Transient Ischemic Attack?

> Life's funny. I always thought I'd go in a horrible and flaming motorcycle accident. Looks like I'll probably just lose my mind and start typing nonsense.
>
> carry on

Either way, photos or it didn't happen. Take care, just in case.

Time for that annual checkup?

Mine was a big gray area that made reading impossible. Stayed that way about an hour. Later when I went to the store the clerk said the price was $28. I had a $20 and a $5, but for the life of me I could not figure out how many ones I needed.

The specialist could not find anything wrong. It did scare me into exercising a lot more, and I drove my total cholesterol to rock bottom.

I guess it was just one of those things, 28 years ago, and it never happened again.

Sounds scary enough I'd get a checkup.

I have visual disturbances occasionally that I've decided must be related to migraines. I don't get headaches, but after the zig-zag lines and gray blotches pass in a few minutes my head feels "spacy" and it's harder than usual to think clearly. I don't, however, see things without recognizing them.

I would hope your episode was something similar, but it doesn't quite sound like it.

Migraine aura

Bill,

Your visual disturbance is a migraine aura. A lot of people, like me, get the aura but not the headache. I get it from a flash of light, like off a stop sign, or sometimes from the computer screen. They run in bunches, so I'll have five in one week, then none for months. If I'm driving I just pull over and wait 20 minutes until it is gone.

At least you did not pause with your finger on the N button for 5mins

Keep it plumb......

Damm! I thought I was doing poorly today as I was standing in line at the A&W Root Beer Restaurant and realized we had decided just a few minutes earlier to go to the El Charro Mexican Restaurant about a mile further down the road instead of our usual stop at A&W. Habits are so hard to break as senility sets in.

Visual Migraines - the medical "lowdown"

I've had these since I was a kid. Over the years they come and go. Years can pass and none precipitate into cranial pain. Then, for no apparent reason, they can start causing horrific headaches.

I have been to ophthalmologists and they tell me to go to a neurologist...the neurologist says go to an ophthalmologist. Nobody really knows what causes them except they have to do with a decreased blood flow and vascular spasms, either in the eyeball or the occipital cortex.

Over the last couple of years I have been visiting a neurologist due to a large meningioma that has parked itself on or near my left optic nerve. I've had plenty of discussions with him about the "visual" migraines and have learned a great deal.

My visual auras are the type that begin small and over a 15 or 20 minute period they grow to completely block the field of view. They appear as a geometric spiral saw tooth and seem to vibrate or oscillate with vibrant light, although the "color" is actually obscure. The brain surgeon says these are not "optical" migraines. He says they are scintillating scotomas.

And, as is common with a pretty good percentage of the afflicted population, sometimes they precede a acephalgic migraine, sometimes they don't. The migraines can make you wish you were somewhere else. Mine make me extremely sensitive to light. A cool, dark and quiet room where I can lay down with a pillow over my head is usually the only "cure". Dwelling on what feels like an ice pick in the middle of your head can take all the fun out of everything. Pain medications are no help.

Thankfully these have subsided over the years. I did run into a doctor once that suggested I get a bowl of tap water with a few ice cubes in it when a migraine starts. He explained I needed to keep my hand in the bowl and lazily "play" with the cubes until they melt and the water is back to room temperature. This is the only thing I have ever tried that lessened the excruciating pain and actually cut the episode short

There you have it. Everything I've learned about these goofy "light shows" over a lifetime. 🙂

ps - I really think it was all caused by too much "Grand Funk Railroad"...;-)

Visual Migraines - the medical "lowdown"

> I've had these since I was a kid. Over the years they come and go. Years can pass and none precipitate into cranial pain. Then, for no apparent reason, they can start causing horrific headaches.
Once every several years I get a bout of terrific migraine headaches. The last time, in fact, was shortly after I arrived in Norman in 2011. A Chiropractor has always been a great help at these times.

There is a young Chiropractor by the name of Snodgrass in Norman. Down behind Rudy's at Hwy 9 and Chautauqua. Say howdy for me.

Migraine aura

I've been able to partially correlate these occurrences with ingestion of MSG, which many people find to be a migraine trigger. The correlation isn't tight, as sometimes it doesn't trigger anything and other times after an incident I can't identify any food that would have had MSG. Nevertheless, there have been enough associations that I try to avoid it.

It's hard to find beef jerky without MSG added, and watch out for the gravy mixes that a restaurant might use.

Rudy's BBQ

> There is a young Chiropractor by the name of Snodgrass in Norman. Down behind Rudy's at Hwy 9 and Chautauqua. Say howdy for me.

I may give that a try. There is also a chiropractor directly across the street from the office. Tim has a tendency to walk over there for a back adjustment every week or so. I've just never tried them out.

But now Rudy's "Q" is some pretty good stuff.

I've probably had better..but I've definitely had worse. We've been working on utility relocates on 9 lately, and Rudy's is so convenient.

I started having similar issues in the service. Eventually it came with loss of sensation and strength in my hands. When my left bicep stopped working I found a new Doc. That was the start of thebionicman...
I am fortunate that medication keeps the headaches down now. It could be simple or it could be severe. See the Doc because us Surveyors are notoriously bad at Doctorin'..

Since we're comparing ailments, i had an odd one the other day. Went out to the barn where I feed the dog and opened up a can of Alpo. When I dumped it in his bowl it was as bright green as a flourescent vest. WTF. Smelled ok but was certainly green. I stepped out the door to throw it out and when I got it in natural light it was brown like it should be. Back in the barn it was green again. Noticed a few other things were green that day, like my feet when I got in the shower. Same thing next day , but its gradually gone away.

My only guess on the cause is we had about 15" of snow and I spent the 2 days prior grading county roads wit tractor and blade. Forgot my sunglasees. Maybe had something to do with it.

I bet whoever was riding with you was lookin' at you funny.....:-S

Migraine aura

If you're eating at a restaurant you can pretty much assume EVERYTHING has MSG in it. I'm not overly scared of MSG, most people can process it without problems - while others are very sensitive.

A couple of years ago my son (six at the time) compained that his heart was racing and he was dizzy after eating chinese food. We didn't make the connection, until it happened again right after eating at the same place. We have stopped eating chinese just anywhere, there is a reputable place downtown that causes no symptoms. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001126.htm

Also:

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html

Visual Migraines - the medical "lowdown"

Thankfully these have subsided over the years. I did run into a doctor once that suggested I get a bowl of tap water with a few ice cubes in it when a migraine starts. He explained I needed to keep my hand in the bowl and lazily "play" with the cubes until they melt and the water is back to room temperature. This is the only thing I have ever tried that lessened the excruciating pain and actually cut the episode short

DUDE!! THAT WILL MAKE YOU PEE ALL OVER YOUR KEYBOARD!! :-X

You may have had a bleed behind your eye

I shower up every spring; clears up the green feet problem.

About 10 years ago, I was driving along at night north of Prairie du Chien. I can remember a nice buck crossing the road, and that's the last thing I can remember for a while. I drove home, about 80 miles, all right.

Not much since then, but I eat an aspirin each morning. Seems like it's a plumbing problem.