Flashing Light

[Creed3]

Hi Everyone!
This is something that happened to me a few weeks ago. I didn't think anything of it because I figured it was just one of those visual disturbances we valvers have after surgery. I was walking in the dark to go to bed and I noticed something like a light flashing. Then I would blink and I would notice like a spot of light when I would blink. This only seemed to happen in the dark. I also moved my eyes around and blinked and also noticed the round circles of light. Has anyone here ever had an experience like that? Just curious if this is due to the surgery or if something else is going on. I have also had a couple of very minor situations of having part of my hand tingle/numb and then my finger was tingly and numb for a few seconds. All these happened on seperate occassions. I spoke to my cardio about the numbness feeling and he said that he didn't think that was anything to be concerned about. I guess I am relating all of this to my surgery since none of this stuff happened until after I had my surgery. Let me know what you guys think.

P.S.
When I researched these types of occurances, I found out that multiple sclerosis can sometimes give symptoms like these. I am probably jumping the gun here, but I guess I am just a little concerned.


Thanks & Take Care!
Gail

 

[Ross]

I've had lots of visual stuff happen, but not quite like you describe. Well, maybe it is sort of. I don't know how to describe mine.

The numbness and tingling-I've had that after both surgeries, so I definately think that is a relation there. Nothing to worry about (or so the doctor says) and it will stop eventually. It sure doesn't hurt to mention things like that though as it could be signs of clots traveling around. I guess I should say, let the doc know!

 

[Creed3]

I have made an appointment to see an opthalmologist tomorrow a.m. I think I will feel much better if I just get things checked out. I haven't seem my opthom. in years. I did see an optomistrist this past summer and he said everything was just beautiful. I just found out my regular opthom just retired and I will be seeing a brand new doctor. It seems like you can go weeks and months feeling great and then boom something strange happens again (visual, tingling, numb, etc...) and you are back worrying that something may be wrong. I have a tendancy to blow things a little out of proportion, but then again, if I didn't, I might not have found out about my heart problem. Once I notice a strange feeling, I have a tendancy to dwell on it and any little twinge etc...seems weird to me. I may be noticing things that I have always had. Who knows. Well, thanks for letting me vent a little.

Take Care!
Gail

 

[Granbonny]

Gail

Gail

Don't get too nervous about the strange things. Now, at 10 months, I have a muscle twinch in my left eyelid....Crazy I have been thru the bleeding of gums ( fine now) bleeding of Urine (Er..scared to death. only a UTI NEVER had one before. cleared up after 1 pill....the way I look at it..I have $900.000.00 left in insurance. Spend every dime..if I need too. Bonnie

 

[Lorraine]

Hi Gail,

I was reading the posts, when yours jumped out at me. I remember after surgery, and I was in CICU just waking up, I had this strangest sensation. I saw the flashing light you were talking about. Then I drifted off and when I woke again and the same thing happened. I figured it was either the great drugs or the good Lord was trying to decide whether to let me stay or not. I drifted off again and when I awoke I didn't see it again at that time. I then put it out of my mind and thanked the good Lord I was alive! I also had an out of body experience at that time. The nurses taking care of me were in the next room talking and I was in spirit if not in body right there listening to them. When they came in the room I told them exactly what they were going to do. They looked at me in amazement because they said they were whispering when they had their discussio and were not right outside my door.

In the past 1year and 10 months since surgery I have quite a few episodes where I see this flashing light , like out of the corner of my eye, usually in a darkened area. I've seen it in the house and when I've been outside where it's not sunny. I haven't had it checked out because I feel fine otherwise. I think it might be somehow related to the surgery. I only say that because the first time I experienced it was right afterwards.

If you find out something let me know. Reading your post made me realize I wasn't alone! Any others?

 

[tnboomer1013]

Hi

Hi

Shortly after surgery I did experience that flashing light, but it went away after a few days. I continued to have like Lorraine said eye twitching, blurred and double vision. This too has all but subsided a year and a half after surgery. Now only have have very occasional double vision. Hope this helps.

 

[Creed3]

Hi Everyone!
I had my appt with the eye doctor today. I went over absolutely everything with him (all the visual disturbances). He seemed to understand every one of them. He said that they all sound like types of optical migraines. He also said that it is very likely that the surgery has caused my migraines to become a little different as well as more frequently. He was not surprised at all. He checked my eyes and said everything looked just fine. He also said that usually if a blood clot had been thrown and was interfering with my vision, there would be some sort of indication of it during the exam. He said there was nothing there to indicate any blood clots being thrown. Well, that was good news to hear. I think I kind of knew that this was all due to the surgery, I just wanted to get it verified. I hope this also helps some of the others out there who are having similar problems. The doc did say that in time the disturbances should decrease but I also have to remember I did have migraines before the surgery, so they may never go away completely. I want to thank everyone who replied, it did make me feel better. You guys are all awsome.

Take Care!
Gail

 

[Lorraine]

Gail,

What exactly is an optical migraine? I have never had any type of migraines so I don't even know what they feel like. Does that mean your eye hurts or is it when you get those little floaty things going across your eye (that at first made me think there were tiny insects in front of me)?


I'm glad you had it checked out and everything is okay. It was great that you posted that question to begin with, since I too had wondered if others saw the light! (no pun intended)


Take care

 

[taranjit]

Well I haven't had the surgery yet, but for the last at least a few years I have had a few episodes of seeing a flashing line of light (shape of snake/spiral - I call them DNA molecule strand).. It is usually at one corner of eye, something if I try to catch a glimpse of, would move even further.. It even blocked a part of my vision... It usually happened indoors, and looking outside the window (brighter outdoors especially when it is sunny) helped eliviate it... In either case, it would last for about 10 minutes or so and then disappear.. In fact I had one just yesterday.. usually I get a 2-3 of those a year..

I got this thing checked by an opthamologist 2 years ago, and he did not see anything wrong with my eyes or anything.. and as I said I have not had the surgery.. I hope my experience with these lights/flashes are similar to yours because these things are so hard to explain and/or relate.. we might be talking about totally different things, I don't know..

 

[Creed3]

Lorraine/Taranjit,
I used to have really bad headaches about six or seven years ago. They used to be so bad that I didn't want to do anything. I tried tylenol, aspirin etc...and nothing helped. I used to sit at work just wanting to close my eyes and rub my temples. Once I moved down to VA, about 5 years ago, the painful headaches stopped, but now I get migraines with auras only. My first one was in 1997. I had an eye doctor check it out and he told me I was fine, just migraines, eventhough I didn't get the headache, just the aura. The aura usually lasts about 20 minutes. I never got them very often. Once I started having children, I started getting them more frequently. Since my surgery, WOW! I get them a lot more often. They are different than the regular auras I used to get. Sometimes my migraines are just auras, other times it looks like lightening, another time I couldn't focus correctly, another time was a brown circle in my vision...etc....None of these were painful in any way. The eye doctor just said that they are optical migraines and that they sounded pretty typical. Who knew you could have so many different visual disturbances with migraines. The doc also told me that the vessels are going into spasm and that is what is causing the migraines. He thinks the surgery has a lot to do with the changing of the migraines. It sounded like he has heard this all before. It sounds like we all are experiencing similar things. They are very hard to try to describe; and sometimes they do appear to be different but yet they are still migraines. I do think it is a good idea to get checked by an opthamologist to make sure that migraines are the cause of visual disturbances. I am rambling on and on here! Sorry! I hope this has helped to answer some of your questions.

Take Care!
Gail

 

[hensylee]

Hey, Gail - when you first posted, I wondered about migraines, but you didn't say you had them before and I didn't want to suggest. I used to get these little things I would see - eventually figured out that within an hour I would get a horrid headache so would take something a get very quiet and perhaps ward it off. Figured it was a migraine. And with migraines there is usually/often an 'aura'. Is it Gina that has migraines, too. Gina? If memory serves. Maybe you can comment.

 

[MarkU]

I used to get optical migranes prior to my surgery. Thought they were somehow stress-related as I used to get them at work or when I was travelling on business.
At one point I was having them fairly frequently and thought there might be some underlying cause (like my BAV), but my doctor couldn't find anything.
Funny thing is that I can't remember having any in the past two years since my AVR.

Mark

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Hi Ann

Yes, Ann, your memory is impeccable. I have the unfortunate pleasure.

Brief history. In my late teens - mid 20's my migranges were severe. Always starting with the visual aura. But, not always progressing into a full blown migraine. They subsided for about five years. Returned with a vengeance right after valve surgery.

I do feel some of us share a common bond with these aura's and headaches. With the help of my doctor and a personal log....I find it to be hormonal. If you think about it in my late teens to 20's my hormonal balance was most likely changing. Now they tell me I am in premature menopause. Which I feel may have been a shock to my system from the surgery. Only the good lord knows for sure.

I will say one thing about the dark splotches that some of us may experience from time to time. Has happened maybe 3-4 times in almost four years since MVR. I was told by my cardiologist that could be a symptom of micro-emboli. Laymen's terms, microscopic blot clot. Even with a therapeutic INR this can occur. I was told they are so small that on exam, no evidence is left behind. I have had a lot of neurologic testing to find answers. CT of the brain did not reveal anything. It can be so painful and scary at times I wanted to rule out stroke.

To head my migraines off....and If I am on the run and can't get to a dark quite place to lie down, I take pain meds.

There is one world renowned headache center right here in Chicago that I may try. I don't want to end up on chronic barbituate therapy.
http://www.diamondheadache.com/index.html

 

[Rain]

Stress & the meds

Stress & the meds

In my case I believe its more the meds than the surgery itself... with a good helping of stress on the side.

A couple days after I started taking the meds (3 months before the surgery) ... (but right after the cardio told me my heart wouldn?t survive heart surgery) is the first time this ever happened to me.... my eyes being sensitive to the light and seeing the squigglies. It never happened before, but has happened many times since.

I?ve had headaches for a long time (related to my head breaking the wind shield of a MAC truck) Now when I have a headache my eyes hurt so bad I have to keep them closed. I?ve ruled out my eyes being the problem.. they say they are perfect.

It would be interesting to know if it?s mostly people on coumadin who have the eye problems. Or maybe it?s the beta blocker? But I don?t see black dots and bright lights... just squigglies... little lightening bolts. Doesn't happen nearly as often as it used to ... thank goodness.

 

[Rain]

TMI!

TMI!

That was a little too much info for the world.

"POOF" its gone.

 

[Ross]

"POOF" its gone.

Cool, a Wizardess!