Scintillating scotoma
I have very infrequent migraines but have had some amazing and frightening experiences. I have only ever had one massive headache and that was during a particularly stressful time. Normally, not only do I get a detached feeling before the visual disturbances (it happened today) but I get confusion which has lasted up to two hours in the past and extreme tiredness post attack.
Other symptoms in the past have included creeping numbness in my thumbs and up my arm to leg and tongue numbness along with pressure behind one eye - as if someone was pushing at it from the inside. Today my migraine attack happened just after eating a very late breakfast in a shopping center. I felt a little distant while talking to my husband in the cafe and then it felt as though my ears were slightly blocked then when I left him to try on some clothes I noticed the assistants face was half obscured by something and then my vision started to alter. I sat down by the changing room door and summoned my husband by phone text. I walked around with him for a while and it was ok.
I get the vaguest headache but it's the awful confusion which is the most debilitating. My husband was talking to me today during my attack and some of the words just didn't make sense - I couldn't even recognize my son-in-laws name and repeated it as if it was completely new to me!! Also things around me seem to slow down and I have to walk carefully and purposely - thank goodness I had my husbands arm to hold on to. I have had an attack once before in town and I had to let it burn out before driving home which took ages. Today however it took just over an hour and a half for my head to get pretty clear and again hardly any hint of pain only a little on the top of my head...but I felt wiped out and slept in my chair at home for hours after as if my eyelids were glued together. As for the hereditary link I do know that my late father used to have migraines and had to avoid certain foods. I on the other hand have put mine down to either great stress or lack of food and drink so I try and avoid (oops forgot today) all three situations. Ah well I have slept all afternoon and feel quite lively now. Has anyone else had the same experiences?
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