ocular migraines increasing

[dornole]

Just wondering (as I always do) if this is valve-related - I am getting a ton of ocular migraines, many more than usual.

Mind you I am deeply grateful not to have the pain others experience with these . . . but still concerned.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi domole - I get ocular migraines, or migraine auras without headache, started the day after aortic vlave replacement - I understand this, and the other visual disturbances I get, is related to being on the heart lung machine, but your post made me wonder if it's related to the valve. Have you asked your cardiologist ? Mine always looks bemused if I mention it.

 

[Zoltania]

For a couple of decades before surgery I would get 2 or 3 ocular migraines per year. Since my surgery I've been getting 2 or 3 per month. My cardiologist says it's nothing to worry about. From reading the archives here, I would say it's common to either start getting them or to have the frequency increase after valve surgery.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

I've had them since I can remember, perhaps my early mid-teens? I don't usually get a headache just the visual disturbances.

What I can say is that when I had a neck injury from a bicycle accident back at Uni I ended up seeing a chiropracter under recomendation of a friend. He made my neck better but I observed that I hadn't had a migraine for a year while seeing him monthly. I mentioned this to him and he replied that its actually a common correlation. The "species" of Chiro (as there are many) I see is closely allied with osteopathy (if that helps).

When I went to Finland in 2006 I didn't see a chiro (because there were non there, however I took up cross country skiing and did a lot more walking with a small pack on. I found that this shoulder training also helped.

So I suspect its highly posture related.

I of course have no clear mechanism for how this may work other than the "vague and nebulous" presssure on nerves and then release of that pressure. I am suspicious of the bypass being the culprit because I know so many others who have never been on a bypass but get migraines and got relieve in similar manners to me.

 

[Paleowoman]

I suspect there are many different causes of ocular migraine. I used to get migraine with aura prior to my menstural period so they were obviously hormone related. They stopped when I was post menopausal. The day after heart surgery I started to get migraine auras without headache and other visual disturbances (bright sparks of light and double vision). One of the cardiac docors said this was common after heart surgery. I've read, but can't find the link, that this is due to the heart lung machine. I'd love to know definitivley what these are due to.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

I suspect there are many different causes of ocular migraine. I .... I'd love to know definitivley what these are due to.

I think you have answered your own question. Since there are many causes there can be no definitive cause (singular).

 

[Seaton]

I’ve had regular ocular migraines with follow-on thumping headaches since childhood.

For some reason (and most unusually) I hadn’t had one for almost six months until the other day, when I couldn’t see my friend’s face properly as I sat talking to her and I thought, Aha! Here cometh a migraine. And so it was.

Thirty minutes or so later the visual disturbance stopped – my head ached all next day.

Prior to my recent migraine-free period, I’d been getting them very regularly (three or four a month) for about two years. My all-time record during that period was two in one day.

I’ll be interested to see how it'll all pan out post valve replacement.

 

[dornole]

Thanks all. I've been getting these sporadically since high school. Now I consider it, probably hormonal changes, also I see serotonin levels can be involved so far more likely one or both of those rather than valve. I just can't stop myself from thinking everything is valve sometimes. They don't really affect my life so on to other things. Thanks!

 

[doclewis]

I have had ocular migraines since I was in my teens. I have never figured how often I had them but probably once every 2 or 3 months. I am now 71 years old. I had AVR and ascending aorta graft eight months ago. I did amazingly well. I however started having ocular migraines every day or every other day immediately after surgery. Researched it but found very little. I told surgeon, cardiologist and pcp and all said they had never heard of this. I eventually saw neurologist, but she also had not heard of this. She did say that she had seen this happen after carotid surgery. neurologist said that she always puts migraine patients on a baby asa. This was her only recommendation. I really was suppose to be taking asa any way, so I started it. This was about three months after surgery. I don't know if it was the asa or just time, but ocular migraines slowly became less frequent. Now only about one a month. Still don't know what happened or why, but totally convinced that this phenomena was related to surgery or heart bypass. I am 100% recovered and back to walking five miles a day and riding my bicycle. I felt well even when having the ocular migraines, but very relieved that they have diminished almost back to preop frequency.

 

[harrietW]

Dornole
I also have them .. dozens since AVR surgery Jan 5th.
Hope they simmer down for you. They are quite annoying.

 

[Paleowoman]

I'm getting increasing occular migraines recently. Mine started the day after AVR and was told by cardiac doctor that they can happen post surgery, but now it's nearly two and a half years since my AVR and they are increasing, getting one or two a week - that is the migraine aura which is the zig-zagging pattern of light expanding in my vision from centre outwards which last approximately 20 minutes each time. There are no obvious triggers as I can wake up with one in the middle of the night or get one any time of day. No headache. Also get sparkles of light dancing across vision every day several times a day.

 

[Warrick]

I'm the opposite guys , I would have migraine auras sometimes with and sometimes without headache every few days to a week for the last year or so, I don't recall having one since my AVR

Certainly don't miss them

 

[Rachel]

I get these - zig/zaging flashing lights, starting with a blind spot in the center of my vision, eventually dispersing out of my visual field after 20-30 minutes and no headache.....started in my early 30's - freaked me out the first couple times - thought I was going blind!!!!

Mine were worse right after OHS for a couple months but now they're back to normal frequency - AND they still freak me out! I've been checked out several times by various different types of doctors and still do not have a decent explanation for why they happen. Glad you brought this topic up, sounds like many of us (valvers and non) have them.

 

[Paleowoman]

I don't get freaked out by these but I wish I knew what they were caused by since mine only started right after surgery. Also wish I knew why they're more frequent now over two years post op. I've not had any investigations, though soon after surgery my cardiologist said I could be referred to a neurologist. I didn't take him up on that as I don't get headache so wouldn't want to take any medication. It's very strange.

 

[pellicle]

Hi

I don't get freaked out by these but I wish I knew what they were caused by since mine only started right after surgery. Also wish I knew why they're more frequent now over two years post op..

I posted this the other day
http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...-heart-rate-with-exercise?p=865764#post865764

and yep, I get then too an (as I've said in discussions with you before) the neurologists won't do anything more than bill you because its not a well defined neurological disorder. I went down that path in 1982 when I was having masses of them at Uni ... as I'd said earlier I'm one of those people who exersize relieves them and while a cursory examination of things may lead me to suspect it triggered its been that when I do daily consistent exersize and avoid sitting badly as one does before a computer, and get up and move a lot ... I go for years without them

 

[Paleowoman]

Yes I know what you've been saying Pellicle, that you've had migraine (but you've said you don't know if it first developed right after you had heart surgery) and that people develop migraines even though they have never had heart surgery - that much is obvious since many people in the world have migraine. But you don't seem to appear to appreciate that many people who've had heart surgery develop migraine aura, with or without headache, right after surgery and there will be a connection. I wonder what. As an aside, see Vivekv just wrote that he had a seizure after his surgery last week - I mention that because migraine with aura has been linked with seizure disorder, but it's obvious that there is still a lot of unknowns in the field of migraine and seizure, still less known about migraine aura post heart surgery !

Link to thread re post surgery migraine: http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...964-visual-problems-following-cardiac-surgery

 

[tigerlily]

I've had ocular migraines since my 30s but I didn't have my heart valve replaced until I was 53. There was no increase in ocular migraines after that. Right after surgery, I did notice visual disturbances. I would see little stars in my vision on occasion. That's the best way I can describe it and this eventually went away. I do think that was from the heart and lung machine. I can't remember if this was happening before my heart surgery but sometimes my vision seems to cross or get stuck in a way. It's like my eyes are not coordinating with each other. I don't know what causes this and I've never mentioned this to my doctor.