I said I would be posting pictures, but I’m bored with that today. So, no pictures. I’m just glad to be here.
Yesterday I thought I might die. Not really, but kind of. See, I began to lose vision. Looking at my kids, I couldn’t totally process their faces. It was kind of like when someone takes a picture with a flash and that bright light gets in the way of your vision for a while…This has happened before, right before the onset of a migraine. But this time, I also began to experience numbness and weakness in my left hand as well as some numbness on the left side of my face. I began to worry that it was a stroke. But since I didn’t have a terrible headache or feel particularly like I might die, I decided to wait for Dave to come home before seeking medical attention. By the time he got home (like 20 minutes later) I was back to normal, almost, except for the pounding headache and lightheadedness. But that just felt like a migraine, and I was pretty sure that’s what it was. So I took a nap instead. Today I did some internet research and found out that those symptoms can be pretty common with migraines. I’d heard of them with strokes, but not migraines. You learn something new every day, I guess… I’d totally rather have a migraine than a stroke, wouldn’t you?
SO… no big deal. But weird, huh? The numb hand? I hadn’t heard of that before. Totally freaky. Anyway, I’m just pretty glad I’m not dead. :)
11 Comments
Hey, I totally know what you mean. My migraines all start like that, with the blurry vision and auras. I may not really be dying, but dang, sometimes I feel like I want to…the pain is killer! Take care. Hope you’re feeling better.
optical migraines! i’ve had migraines since i was 11 and only when i started taking birth controll did they change to optical. it’s the extra hormone in them. i went off right away and it helped a ton but i still get them too often. blurry vision and sometimes the numbness (totally wierd) and then the feeling of a brick to the face about 15-20 min. later. it SUCKS! if you’re on birth controll i would maybe consider stopping. it would help.
I used to get visual auras before mine. Now I get a ringing in my ears …sometimes I never even get the actual headache. It’s what they call an atypical migraine. Weird things, those migraines.
This girl I grew up with had like a full-on stroke(like symptoms) Half her body paralzed- stuck on the couch.. couldn’t move, rushed to the ER and after a couple of days of testing they told her it was a migraine. Until then I had never heard of such a thing. So weird…and scary
i’m glad you aren’t dead too:):)
I am glad you are not dead too!
I’v enever heard of the numb hand thing. If you get them a lot there’s medication you can take at the first signs….
I get that as well. I can’t even hold anything in my hands. It freaks me out. My latest neurologlist has had me take 1 baby aspirin a day to help combat the onset of migraines. Those are stroke symptoms. Mine were hormaone related, I had a hysterectomy almost 3 years ago. Although I get a migraine every now and then it’s not s bad as before, 4-5 a month!
i’m glad you are feeling better shannon! that is scary. migraines are NOT fun.
Shannon….I stalk your blog. :):)
I am an ophthalmic technician….and you are right, everything there sounds like an optical migraine.
EXCEPT.
That numbness.
And that flash of light sounds a bit different.
You should probably go to an ophthalmologist just to be sure.
Just wanted to tell you that.
Okay, that would beyond freak me out! Glad you’re still living!