> On Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:43:32 -0500, Maestro77
> A follow up I received:
> ************
> Hi again,
> -
> I'm not a doctor.
> -
> I Google'd some of your symptoms into their search input box and went
> from there. May or may not be specific to your symptoms. Chase out
> the
> leads and modify the search input terms to what you are experiencing.
> The medical jargon gets pretty intense, figure two or three days just
> looking up what the nouns mean. (LOL!) :
> ===================
> bend over starburst visual blindness+disease - Google Search
> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&i...=Google+Search
> ===================
> Flickering vision
> http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:...&cd=3&ie=UTF-8
> ===================
> gray out blindness bending over - Google Search
> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...s+bending+over
> ===================
> Benign Recurrent Transient Monocular Blindness: A Possible Variant of
> Acephalgic Migraine
> ------------------------------
> Blackwell Synergy - Headache, Volume 27 Issue 2 Page 66 - February
> 1987
> (Article Abstract)
> http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...7.hed2702066.x
> ===================
> Acephalgic Migraine - Google Scholar
> http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl...0A&btnG=Search
> **************
> <maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com> wrote:
> > On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:31:40 -0500, Maestro77
> > > > A reply to me from the alt.support.headaches.migraine newsgroup:
> > > > **************
> > Hi,
> > -
> > I'm intrigued by your post.
> > -
> > Don't wait 3 weeks if you suspect stroke:
> > ================
> > http://www.StrokeAssociation.org/
> > -
> > Phone: 1-888-4STROKE
> > -
> > Maybe aneurysm? That is before it goes pop! I have an info stash to
> > Yahoo! concerning stroke or hemorrhage. Email me if you want the url.
> > -
> > I think I have experienced migraines a few times over the years, not
> > knowing they were migraines. I called them "heat" headaches and I was
> > near the realm of heat exhaustion every time. I never realzed they
> > could be migraine. They really hurt though. During one episode I was
> > so incapicitated on the job putting in below grade swimming pools I
> > was
> > fired on the spot! I couldn't do anything and these guys had no
> > sympathy what so ever.
> > -
> > I was a distance runner since high school to age 50. One summer day,
> > 1978 or so, doing a 4 mile easy does it run, I overdid it in the heat.
> > Later that night my right vision got occluded, into tunnel vision,
> > then
> > bad headache. That was 1st visual incident.
> > -
> > April 2001 and many 10K races and half marathon races later I got
> > visual
> > experience #2. I was out training for a 10K race, running the course
> > in
> > 40 degree F. weather. I was overdressed so that set me up for heat
> > exhaustion even in relatively cool temps. At mile 4, my vision was
> > like
> > looking backwards through a 3D fresnel lens image. At mile 6, I was
> > into a very bad headache. Runners tend to ignore pain, it's a Zen
> > thing. I didn't stop. A long story, short: I walked into ER and
> > passed out. When I came around into in/out consciousness I was pitch
> > black blind. I vomitted while on the gurney. I remained blind for 18
> > hours. That earned me 4 days in the hospital, starting out in an
> > intensive care unit, and a ton of tests mostly cardiac. Conclusion?
> > Nobody could tell me what or why as to what happened except I blew out
> > my serum potassium right down to zero. A couple of RN's that were
> > also
> > runners said I probably got into heat exhaustion. Docs called it
> > ALTERED STATES. I called it a really surreal place to be and I
> > realized
> > what we take as being normal is just a very fine balancing act into
> > this
> > surreal realm. While I was there in pitch black darkness, it was so
> > relaxing, no fear existed. They called in a neurologist to ask me
> > questions. I heard her talking, I knew what I wanted to say, yet
> > couldn't speak. Listening to her was like she was at the end of a
> > tunnel so far away. I asked the cardiologist if without hospital
> > would
> > I have survived this? He said doubtful. I think I was pretty close
> > to
> > the edge. Wife said I had clear bags of solution IV in each arm to
> > get
> > rehydrated. 18 hours later my vision returned.
> > -
> > I returned to running but after sunset.
> > -
> > December that same year I did brain hemorrhage in my left cerrebelum,
> > not related to doing exercise. Something I was probably born with,
> > popped! No warning signs.
> > -
> > Migraine problems since. What an ordeal learning to walk again.
> > -
> > September 2006 my 1st visual aura migraine with the brilliant white,
> > flashing, wwwwwwww's. Everything went blurry. I couldn't see to dial
> > the phone. I was on Toprol XL. Two days of horrible pain curled up
> > in
> > my recliner.
> > -
> > My GP put me on Fioricet. He had me do followup with my eye MD. I'm
> > sorry, I don't know the eye exam jargon to tell you exactly the tests
> > done. Some kind of computerized retina exam like looking into a fish
> > bowl and they take photos of the eyes. Another test to check field of
> > vision. He dilated my eyes with drops, did a look/see with a very
> > bright light. My eyes were OK. But, now I gotta' be checked out
> > every
> > 6 months for my eyes. Next time a more advance field of vision test
> > will be done. I do know I now get times when things go blurry and all
> > I
> > can do is give up and go to sleep. I'm OK when I awake. I take
> > 25,000
> > units beta carotene as supplement, just one capsule when I get blurry
> > and it helps. I did this on my own, knowing that WW II, B-17 pilots
> > suffered vision problems on long missions and big doses of vitamin-A
> > were prescribed for them.
> > -
> > All I'm giving you is similar experience. I'm not a doctor. I'm on a
> > journey like you are and I take it day by day and reailze most with
> > brain bleed episode, die or are really very messed up. My experience
> > is
> > just a minor inconvenience in comparrison to most stroke surviors. Go
> > to a stroke recovery group up close and personal to see it.
> > -
> > I asked GOD in ICU to let me survive the bleed and not leave my wife a
> > widow. I told Him I'd take whatever He dishes out and I'd try not to
> > complain about it too much. You gotta' learn to adapt and go with the
> > flow.
> > -
> > Out of 6 different neurological practices only one neurologist was
> > migraine qualified as his exclusive practice and he was also a
> > psychiatrist. He did EEG and carotid ultrasound, but I found him very
> > close minded as Topomax was all he was interested in me taking and not
> > willing to talk compromise as alternative therapy.
> > -
> > I take Toprol XL 50 mg (baby dose) daily to prevent them, or at least
> > extend my activity range. Fioricet is for the pain when I get them. I
> > had to really cut back my once very active life. Currently I walk a
> > mile at 7 AM here in NY and 2 miles at 5 PM with my wife at my side.
> > That probably still sounds more active than most do. Active to me is
> > walking 7 miles back to Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks and back before
> > sunset. I'll never get that back.
> > -
> > Damndest thing, what a chore in the hospital filling out the daily
> > menu.
> > I lost the ability for quite awhile to make decisions. The other
> > thing,
> > visual, like to WalMarts, shelves of multicolored boxes really throw
> > me
> > to find a particular item. I never told a doctor, I just live with
> > it.
> > I drive my car OK, but if I ever get aura driving, I'm heading towards
> > the sholuder quickly. I make sure I always have my cell phone on me
> > and
> > I will dial quickly 911 before I blurr out.
> > -
> > I have a rather sour disposition towards most doctors. There are a
> > couple people on this board I'm pretty sure are MD's, good natured,
> > well
> > meaning pros. I liken it to finding a really good car mechanic, you
> > got
> > to just keep looking...
> > *********
> > > > > > > > > > <maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com> wrote:
> > > > Hello all,
> > > > > I'm experiencing some frightening symptons. Went to the ER one night
> > > - they referred me to an opthamologist who was stumped - and he
> > > referred me to a specialist neural opthamologist who was stumped - and
> > > he has now referred me to a neurologist at the Stroke Prevention
> > > Clinic. I'm currently awaiting that appointment.
> > > > > There are quite a few details, but I'll present the typical episode I
> > > experience.
> > > > > I have never been an experiencer of migraines. Out of the blue I'll
> > > now occasionally bend over to pick something up, and I'll feel a bit
> > > of a head rush sensation. I'll feel pressure in my eyes and get sort
> > > of star bursts in my left eye (always the left) Within a few moments,
> > > my vision in that eye will go completely grey (as though looking
> > > through a curtain - totally blind except for perhaps a brighter area
> > > if I look directly at a strong light source. Within 5-15 minutes,
> > > vision slowly returns. Initially in patchy grey scale, and eventually
> > > colours come back and all is totally normal. No pain through any of
> > > this. Left with a feeling of pressume in the eye that goes away in an
> > > hour or two.
> > > > > There are a few variations. Sometimes I have a mild and pressure-like
> > > headache after. A couple of times an episode has been initiated by
> > > adrenaline rush when I suddenly worry about something. A few times
> > > I've been able to straighten up or calm down quickly, and the event
> > > doesn't progress beyond just the star bursts for a few minutes. If
> > > I'm helping the kids and bent over a lot....sometimes I can feel a bit
> > > of a ache developing in my head such that I feel I might have an
> > > episode.....and then if I've not stopped bending over, boom....I'll go
> > > blind a few bend overs later.
> > > > > Used to happen perhaps once a month beginning maybe 8 months ago. Now
> > > I'm having some sort of event at least every 2 weeks, and have
> > > frequent headaches resistant to Tylenol.
> > > > > Have had a blood test, a carotid artery ultrasound, and an orbit
> > > ultrasound. All normal. Am otherwise healthy and a 39 year old male.
> > > > > The neural opthamologis said ocular migraines were his most common
> > > referral and this wasn't it. Initially he said because 'bending over'
> > > didn't make sense as an initiator. But when I had episodes without
> > > bending over, he changed to say that an ocular migraine's visual auro
> > > wouldn't resolve in <20 minutes - and it can be as short as 5 miinutes
> > > for me.
> > > > > Spontaneously going blind is obviously quite terrifying and I'm very
> > > concerned about my health and if all this could be a tumour or lead up
> > > to a stroke. Am doing all I can through the health system.....but 3
> > > weeks was the quickest the Stroke Prevention Clinic could schedule me.
> > > > > I'd REALLY appreciate any input from people if you think this may in
> > > fact be an ocular migraine. And IN PARTICLUAR I'd love any comment if
> > > people have heard of ocular migraine's being initiated by bending
> > > over!!
> > > > > Thanks so much for any input!
> > > > > Please reply to the group, or if you like my email address:
> > > maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com
> > > Obviously remove the portion so the name reads maestro77.

> On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:31:40 -0500, Maestro77
> A reply to me from the alt.support.headaches.migraine newsgroup:
> **************
> Hi,
> -
> I'm intrigued by your post.
> -
> Don't wait 3 weeks if you suspect stroke:
> ================
> http://www.StrokeAssociation.org/
> -
> Phone: 1-888-4STROKE
> -
> Maybe aneurysm? That is before it goes pop! I have an info stash to
> Yahoo! concerning stroke or hemorrhage. Email me if you want the url.
> -
> I think I have experienced migraines a few times over the years, not
> knowing they were migraines. I called them "heat" headaches and I was
> near the realm of heat exhaustion every time. I never realzed they
> could be migraine. They really hurt though. During one episode I was
> so incapicitated on the job putting in below grade swimming pools I
> was
> fired on the spot! I couldn't do anything and these guys had no
> sympathy what so ever.
> -
> I was a distance runner since high school to age 50. One summer day,
> 1978 or so, doing a 4 mile easy does it run, I overdid it in the heat.
> Later that night my right vision got occluded, into tunnel vision,
> then
> bad headache. That was 1st visual incident.
> -
> April 2001 and many 10K races and half marathon races later I got
> visual
> experience #2. I was out training for a 10K race, running the course
> in
> 40 degree F. weather. I was overdressed so that set me up for heat
> exhaustion even in relatively cool temps. At mile 4, my vision was
> like
> looking backwards through a 3D fresnel lens image. At mile 6, I was
> into a very bad headache. Runners tend to ignore pain, it's a Zen
> thing. I didn't stop. A long story, short: I walked into ER and
> passed out. When I came around into in/out consciousness I was pitch
> black blind. I vomitted while on the gurney. I remained blind for 18
> hours. That earned me 4 days in the hospital, starting out in an
> intensive care unit, and a ton of tests mostly cardiac. Conclusion?
> Nobody could tell me what or why as to what happened except I blew out
> my serum potassium right down to zero. A couple of RN's that were
> also
> runners said I probably got into heat exhaustion. Docs called it
> ALTERED STATES. I called it a really surreal place to be and I
> realized
> what we take as being normal is just a very fine balancing act into
> this
> surreal realm. While I was there in pitch black darkness, it was so
> relaxing, no fear existed. They called in a neurologist to ask me
> questions. I heard her talking, I knew what I wanted to say, yet
> couldn't speak. Listening to her was like she was at the end of a
> tunnel so far away. I asked the cardiologist if without hospital
> would
> I have survived this? He said doubtful. I think I was pretty close
> to
> the edge. Wife said I had clear bags of solution IV in each arm to
> get
> rehydrated. 18 hours later my vision returned.
> -
> I returned to running but after sunset.
> -
> December that same year I did brain hemorrhage in my left cerrebelum,
> not related to doing exercise. Something I was probably born with,
> popped! No warning signs.
> -
> Migraine problems since. What an ordeal learning to walk again.
> -
> September 2006 my 1st visual aura migraine with the brilliant white,
> flashing, wwwwwwww's. Everything went blurry. I couldn't see to dial
> the phone. I was on Toprol XL. Two days of horrible pain curled up
> in
> my recliner.
> -
> My GP put me on Fioricet. He had me do followup with my eye MD. I'm
> sorry, I don't know the eye exam jargon to tell you exactly the tests
> done. Some kind of computerized retina exam like looking into a fish
> bowl and they take photos of the eyes. Another test to check field of
> vision. He dilated my eyes with drops, did a look/see with a very
> bright light. My eyes were OK. But, now I gotta' be checked out
> every
> 6 months for my eyes. Next time a more advance field of vision test
> will be done. I do know I now get times when things go blurry and all
> I
> can do is give up and go to sleep. I'm OK when I awake. I take
> 25,000
> units beta carotene as supplement, just one capsule when I get blurry
> and it helps. I did this on my own, knowing that WW II, B-17 pilots
> suffered vision problems on long missions and big doses of vitamin-A
> were prescribed for them.
> -
> All I'm giving you is similar experience. I'm not a doctor. I'm on a
> journey like you are and I take it day by day and reailze most with
> brain bleed episode, die or are really very messed up. My experience
> is
> just a minor inconvenience in comparrison to most stroke surviors. Go
> to a stroke recovery group up close and personal to see it.
> -
> I asked GOD in ICU to let me survive the bleed and not leave my wife a
> widow. I told Him I'd take whatever He dishes out and I'd try not to
> complain about it too much. You gotta' learn to adapt and go with the
> flow.
> -
> Out of 6 different neurological practices only one neurologist was
> migraine qualified as his exclusive practice and he was also a
> psychiatrist. He did EEG and carotid ultrasound, but I found him very
> close minded as Topomax was all he was interested in me taking and not
> willing to talk compromise as alternative therapy.
> -
> I take Toprol XL 50 mg (baby dose) daily to prevent them, or at least
> extend my activity range. Fioricet is for the pain when I get them. I
> had to really cut back my once very active life. Currently I walk a
> mile at 7 AM here in NY and 2 miles at 5 PM with my wife at my side.
> That probably still sounds more active than most do. Active to me is
> walking 7 miles back to Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks and back before
> sunset. I'll never get that back.
> -
> Damndest thing, what a chore in the hospital filling out the daily
> menu.
> I lost the ability for quite awhile to make decisions. The other
> thing,
> visual, like to WalMarts, shelves of multicolored boxes really throw
> me
> to find a particular item. I never told a doctor, I just live with
> it.
> I drive my car OK, but if I ever get aura driving, I'm heading towards
> the sholuder quickly. I make sure I always have my cell phone on me
> and
> I will dial quickly 911 before I blurr out.
> -
> I have a rather sour disposition towards most doctors. There are a
> couple people on this board I'm pretty sure are MD's, good natured,
> well
> meaning pros. I liken it to finding a really good car mechanic, you
> got
> to just keep looking...
> *********
> <maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com> wrote:
> > Hello all,
> > > I'm experiencing some frightening symptons. Went to the ER one night
> > - they referred me to an opthamologist who was stumped - and he
> > referred me to a specialist neural opthamologist who was stumped - and
> > he has now referred me to a neurologist at the Stroke Prevention
> > Clinic. I'm currently awaiting that appointment.
> > > There are quite a few details, but I'll present the typical episode I
> > experience.
> > > I have never been an experiencer of migraines. Out of the blue I'll
> > now occasionally bend over to pick something up, and I'll feel a bit
> > of a head rush sensation. I'll feel pressure in my eyes and get sort
> > of star bursts in my left eye (always the left) Within a few moments,
> > my vision in that eye will go completely grey (as though looking
> > through a curtain - totally blind except for perhaps a brighter area
> > if I look directly at a strong light source. Within 5-15 minutes,
> > vision slowly returns. Initially in patchy grey scale, and eventually
> > colours come back and all is totally normal. No pain through any of
> > this. Left with a feeling of pressume in the eye that goes away in an
> > hour or two.
> > > There are a few variations. Sometimes I have a mild and pressure-like
> > headache after. A couple of times an episode has been initiated by
> > adrenaline rush when I suddenly worry about something. A few times
> > I've been able to straighten up or calm down quickly, and the event
> > doesn't progress beyond just the star bursts for a few minutes. If
> > I'm helping the kids and bent over a lot....sometimes I can feel a bit
> > of a ache developing in my head such that I feel I might have an
> > episode.....and then if I've not stopped bending over, boom....I'll go
> > blind a few bend overs later.
> > > Used to happen perhaps once a month beginning maybe 8 months ago. Now
> > I'm having some sort of event at least every 2 weeks, and have
> > frequent headaches resistant to Tylenol.
> > > Have had a blood test, a carotid artery ultrasound, and an orbit
> > ultrasound. All normal. Am otherwise healthy and a 39 year old male.
> > > The neural opthamologis said ocular migraines were his most common
> > referral and this wasn't it. Initially he said because 'bending over'
> > didn't make sense as an initiator. But when I had episodes without
> > bending over, he changed to say that an ocular migraine's visual auro
> > wouldn't resolve in <20 minutes - and it can be as short as 5 miinutes
> > for me.
> > > Spontaneously going blind is obviously quite terrifying and I'm very
> > concerned about my health and if all this could be a tumour or lead up
> > to a stroke. Am doing all I can through the health system.....but 3
> > weeks was the quickest the Stroke Prevention Clinic could schedule me.
> > > I'd REALLY appreciate any input from people if you think this may in
> > fact be an ocular migraine. And IN PARTICLUAR I'd love any comment if
> > people have heard of ocular migraine's being initiated by bending
> > over!!
> > > Thanks so much for any input!
> > > Please reply to the group, or if you like my email address:
> > maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com
> > Obviously remove the portion so the name reads maestro77.

> "Maestro77" <maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com> wrote
> > I have read that ocular migraine is not much of an "official"
> > description and not formally recognized. Certainly I've found myself
> > that descriptions of it vary widely over the internet.
> It's "official" enough, because it's a distinct entity in everyone's clinic
> experience.
> Ocular migraine is far, far more common than retinal migraine. Ocular
> migraine indistinguishable from "regular" migraine except there's no
> headache. It involves the posterior cerebral artery and affects your visual
> cortex, almost always on just one side of the brain. So the visual symptoms
> always appear in _both_ eyes and always appear _to one side only_, stopping
> in the middle. They tend to be "formed" hallucinations like zigzags and heat
> waves.
> "Retinal" migraine aura would virtually never appear in both eyes. It would
> not likely cause nicely-formed and colorful hallucinations. It may well
> cross the midline. It may also be confused with non-migraine conditions like
> an arterial obstruction that can vary with thoracic pressure (bending over,
> bearing down).
> The understanding of migraine in general has changed a lot in the last
> couple of decades, but the relationship of _any_ migraine to bending over
> makes one cautious about your cerebral circulation.
> If you have the aura again, notice and tell your doctor whether it's
> hallucinations with shapes, or just gray fading, and try to notice whether
> it crosses the midline. Sometimes it's hard to tell that both eyes are
> involved, so cover each eye and check.
> -MT, OD

> On Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:31:40 -0500, Maestro77
> A reply to me from the alt.support.headaches.migraine newsgroup:
> **************
> Hi,
> -
> I'm intrigued by your post.
> -
> Don't wait 3 weeks if you suspect stroke:
> ================
> http://www.StrokeAssociation.org/
> -
> Phone: 1-888-4STROKE
> -
> Maybe aneurysm? That is before it goes pop! I have an info stash to
> Yahoo! concerning stroke or hemorrhage. Email me if you want the url.
> -
> I think I have experienced migraines a few times over the years, not
> knowing they were migraines. I called them "heat" headaches and I was
> near the realm of heat exhaustion every time. I never realzed they
> could be migraine. They really hurt though. During one episode I was
> so incapicitated on the job putting in below grade swimming pools I
> was
> fired on the spot! I couldn't do anything and these guys had no
> sympathy what so ever.
> -
> I was a distance runner since high school to age 50. One summer day,
> 1978 or so, doing a 4 mile easy does it run, I overdid it in the heat.
> Later that night my right vision got occluded, into tunnel vision,
> then
> bad headache. That was 1st visual incident.
> -
> April 2001 and many 10K races and half marathon races later I got
> visual
> experience #2. I was out training for a 10K race, running the course
> in
> 40 degree F. weather. I was overdressed so that set me up for heat
> exhaustion even in relatively cool temps. At mile 4, my vision was
> like
> looking backwards through a 3D fresnel lens image. At mile 6, I was
> into a very bad headache. Runners tend to ignore pain, it's a Zen
> thing. I didn't stop. A long story, short: I walked into ER and
> passed out. When I came around into in/out consciousness I was pitch
> black blind. I vomitted while on the gurney. I remained blind for 18
> hours. That earned me 4 days in the hospital, starting out in an
> intensive care unit, and a ton of tests mostly cardiac. Conclusion?
> Nobody could tell me what or why as to what happened except I blew out
> my serum potassium right down to zero. A couple of RN's that were
> also
> runners said I probably got into heat exhaustion. Docs called it
> ALTERED STATES. I called it a really surreal place to be and I
> realized
> what we take as being normal is just a very fine balancing act into
> this
> surreal realm. While I was there in pitch black darkness, it was so
> relaxing, no fear existed. They called in a neurologist to ask me
> questions. I heard her talking, I knew what I wanted to say, yet
> couldn't speak. Listening to her was like she was at the end of a
> tunnel so far away. I asked the cardiologist if without hospital
> would
> I have survived this? He said doubtful. I think I was pretty close
> to
> the edge. Wife said I had clear bags of solution IV in each arm to
> get
> rehydrated. 18 hours later my vision returned.
> -
> I returned to running but after sunset.
> -
> December that same year I did brain hemorrhage in my left cerrebelum,
> not related to doing exercise. Something I was probably born with,
> popped! No warning signs.
> -
> Migraine problems since. What an ordeal learning to walk again.
> -
> September 2006 my 1st visual aura migraine with the brilliant white,
> flashing, wwwwwwww's. Everything went blurry. I couldn't see to dial
> the phone. I was on Toprol XL. Two days of horrible pain curled up
> in
> my recliner.
> -
> My GP put me on Fioricet. He had me do followup with my eye MD. I'm
> sorry, I don't know the eye exam jargon to tell you exactly the tests
> done. Some kind of computerized retina exam like looking into a fish
> bowl and they take photos of the eyes. Another test to check field of
> vision. He dilated my eyes with drops, did a look/see with a very
> bright light. My eyes were OK. But, now I gotta' be checked out
> every
> 6 months for my eyes. Next time a more advance field of vision test
> will be done. I do know I now get times when things go blurry and all
> I
> can do is give up and go to sleep. I'm OK when I awake. I take
> 25,000
> units beta carotene as supplement, just one capsule when I get blurry
> and it helps. I did this on my own, knowing that WW II, B-17 pilots
> suffered vision problems on long missions and big doses of vitamin-A
> were prescribed for them.
> -
> All I'm giving you is similar experience. I'm not a doctor. I'm on a
> journey like you are and I take it day by day and reailze most with
> brain bleed episode, die or are really very messed up. My experience
> is
> just a minor inconvenience in comparrison to most stroke surviors. Go
> to a stroke recovery group up close and personal to see it.
> -
> I asked GOD in ICU to let me survive the bleed and not leave my wife a
> widow. I told Him I'd take whatever He dishes out and I'd try not to
> complain about it too much. You gotta' learn to adapt and go with the
> flow.
> -
> Out of 6 different neurological practices only one neurologist was
> migraine qualified as his exclusive practice and he was also a
> psychiatrist. He did EEG and carotid ultrasound, but I found him very
> close minded as Topomax was all he was interested in me taking and not
> willing to talk compromise as alternative therapy.
> -
> I take Toprol XL 50 mg (baby dose) daily to prevent them, or at least
> extend my activity range. Fioricet is for the pain when I get them. I
> had to really cut back my once very active life. Currently I walk a
> mile at 7 AM here in NY and 2 miles at 5 PM with my wife at my side.
> That probably still sounds more active than most do. Active to me is
> walking 7 miles back to Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks and back before
> sunset. I'll never get that back.
> -
> Damndest thing, what a chore in the hospital filling out the daily
> menu.
> I lost the ability for quite awhile to make decisions. The other
> thing,
> visual, like to WalMarts, shelves of multicolored boxes really throw
> me
> to find a particular item. I never told a doctor, I just live with
> it.
> I drive my car OK, but if I ever get aura driving, I'm heading towards
> the sholuder quickly. I make sure I always have my cell phone on me
> and
> I will dial quickly 911 before I blurr out.
> -
> I have a rather sour disposition towards most doctors. There are a
> couple people on this board I'm pretty sure are MD's, good natured,
> well
> meaning pros. I liken it to finding a really good car mechanic, you
> got
> to just keep looking...
> *********
> <maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com> wrote:
> > Hello all,
> > > I'm experiencing some frightening symptons. Went to the ER one night
> > - they referred me to an opthamologist who was stumped - and he
> > referred me to a specialist neural opthamologist who was stumped - and
> > he has now referred me to a neurologist at the Stroke Prevention
> > Clinic. I'm currently awaiting that appointment.
> > > There are quite a few details, but I'll present the typical episode I
> > experience.
> > > I have never been an experiencer of migraines. Out of the blue I'll
> > now occasionally bend over to pick something up, and I'll feel a bit
> > of a head rush sensation. I'll feel pressure in my eyes and get sort
> > of star bursts in my left eye (always the left) Within a few moments,
> > my vision in that eye will go completely grey (as though looking
> > through a curtain - totally blind except for perhaps a brighter area
> > if I look directly at a strong light source. Within 5-15 minutes,
> > vision slowly returns. Initially in patchy grey scale, and eventually
> > colours come back and all is totally normal. No pain through any of
> > this. Left with a feeling of pressume in the eye that goes away in an
> > hour or two.
> > > There are a few variations. Sometimes I have a mild and pressure-like
> > headache after. A couple of times an episode has been initiated by
> > adrenaline rush when I suddenly worry about something. A few times
> > I've been able to straighten up or calm down quickly, and the event
> > doesn't progress beyond just the star bursts for a few minutes. If
> > I'm helping the kids and bent over a lot....sometimes I can feel a bit
> > of a ache developing in my head such that I feel I might have an
> > episode.....and then if I've not stopped bending over, boom....I'll go
> > blind a few bend overs later.
> > > Used to happen perhaps once a month beginning maybe 8 months ago. Now
> > I'm having some sort of event at least every 2 weeks, and have
> > frequent headaches resistant to Tylenol.
> > > Have had a blood test, a carotid artery ultrasound, and an orbit
> > ultrasound. All normal. Am otherwise healthy and a 39 year old male.
> > > The neural opthamologis said ocular migraines were his most common
> > referral and this wasn't it. Initially he said because 'bending over'
> > didn't make sense as an initiator. But when I had episodes without
> > bending over, he changed to say that an ocular migraine's visual auro
> > wouldn't resolve in <20 minutes - and it can be as short as 5 miinutes
> > for me.
> > > Spontaneously going blind is obviously quite terrifying and I'm very
> > concerned about my health and if all this could be a tumour or lead up
> > to a stroke. Am doing all I can through the health system.....but 3
> > weeks was the quickest the Stroke Prevention Clinic could schedule me.
> > > I'd REALLY appreciate any input from people if you think this may in
> > fact be an ocular migraine. And IN PARTICLUAR I'd love any comment if
> > people have heard of ocular migraine's being initiated by bending
> > over!!
> > > Thanks so much for any input!
> > > Please reply to the group, or if you like my email address:
> > maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com
> > Obviously remove the portion so the name reads maestro77.

> Hello all,
> I'm experiencing some frightening symptons. Went to the ER one night
> - they referred me to an opthamologist who was stumped - and he
> referred me to a specialist neural opthamologist who was stumped - and
> he has now referred me to a neurologist at the Stroke Prevention
> Clinic. I'm currently awaiting that appointment.
> There are quite a few details, but I'll present the typical episode I
> experience.
> I have never been an experiencer of migraines. Out of the blue I'll
> now occasionally bend over to pick something up, and I'll feel a bit
> of a head rush sensation. I'll feel pressure in my eyes and get sort
> of star bursts in my left eye (always the left) Within a few moments,
> my vision in that eye will go completely grey (as though looking
> through a curtain - totally blind except for perhaps a brighter area
> if I look directly at a strong light source. Within 5-15 minutes,
> vision slowly returns. Initially in patchy grey scale, and eventually
> colours come back and all is totally normal. No pain through any of
> this. Left with a feeling of pressume in the eye that goes away in an
> hour or two.
> There are a few variations. Sometimes I have a mild and pressure-like
> headache after. A couple of times an episode has been initiated by
> adrenaline rush when I suddenly worry about something. A few times
> I've been able to straighten up or calm down quickly, and the event
> doesn't progress beyond just the star bursts for a few minutes. If
> I'm helping the kids and bent over a lot....sometimes I can feel a bit
> of a ache developing in my head such that I feel I might have an
> episode.....and then if I've not stopped bending over, boom....I'll go
> blind a few bend overs later.
> Used to happen perhaps once a month beginning maybe 8 months ago. Now
> I'm having some sort of event at least every 2 weeks, and have
> frequent headaches resistant to Tylenol.
> Have had a blood test, a carotid artery ultrasound, and an orbit
> ultrasound. All normal. Am otherwise healthy and a 39 year old male.
> The neural opthamologis said ocular migraines were his most common
> referral and this wasn't it. Initially he said because 'bending over'
> didn't make sense as an initiator. But when I had episodes without
> bending over, he changed to say that an ocular migraine's visual auro
> wouldn't resolve in <20 minutes - and it can be as short as 5 miinutes
> for me.
> Spontaneously going blind is obviously quite terrifying and I'm very
> concerned about my health and if all this could be a tumour or lead up
> to a stroke. Am doing all I can through the health system.....but 3
> weeks was the quickest the Stroke Prevention Clinic could schedule me.
> I'd REALLY appreciate any input from people if you think this may in
> fact be an ocular migraine. And IN PARTICLUAR I'd love any comment if
> people have heard of ocular migraine's being initiated by bending
> over!!
> Thanks so much for any input!
> Please reply to the group, or if you like my email address:
> maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com
> Obviously remove the portion so the name reads maestro77.

> I have read that ocular migraine is not much of an "official"
> description and not formally recognized. Certainly I've found myself
> that descriptions of it vary widely over the internet.

> On Jan 23, 4:31 pm, Maestro77 <maes_REMOVE-THIS_tr...[at]rogers.com> wrote:
> > Hello all,
> > > I'm experiencing some frightening symptons. Went to the ER one night
> > - they referred me to an opthamologist who was stumped - and he
> > referred me to a specialist neural opthamologist who was stumped - and
> > he has now referred me to a neurologist at the Stroke Prevention
> > Clinic. I'm currently awaiting that appointment.
> snip
> > > I'd REALLY appreciate any input from people if you think this may in
> > fact be an ocular migraine. And IN PARTICLUAR I'd love any comment if
> > people have heard of ocular migraine's being initiated by bending
> Your doctors are doing the right things in the right order. Ocular
> migraine remains a possibility as do stroke, tumour and other cerebral
> vascular events.
> In a patient with symptoms like yours, who has never previously had
> migraines and does not have a definite headache with the episodes, then
> migraine is a "diagnosis of exclusion". That means that all other
> possible causes have to be ruled out before one says migraine. Carotid
> artery blockage and a few other things have been ruled out already.
> There is no test for migraine.
> As stressful as it is to wait for further testing, that is your only
> option.
> Dr Judy

> It's hard to answer questions about ocular Migraines because it's not a
> standard diagnosis under the International Headache Society's International
> Classification of Headache Disorders, which is pretty much the gold
> standard. Thus, the term is used differently by different people. If it is a
> Migraine it actually sounds like retinal Migraine, which is the one form
> that causes full, but temporary blindness in one eye. Here's an article:
> A Look At Retinal Migraine
> http://www.helpforheadaches.com/arti...tRetinalMx.htm

> Hello all,
> I'm experiencing some frightening symptons. Went to the ER one night
> - they referred me to an opthamologist who was stumped - and he
> referred me to a specialist neural opthamologist who was stumped - and
> he has now referred me to a neurologist at the Stroke Prevention
> Clinic. I'm currently awaiting that appointment.

> I'd REALLY appreciate any input from people if you think this may in
> fact be an ocular migraine. And IN PARTICLUAR I'd love any comment if
> people have heard of ocular migraine's being initiated by bending

> The first thing I would do (as an optometrist) is make sure it's not
> some type of retinal detachment. I don't think it is, but that's the
> first thing I would want to exclude. So assuming your retina looks OK
> the next thing I would check is a computerised visual field test which
> can often shed light on unusual conditions affecting the optic nerve. If
> this also shows up as being OK then I'd probably be stumped too, and I'd
> refer you to a neurologist - which has already been done.
> It certainly doesn't sound like a typical or classic ocular migraine,
> but still it does sound likes something to do with the blood supply to
> the head/brain/optic nerve/retina. You say you're healthy, does this
> mean your BP, cholesterol and weight are normal and you take regular
> exercise?
> Dom
> Maestro77 wrote:
> > Hello all,
> > > I'm experiencing some frightening symptons. Went to the ER one night
> > - they referred me to an opthamologist who was stumped - and he
> > referred me to a specialist neural opthamologist who was stumped - and
> > he has now referred me to a neurologist at the Stroke Prevention
> > Clinic. I'm currently awaiting that appointment.
> > > There are quite a few details, but I'll present the typical episode I
> > experience.
> > > I have never been an experiencer of migraines. Out of the blue I'll
> > now occasionally bend over to pick something up, and I'll feel a bit
> > of a head rush sensation. I'll feel pressure in my eyes and get sort
> > of star bursts in my left eye (always the left) Within a few moments,
> > my vision in that eye will go completely grey (as though looking
> > through a curtain - totally blind except for perhaps a brighter area
> > if I look directly at a strong light source. Within 5-15 minutes,
> > vision slowly returns. Initially in patchy grey scale, and eventually
> > colours come back and all is totally normal. No pain through any of
> > this. Left with a feeling of pressume in the eye that goes away in an
> > hour or two.
> > > There are a few variations. Sometimes I have a mild and pressure-like
> > headache after. A couple of times an episode has been initiated by
> > adrenaline rush when I suddenly worry about something. A few times
> > I've been able to straighten up or calm down quickly, and the event
> > doesn't progress beyond just the star bursts for a few minutes. If
> > I'm helping the kids and bent over a lot....sometimes I can feel a bit
> > of a ache developing in my head such that I feel I might have an
> > episode.....and then if I've not stopped bending over, boom....I'll go
> > blind a few bend overs later.
> > > Used to happen perhaps once a month beginning maybe 8 months ago. Now
> > I'm having some sort of event at least every 2 weeks, and have
> > frequent headaches resistant to Tylenol.
> > > Have had a blood test, a carotid artery ultrasound, and an orbit
> > ultrasound. All normal. Am otherwise healthy and a 39 year old male.
> > > The neural opthamologis said ocular migraines were his most common
> > referral and this wasn't it. Initially he said because 'bending over'
> > didn't make sense as an initiator. But when I had episodes without
> > bending over, he changed to say that an ocular migraine's visual auro
> > wouldn't resolve in <20 minutes - and it can be as short as 5 miinutes
> > for me.
> > > Spontaneously going blind is obviously quite terrifying and I'm very
> > concerned about my health and if all this could be a tumour or lead up
> > to a stroke. Am doing all I can through the health system.....but 3
> > weeks was the quickest the Stroke Prevention Clinic could schedule me.
> > > I'd REALLY appreciate any input from people if you think this may in
> > fact be an ocular migraine. And IN PARTICLUAR I'd love any comment if
> > people have heard of ocular migraine's being initiated by bending
> > over!!
> > > Thanks so much for any input!
> > > Please reply to the group, or if you like my email address:
> > maes_REMOVE-THIS_tro77[at]rogers.com
> > Obviously remove the portion so the name reads maestro77.