Persistant Brain fog after migraine with Aura
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi everyone,
I'm glad i found this helpful community!
Sorry for the long story!
I'm not sure if the migraine is the source of my problems or a symptom .
I only did one so far , but that's clearly when it all started.
I'm a 37 yo male btw, no serious health issue until this...
1 month ago I had a strong migraine with aura, without headache, my very first one in my whole life.
Very bright zig zag light shining in the middle of my field of view, lasted 30 min before disappearing trough the sides.
After the episode, my brain felt very tired, but I didn’t make too much of it and thought I just needed rest and went to bed.
The next day, i felt big discomfort to sound and light and i felt as if my vision had changed, (i have a small tendency to be cross eyed when i'm tired), and it has worsened ever since, especially because my eyes get tired so much quicker.
Worst of all that day i started to have difficulty thinking, finding my words, having slurred speech, this intense fatigue when i was trying to think. For 10 days, i thought it was a regular migraine postdrome, so i rested a lot , and ate healthier, stopped going out, stopped smoking, i thought it was a good opportunity to get healthier, like a good wake up call.
But it never went away, after 10 days i had a mental breakdown all of a sudden , because i had to face the fact of having to live like this or even worse slowly declining and disappearing into dementia.
The anxiety made everything worse of course...
It took me a few weeks to take control of the fear, so now i'm coping with the condition.
About distinctive symptoms :
Everything that requires brain processing is a challenge, even just adding numbers sometimes.
Regular conversation is so exhausting, I feel like I’m speaking a foreign language in my mother tongue.
I feel like i can only treat direct simple questions , and all "peripheral thinking" is blocked, i used to have ideas all the time floating and now it's just a black hole, as if i had a bucket over my head.
I also often feel disoriented, I have to actually “think” where I am or where I wanna go rather than “knowing it”, i go to places i know but i don't recognize them, or not straight away.
I have this constant feeling of a barrier between my brain and the world perception, as if it was floating in cotton and not directly linked to the world...a bit like a hangover sensation.
Only consolation, some days are better than others, and when this fog lifts a little, it's always in the evening. For the whole month i had 2 evenings with very good clarity, it felt so good that i cried when it happened, but it's equally horrible and disheartening to see it all disappear the following morning...
It's so powerful that i had to adapt my work around it, because some morning, i can't process more than yes/ no,left/ right, i'm super clumsy, do erratic stuff.
My life now consists of waiting for the next day to come and offer some relief ,although i'm not in constant fear, i'm deeply depressed by this condition....
Now I try to remain active and positive, but it’s hard.
Thank you for reading me and courage to all of you guys!
Mike
1 like, 8 replies
staci88515 Foggy_mike
Posted
Hello! I had my first migraine with aura 4 months ago and my life has been a nightmare since that day. I had never heard of a migraine aura prior to having one, so when it occurred it was terrifying. My eyesight has been blurry 24/7 and I have many visual disturbances. Additionally, I have anxiety and panic attacks from the incident. I was a completely normal person 4 months ago and now I am a shell of my former self. You are not alone.
Foggy_mike staci88515
Posted
Hi Staci, thank you for the answer!
It's really hard to have your life changed overnight and worst of all, not knowing what it is, or being told it's "in your mind"...
I can tell with certainty that following this migraine with aura, while not painful, It really changed my brain and my eyes, although my eyes not as strongly as you.
But if you have a strong suspicion on what causes your affliction, don't let people tell you otherwise!
Lots of courage!
staci88515 Foggy_mike
Posted
Yes, it is very hard to have your life change overnight. All I hear from doctors is that my symptoms are "atypical" and "unusual." It makes me feel lonely and a bit crazy. I didn't have a headache with my aura either. I agree, it changed my brain and eyes as well.
lizzie_18070 Foggy_mike
Posted
I’m so sorry to hear your story. I too have experienced aura later in life. I had my first one after my daughter was born 2 years ago (30 years old) and have had them pretty consistently since then. I’ve had an MRI and seen a neurologist and have been told they are migraine auras , I don’t have the headache that follows however have very bad anxiety Now about them happening. Sometimes it’s 9-12 weeks Inbetween them and other times it’s days. They are so unpredictable. When I started getting them I began taking a migraine supplement. They have lots of Q10, feverfew, vitamin b’s and magnesium which are all helpful in preventing migraines. I’ve also just recently started on propranolol which the neurologist prescribed to prevent them. I do get a slight brain fog the day of the aura, but not very noticeable and it doesn’t last long. Is it worth seeing your Gp ? You may be having them during sleep (I’ve woken in the middle of a few) which could be prolonging your brain fog? Hope it helps, I know how horrible it is living with auras.
staci88515 lizzie_18070
Posted
Hi Lizzie. It seems as though yours are hormonal. Are you still breastfeeding? Mine are definitely hormone related (perimenopause). Did your doctors give you any insight as to why they are happening? I find them terrifying and now have anxiety.
Foggy_mike lizzie_18070
Posted
Thanks Lizzie,
Yes, i'm going to have some more tests done this week as well as an MRI, i'm pretty scared of what we will find , but at this point i would just like to know so i can fight it...
Foggy_mike lizzie_18070
Posted
Lizzie, from what the specialists told me, silent migraines (aura without headaches) like we have are less common but they still follow the same principle.
Also many people experience the aura and the pain, so don't panic too much, even though i know it's easier said than done, personally i did some hypnosis to manage my anxiety and it's slowly getting better.
guy28301 Foggy_mike
Posted
I know someone experiencing the same problems and doctors have not been much help. Did this end up fixing itself over time? Were any treatments required?