I need an answer!

[Bee_143]

I have been suffering with headaches for about 2 years now. I get the pain in my temples, jaw, aroundmy ears, and where my knech meets. They give me extreme visual disturbances to the point where trying to focus to much hurts. It is almost like i am looking through a small hole, and if i try and look at a whole object, or more than that, i can see a heat wave sort of affect. Lights are also extremely bright. My Doctor believes it it stress, (but i don't think so, i feel like this when i'm at my happiest) My physiotherapist thinks it is my posture and muscle strain, and my Tutor at college Mez Irlem. All i know is it is takingover my life. I cannot cope at college, i am extremely depressed and always in pain, and due to my vision life just looks dull. Please help me.

[Bee_143]

I completely forgot about this website untill today, but didn't  expect anyone to have replied lol. That makes a lot of sense to me, these migraine auras sound a lot like what i experience. Thankyou for the links as well, i for a year i have been struggling to describe to friends, doctors opticains ect what these visual disturbances are, and i have to say it is a lot like those images! Except i seem to see strips or lines which break things up. Im am growing more worried as the symptoms seem to escalating. Its not that all of a sudden i will feel the migraine appear and my vision will start to deteriorate-like i did to begin with (this has been developing since i was 16) but now, even if im having a good day, there will still be a slight pain in my brow, plus, the most worrying for me is that my vision has become permantly stuck with these auras! Is this normal? I yern for the perfect vision i had in my youth and im so scared that my vision will stay like this for the rest of my life. I am sick of these migraines i really just want them to go away.

[marileew]

Oh... and here is what a migraine aura looks like for me... I just made this now... and YES that totally is the graphic from the movie The Ring... haha. That's because my migraine aura's totally look like the ring graphic from video in the film The Ring... which is the creepiest thing ever!! The first time it happened... I thought I was going to die!! Hahahahaha. So awful!! But... anyway... yeah, that's sorta what it looks like for me... anyway, the best I can visually represent it....

http://yfrog.com/18marileeauraj

[marileew]

Those are migraines!!! What you are experiencing visually is called an aura, it is part of the migraine. It's not just stress, it's a neurological condition!!! It can be triggered by anything, or by nothing at all. and although stress can be a trigger... it could also be chocolate or wine or light or cheese or... just.. nothing! It's a neurological disease! Your doctor is silly not to have obviously diagnosed this right away from your very obvious description of a migraine aura!! You are a very good patient for being able to describe a migraine aura so clearly and you need a doctor who understands migraines so that they can treat you properly. You need to get referred to a neurologist right away so that you get better treatment or you maybe want to go to another regular doctor because any doctor should be able to diagnose a classic migraine easily. Doctors can have trouble diagnosing migraines when the symptoms get confusing or when they don't sound like regular migraines (most people come here with confusing sounding migraines).... but, your migraines are very very classic!!! Please go to a neurologist and get migraine medication so that you can treat these properly! Migraine medication is called triptans and they work very well for most people. Anyway, yeah, you are having migraines! And, what you are suffering from visually is called a migraine aura.

Migraine auras can look different for different people... but.. I have linked you to a few pictures off the internet of some "representations" of what some people say their migraine aura's look like to them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fortifikation_%28Migr%C3%A4ne%29.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Negatives_Skotom_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Positives_Skotom_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gesichtsfeldausfall_%28Brandenburger_Tor_Blaue_Stunde%29_1.jpg

http://codingnews.inhealthcare.com/files/2009/07/migraine_aura.jpg

http://www.migraine-aura.org/site/content/e27891/e27265/e42285/e43808/Sofia__Greene_Afterimage_ship_small_400_en.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yt0gA6LoTg0/SN3YkiDwVCI/AAAAAAAAAek/412nnWdVtY0/s400/visual_migraine_simulator.JPG

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Warning!! The two graphics of a migraine aura below contain flashing graphics! Please be careful and warned if flashing triggers neurological conditions such as epileptic attacks or migraine attacks!!

(WARNING! FLASHING GRAPHICS!) http://www.migraine-aura.org/site/content/e24966/e22874/e47197/e47212/LG_aura_en.gif ( <- WARNING!! this one FLASHES so be careful if flashing triggers epilepsy or migraine attacks. do not click this if flashing triggers epilepsy or migraine attacks! WARNING!)

(WARNING! FLASHING GRAPHICS!) http://www.migraine-aura.org/site/content/e27891/e27265/e26585/e64434/GR_Animation1_en.gif ( <- WARNING!! this one FLASHES so be careful if flashing triggers epilepsy or migraine attacks. do not click this if flashing triggers epilepsy or migraine attacks! WARNING!)