Dealing with Dizziness and Migraines

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santos271

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Hi again:I've been having a tough couple of weeks with this dizziness. For the past few days, I've had a stubborn headache that I'm finding it hard to get rid of. Of course, with my health anxiety my mind is leaping to brain tumors. It's been suggested to me by a few people though that I might have migraines. I don't have much experience with migraines so I'm wondering if any BFS'ers who do have experience with or knowledge of migraines can let me know if my experience sounds anything like them. Sorry for the long post - I'm trying to include as much detail as possible so anyone who reads this gets as clear a picture as possible.I had three opthalmic migraines (diagnosed by an opthamologist) in Nov/Dec of last year over the span of about 6 weeks. It was just a shimmering blob in the middle of my field of vision that slowly got bigger (over about 20 mins) then went away. No headache followed, haven't had any since.Then the dizziness started over Christmas. I'd had vertigo before for many years but this wasn't room spinning dizziness, it was just a persistent unbalanced feeling that was annoying, but I didn't feel as if I would fall over or anything. This last hours, often the better part of a day, and would be there days on end, some days better than others. I recall when I was most worried about my twitching though (mid to late January) I don't remember having or worrying about dizziness.Almost 2 weeks ago now the dizziness started up again. Slowly at first - just a few hours at a time - but got again to last the better part of a day, and is with me most days. I thought perhaps it was related to my menstrual cycle since I think I might have had most of my dizziness during those time periods, however that started last week and is over now and I still have the dizziness.For the past couple of days I've had a stubborn headache. It's what I would have always called a sinus headache - it's on my right side (where I always get sinus headaches) over and behind my right eye and in the back of my neck on the right side. I'e also noticed that when I'm dizzy and have this headache it hurts a little to look at very bright lights or complex patterns. I'm also finding it harder to read a computer screen at times.As I type this, I realize it might be hard to say this is/isn't migraine b/c I recognize like BFS, migraine can come in so many forms. But I guess what's got me puzzled is why these would come on so suddenly - I've never suffered from migraines before. And though I understand you don't have to have a headache with migraine, would I have one sometimes and then not other times? And would I go from having opthalmic migraines to a completely different type of migraine - dizziness sometimes with headache and sometimes without? I guess this is where I'm not totally buying the migraine suggestion.Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts -Joanne
 
I want to be completely honest with you...... You are STRESSING big time. I would call the neuro office next week and explain you simply need an appointment before you head off for a huge vacation. You will have total reassurance and totally enjoy yourself. I know that anxiety can take do CRAZY things to the body, and the more we worry the worse everything becomes. The office will understand, talk to the nurse (not the front desk) and explain your situation. You will be in my prayers.
 
I've tried - they can't get me in any sooner.Yes, I realize I am stressing. However, when you can't see straight b/c you're constantly dizzy and now your head hurts and nothing seems to make it stop, stress builds. I'm trying to find out if there's any possibility this could be migraine - since I can't get in to see a neuro despite my best efforts.
 
The problem with migraines is that they are so complex in terms of what they can have for symptoms. I too have had times where my balance is not quite right, or it seems like one eye focuses better than the other. Having opthamalic migraine is characteristic of headaches to come, or may not have a headache with it. I experience what my neuro calls migraines, as pressure around my head and behind my eyes. I also get GI symptoms.The rule of thumb is usually first to see if migraine aborting meds (like Imitrex) work. If they do, its likely a migraine and the neuro may try a prophylaxis medication like Inderal to see if the attacks are cut down. If the problems persist, you might get a brain MRI, which looks for tumors and other malformations. But, for all the headache sufferers, very few are caused by brain tumors, so rest assured, especially with the opthamalic migraine you've had, the rest are probably of the same type.-Dave
 
Is there a family history of migraine?I did not know until recently that my visual symptoms were migraine even though my mum had a history of migraine and visual symptoms.
 
My older brother gets the opthalmic migraines similar to those that I got last fall. My mom said that she got headaches - not sure if they qualify as migraines - just about every day until she had her hysterectomy.
 
Migraine is actually a fascinating world, Oliver Sacks has written about it. I am fortunate that I don't get the headaches, but I guess my other aches and pains make up for that :( The Opthalmic stuff I just take for granted nowadays and actually enjoy some of it for the "trip" it is understanding that it is just a wierd neurological trick my brain plays on me.You might want to read this article and see that migraine has perhaps contributed more to the world of art than we suppose.It's really complex stuff because I have other symptoms too, that now I know what they are I don't worry about, but when I first experienced them really scared me. In fact it was these symptoms that drove me to see my first neurologist back in 1984.The sequence was as follows, Ophthalmologist "Nothing wrong with your eyes" Neurologist "I can't explain it" Psychiatrist "You're nuts"
 
Joanne: Visit - check out the symptoms of anxiety. You will find all of your there. I know I did. I had migraine headaches constantly for a period of 2 years when I was about your age. Then, they just went away and I have one only occassionally now. I do have eye-strain headaches, and tremendous tension headaches and sinus headaches. I do not believe you have a brain tumor, especially if you GP did a clinical exam on you. Brain tumors also have neuro syptoms that can be picked up in one of those exams. Still, I agree, get in to see a dr just to ease your mind, then stay focused on what they said.Cindy
 
Stress most definately correlates with the most vivid of my visual migraine experiences as I think it with everything else.I am no longer scared about having a brain tumour, this was a fixation of mine in my teens, so much that my brother still reminds me of it. I did have severe headaches for a short period when I was about fourteen, one sided headaches and I have not experienced anything quite so nasty since. Coincidentally this is also the earliest time I can recall my twitching from.Mind you the visual migraines go way back before that into my primary school years, I do recall one particular "vision" which for all the world appeared to me like the description in Ezekial of wheels within wheels. It's remarkable that I can still remember it but looking now at other peoples descriptions of migraine experience and knowing the art of William Blake, it just fits in so neatly.I have what people call visual snow, this is perpetual, every day of my life. I did not think it was abnormal until my teens, which was a time when I started questioning everything, no doctor ever really understood just what I was seeing, neither did my parents, and as I have posted eventually being open about my visual experiences led to a psychiatric appointment after which I just shut up about it knowing where that was leading.It is only in relatively recent times that I have become open about it again and unashamed to talk about being as the internet at least has shown me that I am not alone and unique.Thing is this is actually territory that is still rare to the average neurologist.I never mentioned it to any of the neurologists I have seen in the last couple of years except to the one I saw this month, and I think it freaked him out, because he might know a little about migraine, but he only seemed to know of a few descriptions of aura and mine was as unknown to him as it was to the neurologist I saw in the 1980's It probably has nothing whatever to do with BFS.
 
Joanne,I've been diagnosed with several types of headaches over the years. I have the optical migraines, no headache, just the shimmering blind spot getting bigger and bigger until there's a huge shimmering blind spot for a couple of hours. I got my 1st one of these when I was pregnant with my 1st child & I really believe that they're related to hormonal changes. I've also been diagnosed with benign postional vertigo; things really spin when I turn my head when it's flaring up. I have, over the years, especially during my 1st couple of years with BFS had a more sutle dizziness. Things would look and feel "off". Patterns in carpets would appear to be moving if I stared at them, I would feel "slightly on a slant", etc. This slight dizziness has gone away for the most part, for decades now, so hopefully yours will go away also. As far as other headaches, I've been diagnosed with migraines, sinus, hormonal, cluster, etc. Over the years they've become less intense and less frequent. They were very severe when I had young children, (so I was probably close to your age when they were really bad--again I think it's hormonal). I told my neuro about them and he just treated them as migraines with prescription meds if they became too serious. Your neuro should be able to pick up any serious abnormality on your exam. If it worries you too much you can request an MRI---I've had a couple for other symptoms. I'm sure you're fine though----I've had everything that you're talking about. At the time I didn't relate all of these issues to BFS, (didn't know about BFS) but in retrospect I think most of it's all linked. Also, I've been told these symptoms could be associated with Fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed with that...but I question if it even exists. Best Wishes. Denise
 
Hi Joannela,It could have been me who has written this post!I started having these occular migraines a few years ago. Its has actually been the beginning of my personal "Via Dolorosa".I have the vision problems, pain behind right eye, sinus like headaches right side, difficulties to focus, light sensivity, strange dizzyness (spaced oud feeling, coming out of a boat/elevator feeling, drunk feeling...). The dizzyness goes very often, not always, together with right eye/sinus like aches and tends to come and go.Mostly ist stays with me a big part of the day and I rarely suffer from it in the evening hours. Before I have never had any migraines in my life and I can assure you that for me the attacks were not at all stress related, allthough I believe that they can be triggered by major stress.I have no headache after "the lightshows" but my head feels kind of heavy and tight an my legs are shaky. I thought in the beginning that the shaky legs were stress related but since I do not longer panic while having an attack I don't believe that anymore.Neurologists have no answer to this phenomenon. I have been through a lot of tests! The migraines have become lesser since I am on blood pressure medication, but I still get them occasionally.Looking backwards now, for me personally, I believe that the above could be hormone related because after I started having migraines I slowly started having perimenopausal symptoms along with the lovely BFS.I have tried to describe as much as possible how it is for me in my poor English and I hope that you will find some "comfort" in knowing that you are note alone.Wish you all the best!Amica
 
I don't know whether it is the same thing at all, but I get the sensation of the ground moving up and down underneath me sometimes. I have learnt to ignore it as just another strange neurological symptom sometimes associated with migraine, not that it is at all pleasant, but at least I don't let that one contribute to my anxiety, since I consider it explained by migraine.It was part of the same symptomology concurrent with the visual stuff that drove me to my first neurological appointment in the 1980's. Certainly neurologists did not know a lot back then and whatever could not be explained had to be psychosomatic.As for fibromyalgia, I also consider that a rather vague "diagnosis" and another non explanation it is just a translation into greek of pain in the muscles, which let's face it seems to be part of this mystery for some.
 
Greetings:I am also unsure of the DIAG of Fibromyalgia, but I have read that in can interrup the communication between the eyes and the brain and cause all of the symptoms of the original poster. I once read about this particular explanation on Life Extension but i think it is out there elsewhere also.I hope it exists because then I have it :)Best,JJittery
 

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