

Bart, I'll bet you just made that lady's day. I know my eye doctor still does the puff. I wouldn't let him last year, told him I didn't need it. I'll forever kick myself if it turns out I have glaucoma. I'm due for new glasses or contacts anyway though so it's good for me to get in to see him.

birdie22 Enthusiast
birdie22
Posted

My MIL gets ocular migraines. No headache just loss/partial loss of vision.

Lori2 Contributor
Lori2
Posted

I get what my eye doctor calls visual migraines--sort of sparkling, spikey semi-circles--hard to describe, last about a half hour. Check on You Tube for pictures of visual, ocular or optical migraines.

1974girl Enthusiast
1974girl
Posted

My mom gets ocular migraines. She can see your eyes but not your nose...half your body disappears. We rushed her to the ER at her first one, too. (Eye doc says that women around menopause get these)

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