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Please advise... Vision gone funny but no headache now, is it still migraine?

17 replies

Catsu · 26/11/2011 08:41

have had migraines in the past. I usually get the pain but only occasionally get the vision flickering with it
Past few days I've had a bad headache but put it down to having a cold at the moment
Today my headache is gone but my vision is flickering badly
Very tricky writing this as can only see left side of screen. Right side is all flickering dots
Is it normal yO have visual disturbance with no headache? Is it still migraine? Or should I call dr?
Am on my own today with 3 dc including small baby so don't want to pass out!!

OP posts:
Himalaya · 26/11/2011 08:56

Sounds like a migrane to me. Mine are like this, sometimes without headache.

Cutelittlecatlover · 26/11/2011 09:27

I get migraines like this sometimes, not fun at all! Is there anyone that can watch your dcs for,a bit while you go for a sleep?

Cutelittlecatlover · 26/11/2011 09:28

Please excuse the random comma in there, bloody iPhone!

jalopy · 26/11/2011 10:28

Definitely get it checked out by a dr.

Having said that I get visual migraines without the headaches. It's like looking into a kaleidoscope. My episodes only last 20 mins or so.

TheFidgetySheep · 26/11/2011 10:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Catsmamma · 26/11/2011 10:35

If I get the visual aura nonsense I rarely get the headache....or not the bad lie down and wish for death one.

Try and stay quietish and have a duvet day on the sofa with the little ones.

....have you been dazzled at all, I know that seems a bit random, but for me a very bright light, like low sun or a reflection from a car door or rear screen, sunshine on water....anything like that can result almost immediately in one of these "aura" attacks for me. I always have sunnies within reach, just incase!

jalopy · 26/11/2011 10:37

Catsmamma, I'm the same. A sudden flash of light or sunlight causes mine too.

larrygrylls · 26/11/2011 11:39

Catsu,

You need to be URGENTLY examined. Visual disturbances like that can be migraine but they can also be signs of strokes or brain tumours. It is not something to mess with; go STRAIGHT to A&E. Even it is "just" a migraine (and I know they can be horrendous), you will get it confirmed and maybe some treatment.

motherinferior · 26/11/2011 11:41

Wot Larry said.

Catsu · 26/11/2011 13:04

Thank you all!
Sorry I couldn't reply till now
I took pain killers and rested a bit and my vision was back to normal within about half an hour
No headache still yet so I think it must have been a migraine type visual thing without the pain this time! Hopefully I nipped it in the bud with the painkillers early on
Thanks for the advice :)

OP posts:
TheFidgetySheep · 26/11/2011 22:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wannaBe · 26/11/2011 22:40

dots (including headache) can also be a sign of retina detachment.

The way they check for stroke/tumour etc is to do with your pupils - if you've had a stroke/a tumour then your pupils are generally unequal and/or dilated.

Jux · 26/11/2011 23:43

After a migraine it's a good idea to eat some live yoghourt or a banana; it helps to settle your system.

HaveALittleFaithBaby · 27/11/2011 10:50

Migraine is an elimination diagnosis once they check for other stuff hut there are classic indicators. If the vision problem happens again, definitely seek urgent medical attention.

larrygrylls · 27/11/2011 10:54

Personally, i would still get checked out anyway. If it was a transient ischaemic attack due to lack of blood flow, something as simple as a stent could prevent a stroke in the future.

Fidgety, I think that you can safely say that if you have been regularly getting something over a period of years and there has been no progression and no other symptoms, that it is something relatively benign.

rabbitstew · 27/11/2011 13:49

I think, since TIAs and migraine auras can have similar effects, it is a good idea to have this sort of thing checked out the first time it happens to you. However, I think there are differences between the two: with a TIA, the onset is normally very sudden, whereas with migraine aura, it steadily progresses before gradually getting better (eg starts like a little blind spot which gets gradually bigger, becomes funny flashing lights in the corner of the vision or little clear, sparkly shapes, etc). Also, I think TIAs are more like the vision loss part of a migraine aura (losing all or part of your visual field temporarily) - I don't think you would normally expect the other visual effects. Neither TIAs nor migraine auras cause permanent damage, but a TIA is often a pre-cursor to a proper stroke, so must always be taken extremely seriously and if there is a chance that you had one of these, you should always check with a doctor. I don't think it is uncommon for people who get classic migraines to start getting more of the visual effects as they get older, though (but then, of course, as you get older, you are also at a higher risk for strokes).

I know that migraines, strokes and TIAs can have remarkably similar effects, given that it is even possible, with a very severe migraine, to lose control of, eg an arm on one side of the body, temporarily, or to have temporarily slurred speech. I've only ever had migraine auras - never had the headaches. I find them quite an interesting experience.

rabbitstew · 27/11/2011 14:11

(ps dimming or blurring of vision also common in TIAs, but not sparkly lights, so far as I'm aware!).

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