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(Message started by: Marcos618 on Jan 31^st, 2003, 4:51pm)

Title: Zig Zags
Post by Marcos618 on Jan 31^st, 2003, 4:51pm

I call them zig zags. All of a suden I will feel like a bright light has been flashed into my eyes. Center of vision is messed up with the feeling of a bright light in my eyes. After a few minutes I start to get zig zag lines all around the edges of what I am looking at. Vision really gets wierd. I often get these before going into a CH period. Any one else get these? I had a CH period last summer starting in August for about 6 to 8 weeks. Should not be due for another one now, but think I will be into one within the next few weeks.

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by suzy617 on Jan 31^st, 2003, 4:59pm

Hi Marcos,

My friend used to tell me something similar but he only suffered migraines and would usually have that happen to him right before.

suzy

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by jonny on Jan 31^st, 2003, 5:00pm

See an eye Doctor Dude, Ive never heard of that shit happening.

..................................jonny

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by Margi on Jan 31^st, 2003, 6:16pm

Those are called phosphenes, Marcos. They usually are associated with migraine onset, sometimes referred to as an aura. If you don't get pain following, then what you're experiencing is occular migraine. It does scare the crap out of you, you feel like you're going blind and get very disoriented until it passes. Phosphenes are rarely, if ever, associated with clusters. It could be that you're having both kinds of headaches, or just occular migraines and clusters.
Actually, I've just come from the eye doctor today and asked him about that (I'm a migrainer, my hubby is the clusterhead in our house) and he re-affirmed that this is migraine activity, nothing to do with the eyes. If it's a detached retina, it's a different symptom...more like a camera flash constantly and urgently going off, and you will quite often have horrific pain at the same time. Phosphenes are just there, pissing you off.
Hope this helps.

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by cootie on Jan 31^st, 2003, 7:41pm

dude....this may or may not be yer problem but sounds 'similar'....simulations of how things appear I have seen 'drawn by suffers' were of jagged light.....maybe this will help....I'm surely no expert on it but here's the discription.......Pam

Ocular Migraine
Ocular Migraine is a variant of migraine that is not uncommon. It is believed to be caused by the same mechanism as classical migraine; vascular spasm. Instead of the spasm affecting the surface of the brain, these episodes affect the ocular blood supply or the blood supply to the vision center in the brain.

Typically, these episodes begin with a visual disturbance that begins in the peripheral vision. It often consists of a semi-circular, jagged, shimmering light, which enlarges and becomes more central. This disturbance usually obscures the vision within the jagged area. The light is often described a pale pastel in color.

In the typical episode, the visual disturbance lasts 15 – 20 minutes and then disappears. A mild headache may or may not follow the disturbance. Many ocular migraine sufferers complain only of fatigue after the visual disturbance.

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by Karla on Jan 31^st, 2003, 7:51pm

Sounds like the migraines I get not the cluster headaches.

Title: Zig Zag Man
Post by rumplestiltskin on Feb 1^st, 2003, 1:27am

well yea..kinda....zig zag is a good term for the focal aberance I have experienced. I'd rest my eyes and they went away.

I have experienced exactly what Cootie described. Never associated with a headache or any pain. I can only remember a dozen or so in my time. Just wierd occurances. No rhyme no reason...quickly passes. I'm unable to focus on my Norman Vincent Peale books...causing me to slip into negativision...my chest tightens as I asume I'm about to go blind or stroke-out.

I have never had a meegraine headache....hey wait...maybe that's all I DO have... I don't have Clusters afterall. What a relief. So...I guess this is my last post here. I'll miss a few of you.

Good Grief
den

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by Laurie on Feb 1^st, 2003, 6:24am

Yeah, it does sound like an ocular migraine. I've had a couple ocular migraines in the weeks post CH period when I still have a lot of edema and mild shadow pain. This is the same thing as the "aura" of a classic migraine, but does not always escalate into a classic migraine. For example, my coworker's mother regularly gets ocular migraines, but never migraines. Other symptoms you might experience are extreme sleepiness/yawning a few minutes prior to the ocular migraine, and mentally fuzziness (oooh! Look at the pretty lights!) during the ocular migraine.

Laurie

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by ave on Feb 1^st, 2003, 4:35pm

Warning, guys, the ocular migraine, or aura, does not preclude anybody from having clusters as well.

As a matter of fact I myself get them!

I don't get many of these painless aura's, but I do get them once in a while.
To me they are not related to any cluster attack or episode, but we know there are people who get migraines a well as clusters.

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by Ueli on Feb 1^st, 2003, 7:45pm

In the summer of 1993 I got about a dozen times a flickering bright star in my left eye. It usually started when I got out to the bright sun light and lasted for about 15 to 30 minutes. It was quite annoying, as it persisted even when I closed the affected eye and it was strong enough to blur the picture of the "good" eye.
When I told this to my GP he mentioned optical migraine, shrugged his shoulders and continued the gossip about mutual acquaintances. Later that year I got my first cluster attacks, but on the right side. The doc prescribed Aspirin and continued the gossip about mutual acquaintances. >:(
Since my clusters started I never had this ocular migraine again.

PFNADs
Ueli

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by parrothead on Feb 1^st, 2003, 7:57pm

Dude,

I'm not a doctor, but that same symptom happens to my daughter when she gets her migraines, those bad boys are ne fun either.
See a doc!

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by oringkid on Feb 3^rd, 2003, 10:02pm

I get ocular migraines too. The zig zag, which for me starts out like a small paisley shape and then slowly gets bigger and bigger until it seems to just pass out of my field of vision. Sometimes I get what seems to be a blank spot in my vision with this for a while and it fairly quickly will fade away too. Luckily, I do not get the migraine associated with it. At worst, I will have a vague all over headache afterwards and I noticed that my head feels "funny" before, during and afterward.
These ocular migraines have never been associated in any way with my clusterheadaches though.

Sherry

Title: Re: Zig Zags
Post by Marcos618 on Feb 4^th, 2003, 11:03am

Just happened to have a doctors appointment yesterday and told my doctor of these. He is not concerned. He said they are like a painless Migrain headache. Nothing to worry about. But since these have in the past come before I go into a period of CH I will need to just wait and see if I do go into one. Several traveling trips planed this month and for the next few months. My last two CH periods started while I was out of town. GEE, wonder what the odds are of another one doing the same. Just have to drag the drugs along with me in case.