So i just got out of the ER ......

Migraines. I've had them all my life and they take several forms. They don't need headaches to accompany them either. I have had the dark vision happen just as you described many times, only lasting a minute or two. Those are the best kind actually.. The ones where your face and arms go numb are the worst cause it's goes down your throat and you start gagging, till it goes back up to your lip, etc. The ones with distorted colors suck too, for me, at least. It's blindness for about 30 min, followed by a terrible headache which lasts about 24 hours.

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04

originally posted by: Walsh

originally posted by: AreUKiddingMe
E.R.'s are for medical emergencies, doesn't sound like this was one of those. Something to follow up with your doctor or opthamologist, though. E.R. doctors aren't able to diagnose Everything.

see seeing colors and partially going blind is not an emergency ?

i dono when your on my end of the stick it sure feels like an emergency.

just saying

I would say no, not really. It's something that should be discussed with a GP.

I can understand why you went to the ER, but really not the place you want to be.

well , this experience was new to me . i am not a Dr. and losing my vision and seeing colors was a red flgg for me . i am glad i made the choice to go to the ER even though i was not satisfied with the care , i am glad i went .
different strokes for different folks i suppose.
if it had been a symptom of a stroke not going would have left me in serious trouble :/

a reply to: Walsh

Definitely a scary thing. About 5 years ago when I was taking ambien to help me sleep, I woke up in the middle of the night extremely thirsty. I trampled up the stairs and made it to the fridge only to go deaf and blind for about 3 minutes right after I opened the door. I was half asleep, but awake enough to know that this wasn't a dream. I was still living at home at the time so I yelled for my parents to come and remember them touching my head and arms, but I could not see or hear them. One of the scariest few minutes of my existence.

I just chalked it up to being some sort of side effect with the ambien and never took it again.

originally posted by: Wookiep
Migraines. I've had them all my life and they take several forms. They don't need headaches to accompany them either. I have had the dark vision happen just as you described many times, only lasting a minute or two. Those are the best kind actually.. The ones where your face and arms go numb are the worst cause it's goes down your throat and you start gagging, till it goes back up to your lip, etc. The ones with distorted colors suck too, for me, at least. It's blindness for about 30 min, followed by a terrible headache which lasts about 24 hours.

You may be in focal seziure territory rather than migraine ...

google.com/search?q="Focal+seizure"+numbness+blindness


books.google.com/books?id=5PgjmjugIX8C&pg=PA332

Effective prophylactic medication is available for seizures.

originally posted by: DeadSeraph
a reply to: Walsh

I have acid reflux, but what you described sounds eerily similar to something else I have experienced on 2 occaisions.

Both of those occasions I had to be rushed to the hospital. The first time, I thought I was having a stroke (I was 21 or 22 at the time, very young).

It started out with very similar symptoms. I was seeing strange colors/lights, not feeling very well generally, but in my case it gradually got worse. Eventually I became extremely weak, felt one side of my body going numb, and lost all ability to function for the most part. I couldn't speak, walk, or do much of anything. The doctors thought I was having a stroke. After a CT and MRI, the doctors didn't know what to make of it.

Eventually my family doctor came in the next day (who is now retired) and told me it was a hemiplegic migraine (source).

It was extremely painful, and debilitating, and quite frankly, scary. My doctor told me I could have one at any time, or never again, and there was no way to know.

Turns out he was right, and I had one last summer. This one was slightly less terrifying, as I knew what I was experiencing this time around, but no less painful (I would actually say it was more painful), and I had recurring attacks within a few days after the initial incident, something I didn't experience all those years before.

I hope these symptoms aren't a sign of migraines for you, or especially Hemiplegic Migraines, because they are absolutely horrifying to experience. But I would recommend seeing a neurologist, just in case. In the case of migraines (even severe hemiplegic migraines), there are medications that can be prescribed that will essentially halt an attack from getting worse. Either way, I would suggest seeing a neurologist whether or not you think you might have the outset of similar symptoms. It certainly crept up on me out of nowhere.

I also suffer from Hemiplegic Migraine; I have had the condition for many years now, but it is largely controlled by a gluten free diet, regular sleeping hours, never staying up late, & avoiding caffeine. I have had CT scans, MRIs and been misdiagnosed with strokes. . . not many doctors know how to treat the condition. I am now taking three tablets each night (Amytriptheline, Atenolol and a diuretic, the latter 2 to keep the blood pressure stable & the first to prevent the migraines) At he slightest sign of an attack I find that ordinary Ibuprofen helps to keep me going until the nightly cocktail of tablets.

Aparently the cause is genetic; but as a side effect of it I do see some beautiful auras, interesting wavy surfaces, etc! Do have a look at Dr Klaus Podoll and Migraine Art on the web.

I hope you manage to get the correct combo of meds & foods right; HM is a nasty thing to have & if the paralysis comes on while you are driving you could be involved in a horrible car crash.

Best wishes to all (especially Hemiplegic Migraneurs!)

originally posted by: kiro8lak
It started out with very similar symptoms. I was seeing strange colors/lights, not feeling very well generally, but in my case it gradually got worse. Eventually I became extremely weak, felt one side of my body going numb, and lost all ability to function for the most part. I couldn't speak, walk, or do much of anything. The doctors thought I was having a stroke. After a CT and MRI, the doctors didn't know what to make of it ...
... I also suffer from Hemiplegic Migraine; I have had the condition for many years now, but it is largely controlled by a gluten free diet

If a gluten-free diet really makes a difference you may want to reconsider your migraine diagnosis ...

Epilepsy also can result from intolerance to wheat gluten (also known as celiac disease)

www.ninds.nih.gov...

epilepsy seizures may not have occurred to you as a explanation if you don't lose consciousness when you suffer the neurological deficits , but loss of consciousness is not a necessary component , ( see "focal seizure" ).

I know a couple other posters mentioned the migraine thing. My husband gets only the optical part of it. When it happens to him, it is like a tunnel of lightning swirling around. He says he can still see through the tunnel, but the lightning is distracting. He doesn't have any other symptoms. It happens probably once every few months. He just deals with it, because it doesn't really disrupt his life. I hope you get the help/answers you need.

a reply to: Walsh

I had some visual problems when I was in my mid-20s that resulted from a hard spill while water skiing. I faceplanted into the water at about 40 mph when the tip of my ski caught a wake. I had a headache and a sore neck and called it a day.

The next morning I awoke to the whole room going up and down really fast, like I had lost control of my eyes, but my eyes weren't moving. As I got more and more panicked, the anomaly subsided. I fell back asleep. Then it happened again, then I fell back asleep (it was very early). The third time I called my girlfriend and had her drive me to the ER. They admitted me to the neurology department at the University of Rochester (no slack hospital) for observation. I was there 2 nights. After 2 nights when the anomaly finally subsided, the neurologist came in and explained what they "thought" was wrong.

The visual cortex is in the back of the brain. They think that when I went into the water, my head snapped forward toward my chest and somehow damaged the blood vessels that service that part of the brain, which are in the back of the neck. Perhaps a small tear or whatever. So whenever my blood pressure dropped while I was sleeping, the visual cortex was starved of oxygen, and the hallucination would recur, freaking me out, raising my blood pressure, stopping the hallucination. Rinse, repeat. The damage healed and I went back to normal and it hasn't happened since.

So I do know the concern you might be having. For me it was terrifying. To lose control over your vision like that is very unnerving to say the least. If I were you, I would see a specialist, either an eye specialist or neurologist, since it could be a perception problem and not a physical problem with your eyes. Process of elimination will find the answer. Don't ignore it - it could be a symptom of something.

Good luck.

a reply to: Wookiep
That is scary as hell. Makes me glad I only get the "regular" painful migraines(never thought I would say that), and not very often anymore.

a reply to: Walsh

Yeah I had ulcers, chrones and a number of cancers before they found the right type of cancer...18 months and 200k later. Love the medical system...

a reply to: engvbany

It's interesting you mention seizures, I have had doctors tell me before that migraines are actually a form of seizure. I've also been given meds for seizures as experimental meds before, along with very strong migraine meds. I think the two are closely related.

The doctor may have guessed by the smell of your breath, thats why he got the conclusion fast with no bloodwork. Eye dilation can be a symptom associated with ketoacidosis. Taking an antacid is one way to calm it down, puts your pH back into a more normal range. Diet and dehydration can trigger it, also alcohol use, and it can be an indicator of diabetes.

Of course to be certain, you'd have to ask your doctor.

a reply to: Walsh

Don't trust doctors. I had breathing problems because a bad tooth caused an infection which traveled down my throat blocking my wind pipe. The local doctor prescribed me with aspirin. When I tried to explain to him that I couldn't swallow and hadn't drank water all day, he told me to come back within two days if it gets worse. Instead of explaining to the clown that I'd be dead by then I immediately went to a local hospital. They had me on morphine within the hour and I was in the intensive care unit for 48 hours.

So like any profession 5% know their stuff, the other 95% are next to hopeless.

The thing you describe sounds like tunnel vision. Many internet sites warn that anyone experiences any episodes of tunnel vision should see an eye doctor immediately. Some causes of tunnel vision can lead to permanent vision loss. Hopefully it was just a response to a headache but I wouldn't bet my vision on a hunch.

a reply to: transola

Yes scary. The scariest thing for me was when I woke up in the middle of the night after taking some Tylenol earlier, and only the night light was on, it was pretty dark, but I could swear I saw my mother-in-law at the foot of the bed and she had something in her hand that looked like a rolling pin at first, but at second look it wasn't. I thought my heart stopped for a minute and I jumped straight up in the air and almost hit the ceiling. It almost warranted a trip to the E.R. for me but thankfully it was only a nightmare and I was able to go back to sleep eventually after 3 stiff drinks and more Tylenol.

a reply to: Walsh

Sorry for the late reply, I don't get on here to post very often...

Apparently, I have shallow eye chambers, which may be attributable to genetics...
People of Asian and or Native American ancestry are most suseptible....

originally posted by: Walsh
Not sure if this belongs here , but i thought i would share something interesting that has been happening with me .

go to an optometrist and get a primary diagnosis

Relax and enjoy the light show, as long as your breathing is normal, it isn't terribly incapacitating and your vision returns to normal. I tend to think it a circulation issue, as may have been suggested already…
regards
tetra