I haven’t been on here for a while. Hope everyone is doing ok.
I just wanted to mention something about vision problems; every few months I get an episode where the vision in one eye goes all blurry and fuzzy to the point where I can’t see anything out of that eye and then it gradually goes back to normal after a few hours. I had put this down to MS and told my neuro about it at my last appointment. He said it was migraine and wasn’t anything to do with MS. I told him I had no history of migraine and didn’t have any headaches or pain. He said it’s a common form of migraine which only affects vision and there was nothing to worry about.
Good to know that everything isn’t always MS. Has anyone else experienced these benign migraines?
I have suferred from migraines for years. Sometimes I get headache but no aura (the visual bit), sometimes I get both (rarely now though) and sometimes I get the aura without the headache. Even a bright spot on the bonnet of a car can set off the aura.
I have suffered with migraines since being 13, so 17 years now. I normally get an aura first and then headache. A few months ago I was hospitalised with visual disturbances with eye pain which last 48 hours or so. They said this was an atypical migraine.
I’ve had migraines for 8 years now. They are actually reducing in severity as they used to be full blown ones where I had to lie in a darkened room for 2-3 days and couldn’t even keep water down. I was sensitive to light and sound which was unfortunate for my (then) teenage son. I am now on topiramate tablets which have reduced them to severe headaches for a couple of days which are rarely nauseous.
Just yesterday I had to turn the overhead light off in my office as I had a migraine aura but no pain. Horribly zig-zag shimmering in one eye which made it difficult to work on a PC or even look at a sheet of paper. Within half an hour of turning off the light, it cleared up. I am at long last learning some of my triggers and they aren’t classic things like cheese and chocolate (thank heavens for that!).
You might find it useful to keep a diary of your activities (including diet) so you can pinpoint any triggers for you. I find if I can avoid one it’s much better than recovering from one.
I still swear there is a link between migraines and MS as when one is playing up you can guarantee the other is and I find it too much of a coincidence that within a few years of suffering from migraines for the first time in life, I then get MS symptoms out of the blue but neither GP nor neuro are interested.
Your timing is incredible! I went to the optician today…
My left eyeis seeming like it has lots of lights in it.
I am a migraine sufferer (although I rarely get them now) and recall having a visual thing when I was a teenager and the doctor told my Mum to put me to bed as I had a migrine setting in… I have had 2 incidents since that in the last 10yrs and I’ve gone to bed for a while and it’s gone back to normal BUT I’m now i my 40s and the current issue is not quite the same.
The migraine pre-cursor was a quite clear arc and gone after a sleep, I wouldn’t be able to tell you if that was in one or both eyes.
Anyhow, the optician didn’t find any issues but said that what I’m currently describing is an “optical migraine” although they usually pass in a few hours, as mine has been going on for over a week she’s referred me to the hospital for a better look… my point is the optical migraine is just like you describe from what th optician said.
I think the word ‘migraine’ confuses, my migraines usually involve a hideous headache and hour upon hour of vomitting! I have a half sister who suffered abdominal migraines and she was treated with anti-histamines!
Thanks for your replies, they make very interesting reading.
Tracey, I too find it an amazing coincidence that I have never experienced any migraine symptoms until my MS symptoms started. I can’t believe that they are not connected somehow.
Sonia, I hope your optical aura clears up soon. Luckily, mine only usually lasts for a few hours before it starts to recede which matches up with what your optician said. I’d be interested to hear how you got on at the hospital.
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to reply.
She would feel a bit ill and vomit but she never got any headache,
I remember my Dad telling me about it, she was seen by lots of specialists etc. and she ended up on antihistamines- I know she went to bed really early taking those, so I guess a lot to be said for that, even in her teens she was in bed by 10pm.
I only really booted the migraines after a course of accupuncture, and then I would occasionally feel fatigue (not like I get now with MS, very sudden onset) and I sort of think that replaced my migraines, a short lie down is 100% better than my old migraines!The only meds I got that worked were just anti sickness tablets, that quite simply enabed me to takes just normal pain relief (paracetemol) after the migrine had hit.
I think they just busethe term migraine instead of “unusually bad” as a migraine headache is pretty much that
Abdominal migraines are often seen in children. My daughter had this, stomach pain and vomitting. The consultant told me it is aboout how children feel and percieve pain, young children, apprently say they have a tummy ache when the pain is somewhere else. Weird i know, but she has grown out of them, we are a migraine family though
I hope you get what I mean 