I think I had a migraine

[Ronisdragon]

Hi. Yesterday out of nowhere all of a sudden my vision got super distorted. It kind of looked like I was looking through broken glass and was seeing all kinds of shapes. After about 30 minutes it got better but I got crazy nauseous and felt like I had very bad eye strain. I did get sick but I'll spare you the details of that. I had an emergency dr appointment and they sent me to the emergency room for an MRI of my brain. Things looked normal and they are calling it a migraine variant. The strange thing is I didn't actually have a headache. Did I mention I was in the ER from 8:30pm till 2:00am? Ugh!

Have any of you dealt with migraines before? This was such a horrible experience and terrifying! I'm scared what will happen if I'm driving while this happens next time. It happened once before about a month ago but I just had the visual disturbance in my peripheral vision so I brushed it off as a fluke. I was hoping when I woke up this morning I'd be back to myself but I still felt pretty off so I slept most of the day after taking something for nausea and dizziness. I'd love to hear from some of you wonderful ladies that have dealt with this!

 

[Brandi]

Oh yes! I have definitely had migraines and they are NOT fun! My first one I had I was around 16 and it happened when I was in a restaurant with my Dad and his wife at the time. I was trying to read the menu but every other letter looked as if it was disappearing, or like you said- looking thru broken glass. I drove myself home immediately b/c my head started hurting more and more. (I was very prone to headaches) Laid on the couch and got very sick. It only made things worse. Went to lay in bed with lights off and I could NOT shake the pain. It was excruciating!!! They are not your typical *horrible* headache. It's like someone's taking a dull knife and stabbing it behind your eye, and then on top of that having a huge and dulling weight sit on your head with some more pain. My step-mom at the time drove me to the ER and they gave me a shot that literally made the migraine disappear within 15 min. It was the craziest thing. I totally wish I knew what they gave me! I have had maybe a handful after that. Because of that one evening, I've had my doctor prescribe me something to help it go away at the onset of one. You have to be quick though or it won't work. And let me tell you... I don't take any chances!
I'm sorry you've had to go through that, it's awful! I would totally carry something with you for pain in case you go through it again!

 

[scrapsandsass]

I haven't had migraines with visual distortions, but I know there are a lot of different types. I get a variety of different migraines (cluster, ice pick, etc.) depending on what is going on in life because mine are all stress-related. There is a lot of info out there.

What helps for me is... if you start to get one, stop what you are doing and get to a safe place (if you are driving), slow down your breathing and heart rate, try to think warm thoughts hand try to tighten and then loosen all of your muscle groups (one at a time). I know it is hard to try to relax when you are having weird things or head pain, but it really does help. I used to get them every Friday and they'd last until Saturday night. But I learned how to do the relaxation and biofeedback and it helped.

 

[Angie4b1g]

I do get migraines, but not with visual disturbances. Other than the fact that I have to go hide in the dark.

 

[Cristina]

Oh my goodness, this is so scary!! I didn't even know visual disturbances could be associated with migraines. I find it really weird that you didn't have a headache. I'm so sorry this happened to you!

 

[Ronisdragon]

Thank you ladies for your kind works. I looked up occular migraines and it seems like that is what it was. They can occur without headaches. The nausea was horrible but I'm hoping the medicine the dr gave me will help that in the future. I need to find out what I can take when this happens again to try to stop it. The dr at the hospital mentioned Excederin Migraine but I have to find out if it is safe since I'm trying to conceive. I'm glad to hear I'm not alone with this but I'm also sorry to hear you ladies are dealing with this also. Thanks again so much. You ladies are helping me feel a bit better. I think doing some shopping here would make me feel much better, now to find the money. Lol! Have a migraine free week everyone!

 

[mishou]

i'm so sorry this happened to you i know the feeling all too well! i get aura symptoms and they get pretty scary too!

if you google "migraine with aura" you'll find a lot of information about the symptoms that can precede a migraine. i've been having migraines since I was 16, but I only started having the auras 3 years ago.

i've rushed to the emergency several times but they send me home saying it's "just a migraine". yeah ok! i feel like i'm having a stoke! lol. it really sucks. i get the visual disturbance, but then the whole left side of my face goes numb. physically it's hard to move the muscles to smile and talk, but also mentally i have difficulty thinking and processing information. (did you ever hear of this story of the news reporter who had one on-air? that's pretty much what happens. everyone at work knows when i space out that i'm having one lol!)

sometimes the aura symptoms last up to 12 hours and i never actually get a headache so what you described sounds exactly like a migraine to me for sure.

don't know how accurate this is but wikipedia calls them "silent migraines"

the other thing that sounds common about your story is how you felt like crap after it was over. i usually feel like i've been hit by a bus after a migraine - tired, achy, etc. that can sometimes last for days too.

anyway if you ever have any questions or anything you can feel free to PM me! i hope you feel better soon and that it doesn't happen again (or at least too often )

 

[kimbytx]

I get migraines with headache, nausea, dizziness, light sensitivity. Not fun at all.

 

[mishou]

The dr at the hospital mentioned Excederin Migraine but I have to find out if it is safe since I'm trying to conceive.

Different drugs work for different people - you might have to try a few before you land on one that works. I know some people who take Excedrin or Tylenol. For me, the only thing that works is ibuprofen based stuff (Advil, Motrin, etc.) I take the highest strength available over the counter and make sure it's the fast-acting liquigel ones. Like Brandi mentioned, migraines need to be nipped in the bud asap so whatever will dissolve and get to work fast is the best I'm not sure about the safety of these relating to you trying to conceive though.

 

[charmedeebob]

I have "migraine without headache" if you can believe it very similar experience to what Michelle describes; half of my face goes numb etc. My first one happened after I had my oldest - I was rocking her to sleep and all of a sudden I could only sing in gibberish! it was super scary, I thought I was having a stroke. Most of the time I only have the visual disturbances; the very center of my vision disappears, and I only have my peripheral vision...and then slowly the spot expands into a circle. the whole process lasts about 20-40 minutes, and I'm basically useless during that time because I can't see. If I'm at work, I have to take a break, if I'm driving, I have to pull over. Thankfully it doesn't happen very often, and almost never have a headache associated with it. I'm sorry that happened to you, it is not a fun experience for sure!

 

[pianomom]

My first migraine hit as we were driving. Started with flashing lights and completely losing my peripheral vision - like it was viewing everything down a tunnel. Also, it was the weirdest thing, because I would look at a car and part of it would be missing - just like someone had chopped out part of the car and then shoved the other pieces back together. When I went to the doctor to get it checked out, they determined mine were hormone related. That was the first sign of pregnancy and was how I knew I was pregnant the next couple of pregnancies. Now I get them much more frequently and they are no longer just hormone related. :/ Sometimes I don't get a horrible headache but I ALWAYS have trouble with vision and am usually nauseous. The last one I had was Sunday night and I actually hurt all over. It was hard to sleep and my husband said I was moaning in pain all night. I usually try to take Excedrin Migraine at the first sign of a migraine. It doesn't make it go away, but usually keeps it somewhat bearable.

 

[kelley]

I get these too, almost exactly as you've described. I've only had them 4-5 times, and this last time I finally went to the doctor because I thought I must have a brain tumor or something really serious. It turned out it was a migraine. I get blank spots in my vision and I just have to stop working and sleep. My doc prescribed sumatriptan to take at the first sign of onset, but so far I've been blessed enough that it has not happened again in the past 2 months, so I haven't taken one yet. For me, I think the afterward part is even worse because I get random achy twinges of pain and generally feel weak for several days. I am very thankful that is isn't something more serious though. So yeah, I know how you feel, and it is no fun at all.