Flashing lights

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hello to everyone. I hope you are all doing well.

Recently my woozyness has been worse and I have a GP appointment soon to discuss the medication I have been trying.

Anyway.. Yesterday I noticed something and it has happened again today.

Both times I have come back in after being outside, both times I have been bending me over after returning home to sort out shopping etc.

I have been getting flashing lights in my peripheral vision. It's a rapid flickering of light and lasts for a few moments...

Is this linked to my woozyness? Apparently try it can be linked to MS - brain tumours - neurological issues etc etc.... Frightened again.

I have just got over a bug, I've also recently had a flu vaccine and I am very very anxious again. I was so bad yesterday that I was on the verge of asking someone to take me to the hospital.

I asked a friend and she thinks it's all my anxiety... But how can I be sure when I am having so many symptoms, all of which link to there being something wrong with my brain?

I'm so frightened sad

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    I thought I'd add on an update... I came out of the bath and had a full blown panic attack. I felt darkness creeping at the edges of my eyes (or what I felt was darkness,) and the horrid feeling I would go blind or pass out....

    I became petrified and was on the look out for anything vision related. I had to sit down and try and calm myself. I tried to remind myself of my eye test and all the reassuring things my GP had said. Slowly I felt my panic ease.

    If I was completely honest, I am convinced that I have a tumour on the acoustic nerve. It has a specific name but I won't attempt to spell it here... I have been told that this tumour has been first flagged up my opticians and so I draw some comfort from that... But I feel I have more or less every symptom that these show. I have always had slight hearing problems in my right ear, and now I'm convinced that this is the cause. I have also read that the symptoms of this particular tumour can ease off at times before returning, which I feel mine does... All in all I am terrified because this even give pressure in the head - which I have a lot too.

    I keep reminding myself that my eye test was completely clear and that my doctors have not even considered this particularly tumour (or any tumour,) but as I said last week... I spotted a newspaper article of a girl whose tumour had gone undiagnosed, was blamed on stress and she died from it.

    I don't know what todo. The woozyness and feeling of moving is very real... I try to reason with myself. I try and tell myself that this did not 'just happen' - it came on after I caught a virus which gave people head pressure and made people dizzy. It went away after a few weeks and I was free of it for about a month before it suddenly came back when I was in the kitchen late one afternoon and the feeling of woozyness and head pressure returned.

    Perhaps if it had of just happened without a virus then I should worry - i need to remind myself how and why it happened I think.

    I don't know sad sorry for the long post.

    I have no one to talk to about this, my close family are pulling their hair out and so I don't want to push at then any more... sad

    I even feel guilty for coming back on here and moaning to you all. I am trying so hard but the past two weeks my woozyness has been worse. Could this all be sinus/ear issues?

    My friend who also has anxiety said I should just ask for a MRI because of the distress it's causing but my GP told me earlier this year that they wouldn't look at a request for an MRI for someone who was frightened that they had a tumour. They had to present symptoms that they felt needed investigating.

    I told him that I felt I had these symptoms but he told me I had fluid in my ear and the affects of a nasty virus which he too still couldn't shake off.

    I have spoken to have GP's too, but both told me I needed to tackle my anxiety.

    Sometimes I get frightened and imagine myself having a fit and that being the only way I will get help ...which sounds completely crazy, doesn't it?

    My family love me dearly and I know if they thought I was ill that they would push for me to have tests.. But they are convinced my anxiety has taken over. A close friend of mine even said "until you have a scan, the symptoms won't go away." - scarily, a part of me thinks she is right.

    Am I completely mad?

    I feel so guilty as well. I think the guilt is the worst... I feel like I am behaving terribly and yet I am unable to pull myself out of it. If the woozyness and Barnard of imbalance went away I think I would be alright...

    I am so sorry that this post is so long... I just couldn't sit here alone any longer and keep it all inside

  • Posted

    So many  light flashes and light stuff with eye on here. And some medicine mess with blood pressures and the up and down of it even from a panic attack can do weird things. The eye doc gave you the all clear then its clear and you need to work on the anxiety disorder. Also migrane related stuff can cause a host of strange symptoms. I have eye issues so i dont know whats related to what for me but after reading this forum for so long a ton note  about eyes and lights. Of interest im not allowed to use any AD because it does raise the pressure to the eyes. Which is fine for healthy eye people but not for others. Maybe thats adding to so many noting flashing lights. Only an eye doctor would know that.
    • Posted

      Hi Lisa, thank you for replying smile

      I've been absolutely awful all afternoon. I'm in high alert for every sensation. I've got a headache now and occasionally feel as if I'm moving. I've obviously self diagnosed which is never ever a clever thing to do, since then my symptoms have been worse and my brain is now connecting even more things that have happened to me health wise to this one complaint I am sure I have... Even the fact I have always had trouble with my hearing.

      I have tried to take note that since I have done this my symptoms have gotten worse and the pressure on top of my head has really increased. I've got myself into such a state today I find that when I do this, it takes a while for the anxiety to subside. sad I really need to sort myself out one way or another.

    • Posted

      Theres a lot of talk about health anxiety and addiction. Sounds weird right. So i looked up addiction ..Addiction is a medical condition characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences. They think it applies, maybe its ond idk, but do you think somehow you have become addicted to the chemical changes from anxiety. Its not a positive. Dont think at its rewarding but the body might somehow be accustomed to the changes chemically that come from the worry. A bad habit but stemming from an addiction to it.  Sounds interesting. I thought ocd but then i wonder if ocd is some weird twisted version of an addiction, i shared this woth you for the sole reason it fits here. What to do about it im not sure. Therapy definetly. You are young and have a full wonderfil life ahead of you and this addiction needs to go so you can enjoy your life, just something to think about.

      by no means does this excuse out any symptoms. They are real, not dangerous but very real. Its just these chemical alterations that occur in the body cause stuff. It is not a natural state so cause and effect will absolutely occur. Some say chemical embalance but i believe it is but man caused by the anxiety. Chicken or the egg theory. What comes first the chicken or the egg. The ironic part of this is there are people that love the rush. In an adventurous way but still they love it. Thats where i get confused. I think its the same rush butt hey get excited and hapoy from it and other get panic attacks. Which goes to the "fear" and idk why some dont get the fear but love the rush. Same chemical reaction insode the body but one runs to fear and the other to excitment. Both addiction, thats the theory. 

  • Posted

    Hi there!!

    I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I'm currently going through the exact same thing (have been for 4 months actually). So I know how awful it is.

    I've had all the same symptoms you have described, and every single one sends me into full blown panic when it happens. I'm also just getting over awful allergies that have affected my right ear and a sinus infection.

    I've been to the eye Doc and my GP and even though everything seems to be fine, I still cannot shake this horrible fear of a brain tumor as well. sad

    I'm currently on citalopram for my anxiety and just started CBT, but I feel like this health anxiety is taking over my life.

    I'm not sure if this post will help you at all, but sometimes it's comforting to hear from someone else in a similar situation. smile

    • Posted

      Hi Emily, thank you so much for replying and sharing your story with me - it DOES help to know I'm not alone. When you feel something say after day, especially the same thing it is hard to not believe that something is wrong. Feeling dizzy/woozy is horrid. I stupidly read a forum of people who had a particular tumour and the way they described a few symptoms were what I had. Of course this has panicked me further. Luckily I am going back to my GP soon.

      Four months is a long time sad how did it start for you? Mine happened at he beginning of the year when I caught a virus. Most people would just attribute it to that but I have developed really bad health anxiety... I've had anxiety all my life but this side of it is new to me - though I can attribute it to a personal life event I think.

    • Posted

      I completely understand. I've been obsessing about my symptoms so much, they're all I notice anymore. Mine all started with a weird feeling of slight pressure in my eye one morning back in June. And my health anxiety has completely spiraled out of control since then. I've had anxiety all my life as well, but this is My first bout with health anxiety.....and I have to say this is the worst kind of anxiety I've ever felt!

      I've been to my eye doctor who says everything looks fine.....my GP just kind of laughed at me when I brought up a tumor lol my husband assures me that if it were something like a tumor I'd be having a lot more serious symptoms than just a weird feeling in my eye. Which I guess does make sense but to me all I hear is that it's just something sneaky and sinister growing in my head! I've also been having a lot of ear allergies which are making me woozy. But of course I can't accept the fact that it's probably all because of allergies.

      I do have a feeling I know why this is causing me so much health anxiety. About a month before this started happening to me I had 2 friends that I went to school with die within a week of each other. Staring your own mortality in the face can cause a lot of problems that I never realized.

      It's gotten so bad this week, I literally cry every day, mostly all day. Sleeping is a nightmare (lol no pun intended :D). Constantly living in fear is so draining.

      Anywho, sorry that was so long lol I truly hope that you can find some relief soon. You deserve to enjoy your life without having those fears looming over you!!! smile feel free to pm me if you would like! Having someone to talk to helps.

    • Posted

      Hi Emily smile I would like to PM you but the envelope icon to do so doesn't seem to show up for me, am I looking in the wrong place? I thought it should be under users names x

    • Posted

      Hmm....I will have to take a look at that. I've never actually pmd anyone on here so it's all new to me lol I'll see what I can find.

  • Posted

    hi ive postf here a couple of times, i too have got all the symptnns im sure ive got 1 of those neuroma things im cmpletely freaking ov at the mo.. head pressure, flashing floaters, nausea i did get an ear virus last year ive also got slight right ear loss and tinnitus too i have d/p as well
  • Posted

    Don't you worry, that's saying something for me who's THE BIGGEST WORRIER. I had a severe panic attack today finally got over it. Still had after effects like light flashes and felt like drifting to sleep. I believe it's the body reacting with the stress response. If I'm not

    Worried mate I wouldn't be.

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