brief vision loss/tia??

[Sherry]

welcome to the forum

welcome to the forum

Hello, Susan and Queen of Hearts,
Welcome to our site, Queen. Yes, we've all described some of these weird visual symptoms that according to some of the literature, could best be described as a stroke precursor. It is worrisome, but no docs seem to have the answer. I do appreciate the comments about aspirin therapy and probably need to begin that myself. Chris, is it a baby aspirin you take or full strength? Anyway, I suppose more patients will continue posting about this, and at best, it can make us feel somewhat normal. Worried, but normal.
Anyone else have those weird gray out visual episodes???

 

[ccrawford]

Sherry - I take the 81 mg dosage of aspirin. I actually started this myself, and my cardio readily agreed it made sense. This was during the time period before my surgery when they were doing all the diagnostics concerning the grey curtains. My cardio and the neurologist met and jointly decided to start me on coumadin (and this was before my valve replacement) This last fact should be a warning for those who are experiencing visual problems. It is not something that should be ignored !!!!!!!!

 

[ccrawford]

FYI - Just had a chance to talk with one of the docs. Coumadin comes accross by far as the number one way to combat the visual problems. Keeping hydrated and aspirin to keep the platelets slippery follow on the heels.

 

[lorrieb]

Sherry,

I have been having similiar problems with the vision on and off for about 15 years (since I was 18). My eyes would sort of cloud over then I would get dizzy and fall if I was standing then start losing the contents of my stomach. I finally got a doc to believe me about these episodes after my VR. They did a CT scan after 2 of my episodes and realized that I was having "small TIAs" and there were a
actually dark spots on my scans after I had these episodes.
(wonder what took them so long to figure this out)

GOOD LUCK

 

[Davidcv67]

These are very common....it it small bloodclots breaking free and going to your optical nerve. They then disole after 10 minutes or so. I get these and I also get confused and weird felling like a dreamstate.

 

[Sherry]

Hello, Lorrie and David,
Thanks to you and all the others for the replies. It helps to put these episodes in perspective by hearing from other valve patients. I guess the thing that concerns me (and always has since my first one seven years ago) is that all the literature on strokes cite that t.i.a.s are precursors to a bigger stroke. Is that also true for people with valves? It seems that we valvers are more predisposed to these curtain episodes but that a tweek of the coumadin or a shot of lovenox would put us back in that safe range. And even then, some of the respondents have mentioned being within range after an episode. I know the last two that I have had were when my INR was low but that doesn't seem to be the case with everybody.

 

[tobagotwo]

A few years ago, before I was diagnosed with AS, I had an episode similar to what has been described here. Sometimes, it was a blob kind of thing, like when you look at the sun and it leaves a temporary blotch on your vision, and sometimes there was a cascading, shimmerling light effect, like a shower curtain with rainbow edges, or rainbow patterns coming off of broken glass, or even a vivid, pulsating version of Northern Lights.

I thought I was getting a detached retina. The opthalmologist listened carefully, then went to a shelf for a book. "Does it look like this?" "Yes!" I said, excited, then immediately petrified: "What is it?"

He said it was classic symptoms of atypical migraine, where you don't necessarily get the headache to go with it. I was in my forties and had never had migraines, so it was all new to me.

The dark blotch or curtain is called a "stigma," and may have a recurring shape to it (mine frequently looks like a flying saucer with a handle on the lid). It can last a few seconds, to one episode a few years ago that kept me trapped, walking around a drugstore for about fifteen to twenty minutes. It doesn't hurt, and it eventually goes away. However, it is distracting enough that you can't really drive while it's happening. It usually just affects one eye at a time for me.

I don't know if this is what has happened to you, but I usually have this happen to me once or twice a year. I had my valve replaced last Tuesday, and I had sessions of atypical migraine both yesterday and today. I kind of have to suspect they're connected in some way. At any rate, if that's what it is, it's a temporary and harmless effect. Enjoy the pretty colors, if you get them, and move on. It's like 70's flashbacks without the requirement for brain damage.

Best wishes

 

[tobagotwo]

PS.. Hi, Janie from Texas! I remember you from the email days, about four years ago or so. It is absolutely amazing what Hank has done with this. He deserves some kind of an award. And a pension to go along with it, too.

 

[TSH]

I forgot that I have this site saved in my favorites. Its a good one on migraines and auras.

http://www.upstate.edu/neurology/haas/hpmiaus.htm

 

[Birky]

site on headaches

site on headaches

It looked like what I get at some times. Very interesting. Thanks,.

 

[tobagotwo]

TSH nailed exactly what I was talking about in my post with that link. That is absolutely what happens to me. Hopefully to some others here as well, as it's a relatively harmless manifestation.

 

[Sherry]

Bob -- Valve replaced last Tuesday??

Bob -- Valve replaced last Tuesday??

Wow, Bob,
Did you say you had your valve replaced last Tuesday? Great to be seeing you on the boards so soon after I saw your second post about being part of the e-mail gang from years ago. (I was part of that too.) Did you have an earlier surgery too?

 

[Sherry]

oops

oops

Bob,
I knew I forgot to mention something the minute I hit submit. What about that phenomenon called amaurosis fugax? In the literature, it's described as a grayish curtain descending into your line of vision, usually one eye. The literature on that points to t.i.a.s. Seems like it's such a complicated thing to diagnose, and I don't know whether to take them seriously or not.

 

[tobagotwo]

Sherry, you make an excellent point. I sincerely apologize if I seemed to suggest that anyone take a possible TIA signal lightly. I certainly do not advise that.

I have particular reasons to assume this diagnosis is correct for myself:

- my coronary arteries were crystalline in the catheterization, which likely carries through the rest of my system.

- I also get the color effects most of the time, exactly as described in the article (however, the color effects are not required for this diagnosis)

- I was previously diagnosed by the opthalmologist, some years before my innards were interrupted.

Perhaps others are not seeing as exact a match in the link as I do.

Since I had this long ago, I'm sticking to the atypical migraine diagnosis for myself. It is entirely in keeping with my own symptoms, and doesn't leave room for any doctors to start a witchhunt through my brain with an MRI.

I might suggest, however, that if the description in the link seems very close for someone, they might consider a visit to an opthalmologist before applying to a potentially more invasive specialty.

 

[tobagotwo]

No, I wasn't operated on before. I was diagnosed with AS and was led by some fortuitous and gentle deity to Hank's old email site. I learned a lot there, and met many people, who made me feel better about what was going to happen to me.

I have visited a number of times, even posted an article or two, but didn't get into heavy posting again until I was told my time had come.

To this point, I have been very fortunate with the results. I was laying out wide open like a cracked crab on Tuesday morning, and walking through my just-blooming daffodils on Friday. It hasn't been trouble-free or pain-free, that's for sure, but I have gone through nothing compared to much that I have heard here. I'm almost embarrassed by how well it has gone for me so far.

However, I've had none of my followups yet, so there may still be a come-uppance lurking in my near future. I get staples out this Friday, so that will be the first real opportunity to find flaws in my recovery. I hope I don't get so nervous that I create a PAC/PVC/afib heartbeat problem for myself. That wouldn't play well at all.

Best wishes,

 

[tobagotwo]

A few things that seem to differentiate amaurosis fugax from the atypical migraine:

- AF is described as coming down like a curtain over one eye and causing COMPLETE loss of sight in that eye for a few minutes, vs partial

- AF sites don't seem to list color manifestations along with it

- the appearance from the AF sites is that an opthalmologist can make an initial determination, apparently because the nature of the effects are such that they are visible in the retina.

 

[tobagotwo]

Interesting observation, Susan. If that's the case, it's certainly a genetic trade that I am glad was made for me.

I'll trade some occasionally inconvenient fireworks displays and half-curtains for the gnawing worry of waxy arterial buildup gratefully, any day!

Besides, I have to admit that I relish having had such pristine arteries during the cath. One of my cardios (not the catheterizing cardio or the surgeon) is probably displaying a noticeable facial twitch, realizing that he has no prima fascia cause to put me on a severely restricted cholesteral-reducing diet. He was pushing that very hard, even though my cholesteral has been in the low-risk or low-normal risk values almost all my life. I swear it's a control issue.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Veddy, veddy interesting...for us BAV'ers

Veddy, veddy interesting...for us BAV'ers

Susan -- My cardiologist also said with a look of great surprise that my arteries were "clear as a bell." Guess we're not so 'flawed' after all...

Tobago? Only three nights in the hospital? Wow! Must be a record here..

I'd be interested in a correlation between BAV and high/low cholesterol. Anyone found any trials?

 

[tobagotwo]

Yeah, I was operated Tuesday the 6th at 8:00 am (2nd case), and home on Friday the 9th, at about 1:00 pm.

I have considered posting "my story" somewhere, as a kind of happier stoory for people who have a shot at quick recoveries. However, I'm also concerned that it could be a downer for those who wind up with complications. I don't know what would be right or where to post it if I did.

Besides, as I said, I really don't know all the outcome myself, yet. I have had some short-term (5-10 mins) rhythm affectations, although nothing fast or scary, or like what I used to go through. And I'm just over a week out, so that may still fall into the "to be expected" category. Dropping down from 72+ mm HG to whatever it is now (5?), is like putting my heart on vacation. It's going, "Whee!"

I did a 1.2 mile level loop at a medium pace this morning, and felt fine, no heavy breathing or chest pain. They didn't really give me much guidance about that. I grokked that if it feels all right, it probably is all right. However, I leave long rest periods after activities, as I'm petrified to overdo.

 

[Nan]

Hi all, I have also had some visual problems....much less now that I am 4 1/2 years post AVR, but very scary when they were happening all the time. It was diagnosed as visual migraines.....could only see out of a portion of my eye, but I also had circular lights along with the "curtain", so may be they were visual migraines and not TIAs.

When I orginally spoke with the surgeon's office about it, they said it "was their fault" and had something to do with being on the heart lung machine.

I think that this was discussed some time ago on the forum. Something happens to us from the heart/lung machine...perhaps it is microemboli? (sp.?)

Hope everyone who is having them now is soon rid of them with no other problems!