This may sound rather strange but, does anyone ‘see stars’? It seems to happen to me most nights when i go to bed, just wondering if it has anything to do with MS or if it’s something completely different?
I have floaty things during the day but i find i can distract myself from them, the ‘stars’ are different and make it difficult for me to get to sleep.
Also, is it normal to be so grumpy all the time? I don’t seem to have any patience for anyone at the moment and tend to speak rather harshly to people and then feel really bad for it once i ‘calm down’. I was diagnosed around 6 weeks ago.
I’m not sure what you mean by seeing stars. I have visual sensations - I get what is called ‘visual snow’ that most of the time only happens when I look up at the sky to on rare occasions actually filling my vision and effectively making me blind - it’s a lot like TV interference.
I also have what I describe as constant ‘lava lamp’ bubbles of light in my left peripheral vision - that can drive me nuts at night!
I have recently been diagnosed with Glaucoma in both eyes but all the eye docs I’ve seen insist that these visual disturbances are absolutely nothing to do with Glaucoma!
Added to this I get Acephalgic migraines - basically I have the visual aura without the subsequent headache. These are very different and have a clear start & finish - ie it starts with loss of half my vision and a shimmering dot that over 30 minutes developes into a shimmering arc that fills the vision then disappears leaving me washed out and sickly. These are infrequent thank God!
Floaters & lights can indicate a detached retina so you should get it checked out regardless. Hope this helps! xxxjenxxx
Anything to do with your eyes should be checked out first to rule anything out,we tend tend to blame the ms for everything (admittedly its usually to blame) and forget we do still get ill and have non related problems.
As to the grumpy feelings,you have only been dx 6 weeks.It is one hell of a shock to the system even when you are expecting it,so don’t be so hard on yourself.
Have you told people about your dx and do you have a support network in the real world aswell as this one?
I see stars for two reasons: low blood pressure and migraine. So, as Pip says, best to get other causes ruled out before assuming that yours are your MS.
Phosphenes can look like stars and occur because of random activity in the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes vision. So it might be this that you’re getting, if it’s your MS causing it. I would imagine that a neuropathic painkiller would dampen down that activity just like it does for other sensory things, but I don’t know for sure. If it were affecting my sleep I would certainly ask to try something though (e.g. amitriptyline, pregabalin, gabapentin).
As far as the grumpiness goes, I think you are being remarkably restrained, lol! I reckon people used to run a mile when they saw me coming when I wasn’t long diagnosed Seriously though, dealing with a diagnosis is tough and can take a long time, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. You’ll get through it in the end. Be kind to yourself in the meantime.
Thanks for taking the time to reply, looks like a trip to the docs and the opticians.
I’ve told a few people about my dx and they try to be suppportive but they don’t really understand, i get really frustrated with the…Oh you look well today…I just want to scream sometimes!
I’ve gone back to work after around 31/2 months off thinking the sooner i got back to normal the better, I’m finding it more difficult than i expected and find that most days i just want to curl in a ball and cry, not sure if that’s because i feel sooo tired or if it’s just everything finally hitting home.
Hubby has been great but not sure he really understands either.
Argh now i’m getting angry with myself for moaning and feeling sorry for myself so i’ll leave things there.
Yes I saw stars last night. Rather worringing but a pleasant sight at the same time. Sorry that you are having problems sleeping. My GP has prescribed me temazepan which is fantastic works for me but you have to be careful with it. Hugs Min Ps hoping to see Northern Lights tonight - no offence but humour is my saviour
Seriously though, dealing with a diagnosis is tough and can take a long time, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. You’ll get through it in the end. Be kind to yourself in the meantime.