some ideas on visual migraines
some ideas on visual migraines
I remember this thread, never made it to the end til this morning. Want to bring it back to the visual disturbances....
I have had visual migraines (no headache), well, always, I think. I'm now 50, pre-op, bicuspid AV. My auras last exactly 23 minutes. I cannot imagine one lasting for an hour! Over the years, I have played around with solutions (none of them Rx, though) and have discovered the following things......
Flourescent lights are a major trigger for me. Teachers, look into having your classrooms refitted with full-spectrum lighting. It's not the buzz for me, it's the quality of the light. You may improve the overall mood in your class, also. If you have any flourescents at home, try replacing them first and see if you notice any difference. Your tolerance threshhold may be lowered in a room with many banks of these lights.
Foods. Oftentimes we snack on incredibly salty foods. Or over-processed ones. I found that corn curls not only triggered the auras, I also often lost a large squared-out chunk of my visual field in one eye -- completely black. Most alarming! Once, when driving with this major blackout I got angry (indignant, like this is enough of this) and just started to press on the bad eye. Voila! It went away! The adding soft pressure trick doesn't always work, but thought it might be worth a mention (and someone else here, mentioned it). Perhaps the sudden high salt also affected my blood pressure or tiny vascular systems. At any rate, when these events occur for those of you who are struggling, pay attention to the foods you've been eating and perhaps you can single out some problem areas. Migraine sufferers are often told to keep a food diary. Somewhat helpful, though a nuisance and not always accurate since responses can be delayed. I suspect all those pre-op, post-op pharmaceuticals are causing problems, also.
For me, anything and all things labelled "sugarless". Aspartame, I guess. Whew, sets my world upside-down.
Then there are scents. Perfumes, hairspray, laundry soap, floor cleaner. For years I worked on linoleum/vinyl. I would be absolutely punchy dizzy if I went in while the floor polisher was doing his thing. Something in the mix of chemicals he used. Freshly cleaned bathroom stalls also make me woozy. We now try to buy fragrance free detergents, we use simple Aloe Vera bath soap, etc.
The reason I went back to this thread was because I am now noticing that I am experiencing grey floaties, like tendrils. These are very different from a migraine. They are always there. Most noticeable when looking at a white wall or reading a bright page. They move as I blink my eyes and then sort of right themselves back to their floaty position. They are more prounounced when I wear my barely tinted contact lenses. They are beginning to drive me nuts so I'm going to schedule a visit to my ophthalmologist (very busy these days, so it won't be too soon). My blood pressure is rising from traditionally very low to what seems to be a standard in the 130's/80's range. Perhaps it is related.
Hope some of my suggestions can be of help to those new to the annoying onslaught of visual migraines. By the way, the reason I timed my episodes was because when one occurs on the freeway, I look at my watch. If I have an extra 23 minutes, I pull off the freeway to a nice shady spot and wait for the disturbance to pass. It really isn't worth it to risk the "blindness" those auras can create. They really do play tricks with your visual field. Please be safe with them.
Marguerite
