Ocular migraine or something else?

hello rebecca hope your feeling better today.

i had almost the same thing happen yesterday, i suddenly couldn't see a whole word on my computer at work then the scary lzig zags came which lasted for about 20 mins, i find i cant stop yawning when this happens. i did'nt have any numbness like you but my head goes tingly.

today i am feeling horrible and came home from work early, i could just fall asleep and my heads tingly again.

iv had the zig zags many times before so try not to worry and drink lots of water.

sending love and hope ❤

I went through this several years ago during peri (I am 5 years post). They would last 15 minutes or so, mostly in my right eye. It would also bring on panic 😞 . If you were anxious...maybe that is what caused your numbness? Anyway, I sympathize. I am 5 years post and I still feel like my body goes haywire at times...the latest being panic attacks again 😫

YES that exact thing happened to me I was at the computer and ran to my room and it was still happening it as zag lines and snowing and such like when a tv messes up, I thought stroke , brain tumor or something it lasted for awhile ! I have sever panic and anxiety so I didn't go to ER its very scary and I had NEVER had it before perimeno/meno! But yes just the way you said !

HI Rebecca..

unfortunatley, i have been going through this for years. Aways around period time. For me, blessing and a curse. Mine are not ocular migraines, its an aura before a migraine. Blessing because having an aura before a migraine allows me the tome to take something before the migraine starts. If I dont take something immediately, I will be down for days with the migraine. Curse... cant see for about 20-30 minutes, zigzags, lightening bolts, sometimes numbness and tingling, sometimes not. Just another hormonal disruption. I am hoping that they completely disappear with menopause. NO period for 8 months now, some things have finally gotten better, including the migraines. OH THE JOYS OF BEING A WOMEN!

hi rebecca - yes, i have had a few of those, & i remember the first one i had, i barged into my opthamologists office hysterical - he assured me it was an occular migraine but said, "OK, you are going to feel nauseous in a few minutes & sure enough i did" - also, he asked me what i ate that day, & oddly enough, i didnt have much to eat & had a late afternoon coffee with chocolate & bam! After that, i didnt skip meals - i agree your anxiety probably played a huge part in your episode - this menopause stuff is not for SISSYS! UGH!

Hi Rebecca, I hope my story gives you some reassurance as reading other women's posts about aura helped me immensely. I was a normal professional independent working woman 10 months ago. I was at work on the third day of a heavy period. I knew I was a bit dehydrated, but was in a terrific mood. I was talking with a student when out of nowhere, my vision became odd. It was as if I looked at something bright (sun, flashlight, light bulb) and looked away. I kept blinking because I was indoors and confused as to what was causing the issue. Next, I developed a scintillating scotoma. It was a small circle that I could not see through. It was like a drop of water on a glass. The circle started getting bigger and bigger.

Then, the edges became jagged (zig zag) with bright flashing colors. I was terrified at this point because I had never heard of an aura before that day. I called the school nurse who asked me to come down to her office. As I was walking down the hall, I started to have tunnel vision. By the time I got to the nurse, I was in full panic mode. My BP was 140/100 and I was shaking with waves of feeling faint. After 30+ minutes, my vision started to return. The ring of pulsating, intense, colorful zig zags began to break up and I had colorful triangles all over my field of vision.

They called an ambulance and I was given oxygen. Just as they were wheeling me out, my vision turned to black patches and then returned to normal. During the event, I lost the ability to speak properly. I tried talking to the police officer, but the words were not quite right. I had a barrage of tests at the ER and all was normal. I was told, "Sometimes people have these things called ocular migraines."

Three days after that day, I had another one in the early morning. I woke up and saw white spiderweb like disturbances and then the fortification arch started with a zig zag colorful edge. Two days after the second one, I had a third while in the doctor's waiting room. That one was a circle with colorful zig zags. Shortly after, I began seeing a neurologist and a neuro-ophthalmologist. I was diagnosed with persistent migraine status. I have had 24/7 visual disturbances since those auras. I see flashes, floaters, after images, wavy lines, random glowing dots, extreme light sensitivity, etc.. I also developed anxiety and panic attacks. Basically, it ruined my life. I was fired from my job and no longer have health insurance.

I started getting menstrual migraines around 37-38. I had my first aura at 43 and am now 44. I would love to say that it is all perimenopause, but my situation is slightly unique. Several weeks after I had my aura at work, my male co-worker had his first migraine with aura and was hospitalized for two days. His vision became blurry while looking at a computer and he, "Lost his words." He went home for lunch to lay down and had a terrible headache afterwards. A few weeks after his aura, another co-worker had her first migraine aura at work. She said her students' faces looked weird as if their noses were missing and she had flashes of light. She left work, but returned after visiting the eye doctor. It is all very strange if you ask me.

I am sorry you are going through this scary stuff. I hope my story offers you some reassurance. I know I scoured the Internet when this happened to me and every story I read helped me feel better. xoxo