THR Deep Breath Reporting for Recovery Duty

Status
Not open for further replies.
@Hip Hip Hooray! No worries, friend. I watched a YouTube video on Bikram Yoga and decided that it might just be too much for me...at least for now. I think I'll stick with my basics and a few Pilates exercises for the time being.
You always give great advice. :)

I'll write more tomorrow, friends. I had an odd experience today which I think might have been my first migraine headache, complete with visual 'weirdness' but actually little headache pain.
I'll be going to see my PCM, hopefully tomorrow - but in the next day or two at the latest - to rule out any other possibilities. I am home now and feeling okay, so no worries. It was just an odd occurence that, thankfully, resolved quickly, but that I need to get checked out.
I hope everybody's day was a good one! :)
 
@PS46, I'm not sure about the dehydration. I don't think so, but most of what I'd had to drink yesterday prior to the occurrence was caffeinated, so perhaps... (see below)
@Miss Muffet, I am wondering if what happened might have been brought on by exposure to flashing lights.
Here's the situation: I went to see Batman vs. Superman with my family yesterday. During the final fight scene, which was quite long and full of very intense flashes and bursts of bright light, I experienced a spot on my vision that, at first, I took to be an 'after image' - like when you see a bright flash of light and can still see the image in your field of vision. This, however, did not quickly dissipate. It was a spot of blurry vision with a shimmering, sparkly border that I could see with both eyes and also while my eyes were closed.
The image grew larger and faded as the experience went on. It resolved in about 20 minutes. I developed a throbbing headache that felt like a sinus issue over one eye and which was exacerbated by bright light. That occurred off and on for the rest of the evening/night. When I am active this morning the pain is still present, but definitely isn't a crushing headache.
I called my insurance's advice nurse as soon as we got home from the movie and she had me go to a local urgent care clinic right away. They couldn't detect anything wrong with me, but advised me to see an opthomologist as soon as possible to rule out anything serious.
I have mentioned here before that I am The Google Queen, so I set about researching my symptoms when I got home from the urgent care clinic.
I found an exact account of what I experienced on a website about migraines. I have only ever had one migraine before in my life, when I was a teen, and didn't experience the 'migraine aura' that time.
I'll be getting in touch with my family doctor today to get a referral to an opthomologist.
In doing an image search for 'migraine aura' I came across this one which looks very much like what I experienced. The border was shimmering and 'sparkly'. Very strange experience. I'm not going to lie; I was pretty frightened.
**Edited to add: Hey you, look at you offering me suggestions when you're just 10 days post-op. Not only are you super funny, but you're a star hippie buddy as well. :)
I hope you're feeling good, friend.
oldtownmigraine.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh gosh, what a strange experience @DeepBreath. You're doing the smart thing by going to get it checked out. Please keep us posted. Praying it's nothing to be too concerned about. :praying:
 
Well what a coincidence. My very first migraine started in the cinema when I was watching Towering Inferno. You can imagine the similarities - lots of brightness, noise, flashing etc. I had to leave and was driven home lying flat on the backseat of the car. It was often centred over one eye and could be triggered on subsequent episodes by certain foods (chocolate, oranges, coffee). You are right to check with an ophthalmologist to put your mind at rest, but it does sound like the classic symptoms I used to experience. If you also felt nauseous that would concur with what I felt. I would end up in a dark room with an ice pack on my head and if it had faded the next day I just felt very hung over. You can, of course, get drugs prescribed if this repeats itself. I'm so sorry you had that nasty experience. I know I was really frightened that first time. Take it easy today :friends:
 
Hi @DeepBreath, I'm sorry to hear about the migraine. I think fluctuating hormones can play into it, too. Your experience sounds really intense and scary. I know my brother had a headache before his stroke, so I always worry about that, too. It's good that you are going to the doctor. It sounds like the movie was a real trigger. Your body has already been through so much with the two surgeries.

I'm glad you are waiting on the Bikram yoga. I have been paying for it the past few days. It felt great at first, but then I had a delayed reaction. (stinging and pain in the hip flexors.) Oh well.

Please keep us posted to how you are doing.
 
@Hipster Girl, thank you, friend. Yep, it's definitely something I need to get checked out. I will definitely keep you posted. :)

Thank you, @PS46. :)

@Miss Muffet, isn't that something about the movies? I can definitely imagine Towering Inferno bringing about a migraine. I was lucky that my headache wasn't crushing and didn't really develop until a couple of hours later. I did have an odd instance of feeling a bit nauseated during the movie, but it quickly passed. When I had the migraine as a teenager I did become sick to my stomach from the pain though. Not fun! I read about the correlation between certain foods and migraines.
Like you say, I feel rather wiped out today and am doing a lot of resting. Thanks for the kind words. :)

I think fluctuating hormones can play into it, too.
Ding, Ding, Ding! One of the things I read was that some people don't start to experience migraines until around age 50 and it is related to hormone fluctuations. Man, I have that in abundance. (Sorry for TMI) I had skipped 3 cycles and then this month, BAM, here I am having one (started last week).
I can understand the worry about headaches and strokes. I definitely thought about that. I even took out the little travel mirror from my purse and stuck my tongue out to see if it was going off to one side, and recited 'The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog' out loud to see if I could, A) remember it, and B) could get it out correctly.
Another worry, since I am very nearsighted, is about retinal detachment and the vision changes that occur during that situation. Luckily, none of the indicators were present apart from the flashing lights and they checked my eyes at urgent care.
I have an appointment with my PCM tomorrow morning, so will hopefully get some good info and the referral to the opthomologist.
Gosh, I'm sorry to hear you're experiencing stinging and pain related to the yoga. It's that delicate balancing act, isn't it? It's all a part of figuring out what works for us physically, and boy can it be challenging!
I hope you're feeling better today. :)
 
@DeepBreath - Just read your post about the odd migraine like experience you had. My husband gets "visual migraines." I will ask him more about it later when I see him. His symptoms sound a lot like what you went through. He gets them very infrequently, but is always a bit freaked out by them. I believe he was told by a dr. that it wasn't serious. But I will clarify all that and get back to you with any info.

I told @Hip Hip Hooray! on her thread to please not worry about me with the Bikram. I have always been curious about it. So I watched some on you tube and very cautiously followed a beginner's class, modifying most of it except the breathing and simple standing stretches. I'll explore it more, but carefully and slowly!

I'm sorry you had to go through that weird migraine experience. I imagine it made you a bit anxious about what was going on. Like I said, I'll get back to you with any info.
 
hello @DeepBreath ! My goodness, I miss your thread for a few days and there's so much to catch up on!
I just wanted to commiserate with you about the aura.. I get those and they are awful. Im always so glad that they rarely happen when Im driving because I would need to pull over quickly and stop the car!
As you have read, hormones can be a huge factor... sigh. I am to the point now where I do like what you had,, the aura and a mild headache,, not the intense painful headache that used to put me in bed for days. I have meds to take now, if needed, but suffered without meds for a lot of years. ugh!
I thought of you yesterday and this morning while I was rolling my IT band. We were in the city over the weekend and walked a lot and had different shoes on and it has me a little stiff and sore. Nothing major but gosh that roller feels so good...
Good luck with your Dr appt. hope he can answer your questions and reassure you. :flwrysmile:
 
@Readysetgo, I'd like to hear about your husband's experience with the visual migraines if he's willing to share. It's such an odd phenomenon.
Yes, best to go slowly with any sort of new exercise. It's sometimes difficult to predict what will get those muscles hurting. I do know that the stretching sure feels good though. :)

@CricketHip, I know right? I am just a hot doggone mess. :heehee: I'm sorry you've dealt with migraines. I have friends who suffer with them and they just sound miserable. The auras are frightening. As I was driving to my doctors appointment today I went through quite a wooded area, so there is a lot of 'dappled sunlight' effect. Normally, I love that and think it's so pretty. Today I couldn't help but wonder if that flickering light sensation might set off another aura. Happily, it did not.
My doctor gave me a good once over and said from the sound of the symptoms that it's likely it was a migraine aura. She put in a referral to the vision clinic just to make sure everything checks out okay with my eyes. She said that, unfortunately, predicting if this will be a recurring thing or just very intermittent is hard to do. She said that hormones definitely can play a huge part in this type of thing. She just advised that I avoid situations with a lot of bright flashing lights as much as possible.
On a good note, my blood pressure and weight were down. I have been meaning to get my height checked since my surgery since my OS lengthened me. I finally thought to ask the nurse today and sure enough...I am one inch taller! :yay:
Oh goodness...the roller. I am so thankful for that thing!
I hope you're doing well and that your minor stiffness and owies are going away. :)
 
you are taller! That is so wonderful and I am getting all misty over here.. hugs to you and yippee!! BP is lower and weight is down.. it doesn't get much better than that. I am much better today.. it's usually very fleeting. I am going to have to wear other shoes and get my muscles used to them. Since I wear sneakers at work all day I think my body is getting spoiled.
I gained weight after the surgery and clear through the holidays but am happy to say that I am down 15 pounds now. Hubby and I are dieting together and it's actually been rather fun. Ok, that is a real stretch of the truth but we are happy that we have each other to give support, when needed. :walking::vespa::walking::vespa:
 
@DeepBreath - I hope your doctor appt. goes well. For what it's worth, I talked to my husband and here are some things he told me. What he gets is a visual migraine in the optical nerve, usually after looking at a computer screen or something like that. He said it starts as a dot or watery blurry spot, then grows to a more vivid neon squiggle. It usually lasts about 20 minutes and there's virtually no head pain. But it's disturbing and he can't concentrate on anything while it's happening.

His opthomologist said it wasn't "serious". It occurs every couple of months. (Hope not for you!) Don't know if you are getting the visual migraine or "regular" one. Whatever it is, I hope for your sake it doesn't return!

I actually wrote the above message to you this morning. I thought I sent it, but our Internet went off briefly (hate when that happens) and that must have interfered with posting...

I love it - you're taller, thinner and blood pressure's down! What gal could ask for more? Very good news. Like a surprise bonus - and you deserve it!
 
Hi @DeepBreath, Wow...an inch taller. That's great. Congratulations on losing weight. I'm glad you got to the doctor right away. It's shocking what hormonal imbalances can do. I've found that taking fish oil, drinking a cup of soy milk, and eating enough protein has really helped. (especially in the morning.) I also make sure to have something to eat at night, even if it's light. That way the blood sugar doesn't drop. Going into menopause is a tough transition. Take care.
 
@DeepBreath yay that your doctor's appointment went well! That is awesome about being one inch taller and blood pressure & weight being down! Hopefully the eye doctor will put your mind at ease about the aura thing. It's amazing what these hormones put us through, isn't it?
 
@CricketHip, I hear you about the different shoes. I wear basically the same pair of shoes day in and day out. They're comfy, sporty looking, and go with a variety of casual outfits. I've worn a couple of different pairs over the past month though and it surprises me how they affect the feel of my feet, muscles, etc. It does take some getting used to!
Great for you and hubby working together on your fitness goals! That is much easier when you're both trying.
My hubs and I are doing something similar. He was lucky in that he has always been tall and lanky. In his younger days he could eat anything and it wouldn't really affect him. Fast forward 20+ years and the same is not true.
I've always had to watch my weight, being short and curvy. He was having the hardest time with portion control, regulating treats, etc. He's been seeing a neuro doc about ongoing problems with his back and in the course of their discussions the doctor mentioned he could stand to lose a few pounds (which he already knew...he struggles with those pounds). His immediate 'go-to' is to eat salad and baked chicken and work out more. The increased running only exacerbates the back problems. I finally sat him down and told him that living on salad and baked chicken doesn't work...hasn't worked in the long term for years, because it's difficult to stick with.
So, I once again talked to him about 'slice of life' living....being very conscious of portion control, not cutting out treats entirely but enjoying them sparingly, and simple exercise 'hacks' like taking the stairs, parking farther away from your destination and walking a bit more, etc. For some reason, he actually heard me this time. He's been really trying and it's paid off. He happily told me at the beginning of the week that he'd lost several pounds just by using those suggestions. :) Hopefully he'll stick with it.

@Readysetgo, thank you for asking your husband about his experience. It sounds very much like what I experienced. I too hope that these don't become regular. Thankfully, I didn't really have a bad headache afterwards. It felt like a sinus headache centered over one eye and would throb when I looked at any bright light. I guess we'll see. At least I have an idea of what's going on. That, to me, is better than not knowing what the heck is happening.
Ugh, internet issues. We have them frequently here. Not being a techy person, I get quite frustrated with them.
Thank you for the great information and the kind support. :flwrysmile:

@Hip Hip Hooray! boy, you said a mouthful about the transition. It's definitely full of ups and downs. Hmm...I'd not thought about the drop in blood sugar at night, but it does make sense. What kinds of things do you eat at night to help avoid that?
I hope you're having a great day and that your hips are on their way to being invisible again. :)
 
@DeepBreath, I just make sure I have something. It can even be a handful of nuts and some fruit. I used to eat dinner very early, (like four or five o'clock,) and not eat afterward. That doesn't work for me at this age. I read a book by a doctor about women who don't have hot flashes. They didn't diet, they ate sensibly, and many of them included things like nuts, green tea, soy, and fish in their diet. She said that vegetarians had the worst symptoms during menopause. Since I taught women for so many years, I developed my own opinions, too. So many of my students wouldn't eat breakfast, they would just have coffee. At 10:00 a.m. they would get very irritable and start having hot flashes. It really helps to keep eating small healthy meals, so that you don't get hungry. (I think.)

Thanks...my hips are doing really well again.
 
@Hip Hip Hooray! That sounds like sound reasoning where eating is concerned. I've never been a three meal a day kind of person. Eating small meals throughout the day feels more natural to me.
I'm so glad your hips are feeling good! :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jaycey
    ADMINISTRATOR Staff member since February 2011

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,181
Messages
1,597,070
BoneSmarties
39,365
Latest member
Dave4562
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom