A Very Weird, Very Strange Day

Thanks so much for all the amazing suggestions, ideas and input on yesterday’s post. So much great information, things I would never have thought about. I will be referring back to your comments again and again when I am closer to beginning my master bath renovation. Your comments have also tremendously helped others who are facing a bath renovation, as well. There’s nothing like hearing from folks who have been through it! So thank-you for that!

 

A Very Weird, Very Strange Day

I had this very strange day about two weeks ago. I started to not blog about it, but it was so odd I thought it might be interesting to share with you. If you’re not into weird stories, skip this and scroll on down for some pretty bedding pictures. Otherwise, grab a cup of tea or your preferred beverage and keep reading. 🙂

It was a Saturday morning and I awoke that day with a painful headache that began to intensify very quickly. I thought it might be a sinus headache because it was right behind my left eye. It felt like someone was inflating a balloon behind my eye, very much like the headaches I used to get as a teenager.

I used to have what I’m pretty sure were migraines when I was in high school. They would occur about 3-4 times a year and from the time they started to the time they were at the “kill-me-now-and-put-me-out-of-my-misery” stage, was usually about 20 minutes. I’d call my dad when they would start but by the time he could get to the school to pick me up, I would be dying in agony. I’d cry all the way home in the car, take two aspirin once home, crawl into bed covering my face from the excruciating light coming in through the windows and cry myself to sleep.

When I’d awake a few hours later, I would be completely exhausted. The headache would be mostly gone, but any sudden movement was extremely painful. I’d spend the rest of the evening moving in slow motion, barely turning my head. Usually the next morning after a full night’s sleep, things would be pretty much back to normal. I didn’t know about things like migraines back then and had never taken anything more powerful than an aspirin.

So when I awoke a couple of weeks ago with an intense pain behind my eye, it felt very much like that headache I used to get in high school. Thinking it might be sinus related, I immediately took an Advil Sinus and Congestion tablet. It helped greatly, but the pain still nagged on all day.

After about four hours, with the pain still there and getting worse again, I got more serious about it and took two regular Advil. That helped a lot and by the end of the day I was feeling much better. The pain was almost totally gone and I figured that was the end of it. Ha! Not quite. Hold that thought!

 

The Next Bizarre Twist

Then the day took another strange turn. That night, I was sitting in my office working and I started to hear the weirdest sound just outside my office windows. It sounded like a very, very large bush, like the kind that has grown to be the size of a small tree, was scraping down or near the windows. The noise sounded as if it were going to come through the windows!

 

At first I just froze and listened. A lot of thoughts started flying through my mind. Was it the raccoons that sometimes visit the feeders at night? I glanced down at the time on my computer, it was only 8:30. No, it couldn’t be that because the raccoons don’t make that type noise and they don’t usually stop by until after midnight.

I continued listening to the bizarre noise, and as I listened I began to feel very afraid. It was so loud and so strange, unlike anything I’d ever heard outside my office windows. My survival mode kicked in and I jumped up and ran toward the office door. Whatever it was, was not stopping. I had no idea what it was but something inside of me must have decided that I needed to run in the opposite direction. The noise sounded as if it was literally an inch outside my windows, about to burst through the windows at any moment.

As I reached the door to my office, it stopped. It had seemed to go on for a long time, maybe 8-10 seconds, but now it had finally stopped. I stood in the doorway listening, afraid to even move. After a few minutes I got up the nerve to go downstairs and look out the kitchen bay window that overlooks the deck just beneath my office.

The deck was empty, nothing there. What the heck was that? I was pretty shook up but after a bit I went back upstairs and somewhat nervously sat back down at my desk. The rest of the night was uneventful and the noise did not return.

 

More Weirdness!

After working a bit longer, I headed off to bed. As I was getting ready for bed, I suddenly realized I was losing the vision in my left eye, the same one that had the intense headache behind it that morning. Ummm, could this day get any stranger?!

 

What I was seeing through that eye was truly bizarre. The best way I can describe it is this: it was as if I were looking through a beautiful stream, and the sun was shining down on the stream so brightly, it was sparkling brilliantly in the sun as it flowed by.

It appeared to be flowing from the right to the left and it completely filled all the vision in that eye. It was actually really beautiful, like coming upon a gorgeous stream on a hike in the woods, and watching the sun light it up creating the most dazzling, sparkling effect. It was mesmerizing!

If I hadn’t awaken that morning with an awful headache directly behind that eye, I probably would have felt panicked about what was happening, but I forced myself to think logically and decided it was probably just something similar to what I had experienced many years ago.

Many years ago when I was still working as a Case Manager, I awoke one morning and before I could leave for work, my vision began to change in one eye. That time there was no pretty, sparkling stream. Instead, the vision was reduced to a small circle or tunnel. I could only see out of an area about the size of a silver dollar. There was no pain, just greatly reduced vision in that one eye. I can’t remember which eye it was now.

That day, I went to Dr. Google and with great difficulty read about something called an Ocular Migraine. It sounded exactly like what I was seeing, or rather–not seeing. I was relieved that day to read that often there is no pain with that type migraine. Whew! So glad to read that! I had never forgotten those headaches in high school!

When that ocular migraine happened so many years ago, I called work and told them I’d be late because I didn’t think I should drive until my vision was normal again. I remember trying to wash a load of clothes that morning and I couldn’t see the whole panel of knobs on the washing machine all at one time. It was like someone had put a paper towel roll over my eye so I had to move my head across the panel, seeing only small sections of it at the time in order to select the correct settings.

Looking through the sparkling stream a couple of weeks ago, I attempted to Google and read again. It was more difficult this time, but I managed to read though the eye I could still see through. It said that one symptom of a migraine can be altered vision that looks as if you’re “looking through a crumpled up piece of shiny cellophane.” I figured that was a close enough description to the “sparkling stream” I was seeing and decided not to worry.

I went on to bed, but couldn’t fall asleep. After about 30 minutes I got up to get some water and my vision was completely back to normal.

 

The Next Day–and What Was That Noise Anyway?

The next day I awoke with no headache (thank goodness!) and headed downstairs. I stepped out onto the deck to fill up all the bird feeders, then remembered the noise from the night before. I looked around and there was nothing on the deck. It looked the same as it had the night before when I had nervously peered through the shutters. I walked over to the rail and looked out. Oh. My. Gosh! Here’s what I saw. A very big tree was down on the ground.

 

It was so big, it stretched all the way across the whole yard.

 

The trunk of the tree is partially covered in ivy that started growing in the wooded area of my yard a couple of years ago. I have someone whose going to help me get rid of the ivy very soon, but first we’ll need to get rid of the tree.

 

Do you see the leaning tree in this photo taken back in 2008 when the screened porch was under construction? I had three trees removed about the time the porch was built, and when I asked about the leaning tree, the tree guy told me he thought I should leave it. He said that it wasn’t uncommon for trees to lean and he thought it added “character.”

I was already spending a lot of money to add the porch and for the removal of the other three trees, so I decided to take his advice and leave it. I could tell if it ever did fall, it wouldn’t land on the house since it was leaning away from the house. I figured it might take out a section of the fence across the back, but that would be it.

 

Amazingly, it didn’t even do that. It just laid itself down across the back of the yard and somehow managed to do it without hurting any of the other trees. A branch knocked off one of the pickets on the fence. Glad all that “character” didn’t cause any real damage!

 

Well, now we know the answer to the age-old question: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” The answer is YES, yes it does! A BIG, SCARY sound!

It will be just fine with me if I never have another crazy day like that one! 🙂

 

Now for Something Pretty!

Before I close out this post, I thought I’d share the last of the photos I took when I visited Pottery Barn recently. Just inside the front door I saw this! Love this beautiful, blue and white buffalo check bedding. The color is so soft, so pretty!

 

Blue and White Buffalo Check Duvet and Bedding

 

It definitely feels like spring, doesn’t it? If I didn’t already have blue and white bedding in my guest room, I would have been super tempted to buy this for that room. (Bedding is available here: Blue and White Bedding.)

 

I also loved this toile lighthouse pillow and came close to buying it. I still may have to go back for it. Pillow is available here: Toile Pillow.

 

Thanks again for all your fabulous input on yesterday’s post. Love you guys…you are the BEST! ♥

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Comments

  1. Please please go and see a doctor about your eye. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but I started having problems somewhat like you experienced and was diagnosed with Myopic Degeneration. I have had 4 eye surgeries in a year. It could also be a macular hole, detached retina or something else eye related. Wishing you the best.

    • I’ve read about those online, but it didn’t seem to quite fit those descriptions. It only lasted about 20 or so minutes and since it was the same day as the headache, I really feel it was related to that. I had an eye exam just a couple of years ago and everything was fine then. I want to get some new glasses, though, so I think I’ll schedule another one soon. I’ll be sure and mention it when I go, but I really think it was related to the crazy headache from earlier in the day. Thanks, Deanna!

  2. I am very familiar with ocular migraine and migraine with aura; you have all my sympathies!

  3. I, too, say see a doctor and tell him what you’ve said about your headaches and eye problems. It most certainly could be migraines but you need to get checked. Lots of symptoms are similar in other serious problems.

  4. Hope you are ok! Health is everything !

  5. Cyndi Raines says

    Susan, SO glad it passed and you are fine and that the tree didn’t do any real damage. I know you’ll take your trusty “nailer – gun” and fix that fence once the tree is removed. lol! I love Advil. In the spring and fall when the temperatures are slinging – which they do a LOT in MI, I tend to get sinus headaches and my “go to” medicine is the liquid gel Advil. I love that stuff. Knocks the headache out, usually under 15 minutes. You are very brave. If my eye was doing weird things, I think I would have had to fight a panic attack and went to the ER! I do agree with Deanna, be sure and tell your eye doctor about this episode. Hopefullly, it will be as you say – related to this horrible migrane, but since we are getting older (he he) you want to keep an eye on it (oh, sorry, no pun intended!). Last summer, I had a sty that developed on my upper eye lid. I had it checked out and had to be placed on an antibiotic. But during that appointment he also checked the pressure in my eye, which on that day was a little high. I have to go back and have him check it again to make sure I am not developing glaucoma. I sure hope these “golden years” don’t turn out to be with the doctor’s getting all our gold! lol!!

    • Thanks, Cyndi! You are too funny! 🙂 Thinking back when that happened, we were having all that weird weather with lots of rain and the temperatures changing so drastically every day. I wouldn’t be surprised it that’s not what caused the headache and the weird aura/ocular migraine later. I’m sure that’s all it was but I’ll definitely mention it when I go for an exam. My eye pressure was fine last time I saw the eye doctor. I’m sure they will check it again, though.

      • Kay Douglas says

        Susan, I knew from my opthomologist that I had thinness near both retinas and to watch for light flashes,etc. The day before I had a huge retina detachment I noticed I had what I thought was a smudge on my right contact. I cleaned my contact and reinserted it. It was still there, so I had a tiny reason to go see my lical opthomologist and he sent me directly to a retina specialist/surgeon 30 miles away and instructed me to recline on my right side and be driven there immediately. Upon seeing the new doc he asked while preparing to exam me, saying I don’t know why you were sent to me, you have no symptoms of detached retina. He then proceeded to exam my very dilated eye and said you must go directly to the hospital for surgery. There, I was asked if I had e
        aten lunch, which I said I had. He came and had to use only local anesthesia because I had a full stomach. He repaired the retina and added a scoleric (I believe that is the correct spelling) buckle and an air bubble to hold all together. I am so blessed to have paid attention and to seek help! P.S. I so enjoy your newsletters and tablescapes!

  6. As a teenager, I temporarily “went blind” in my left eye with little to no associated pain, and I, as well as my parents, was so very frightened . Upon immediately seeing an optomologist, I was diagnosed with a weak muscle in that eye and wore a patch over the right eye periodically each day as a treatment. These episodes continued sporadically for about 12 years and many years later was, I think, more appropriately diagnosed as ocular migraines. I, too, hope you get checked and everything is okay. Wishing you the best!

    • Myra, that’s a shame you had to go misdiagnosed for so many years. Glad you found a doctor who knew what it really was! That must have been a relief to find out!

  7. Your history is the same as mine. Migraines before my period for three days and nights, however. Miserable way to live. After a hysterectomy, they stopped. About five years ago I started with the strange vision thing and went to my eye doctor. Diagnosis: ocular migraine. No pain, just annoyance that lasts 30 – 45 minutes. Not on a regular basis. Now that I know what it is, it doesn’t upset me at all, and I just wait for things to get back to normal so I can get on with my day.

  8. That eye business sounds scary and weird all wrapped up together. Temporary loss of vision should be mentioned when you do get your eye exam. I was out in the yard when a huge olive branch fell toward the house. It makes a really odd sound when the wood cracks and by the time you realize what is happening the limb is going down and all you can do is watch. It slid down the face of the house right between my Pink Perfection and Debutante camellias!!!! In slow-mo seconds I might add. I love the toile pillow and I love blue.

    • So scary, Kathleen! That must have been surreal watching to fall down! Thank goodness it missed your camellias! I need to plant another Debutante, I miss the one I had to remove a few years back. 🙂

  9. Perhaps it wouldnt hurt to have a doctor ck it out. I have had 6 TIAs and i slurred my speech and everything went into slow motion and finally a doc put me on BP meds. Related to naproxen sodium when took for knee pain plus asthma problems causing me to use inhalers. My bp was 230/125 or close each time and had to go to ER. I often wonder how many brain cells i lost. People gave me all sorts of advice saying they were panic attacks. Finally, a hospitalist put me in the hospital overnight and my symptoms returned. He prescribed a mild cocktail of bp meds and i have only had one crisis since when i was taking naproxsen plus using inhalers for asthma. I am sure now it is all related. My point, dont take chances. Get it cked out. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing.

    • I just had a check up a few days ago and my blood pressure was fine, so I know that’s okay. I will visit an eye doctor soon though for a check up and glasses, so don’t worry, Nancy. I’m so glad they got down to the bottom of what was wrong when you were having those problems…so scary! Stay well, my friend!

  10. You might want to go see a doctor to just be sure about what is going on. I had a cousin who developed similar symptoms and she went to doctor after weeks of the horrible headaches, but ended up dying there from brain aneurysm.

  11. Oh my goodness Susan, reading your weird story was like deja vu. When I was young, I would have terrible headaches, my face and right arm would get numb and I couldn’t distinguish anything in my vision. That stopped when I stopped birth control pills. When started chemo, it happened again. About 20 years ago, I developed a kind of cluster headaches during the night on the right side. Now I wake up with terrible headaches on the right side and pain behind my eye. I noticed I sleep on that side too. My sinuses and allergies are terrible and I have asthma. Some allergy meds make it worse. Still looking for answers. You should see an ophthalmologist and tell your primary doc. Hope you are feeling better.

    • Thanks, Myrna! I am…all fine now. I really think it’s allergies/sinus. It’s amazing how many folks have issues with that. Don’t know if this helps, but my allergies/sinus stuff clears up almost completely when I eliminate certain things from my diet. So you may want to look into that, in case it helps.

  12. bobbi duncan says

    All the symptoms of an ocular migraine. When I was going through my perimenopause years I felt so fortunate because I didn’t have hot flashes, night sweats or the other crazy things my friends would complain about…..until I got the oculars in my left eye and the vision problems associated with them! They would hit me every three to four months and last for three days each time. When I awoke each morning they would be gone, only to increase in intensity as the day wore on. This pattern lasted about four years. Mine would always begin with lighting bolt patterns in my field of vision and then I’d lose most of the vision in that eye–it scared me the first time it happened but, once I knew what was happening, I’d just wait it out for the 30 minutes or so until that phase would pass. After that passed, my vision compared to how things look when the eye exam dilating solution starts wearing off. It was not fun if I happened to get them while out driving somewhere as I’d have to stop and wait it out before proceeding (seemed like bright, sunny days would bring them on a lot of the time, too). Just to be sure, have a talk with an eye doctor–eye issues aren’t something to ignore. Glad it was just a tree falling over and no major damage. The adrenaline can really kick in when we hear things out of the norm. When that major earthquake hit VA in 2011 I felt it in NJ–the whole house shook and I just sat there frozen, wondering WTH. It never dawned on me that it was an earthquake because I never heard of one affecting our tri-state area. I called Michael at work and told him something really strange was going on at home. Of course, he played along for a while with his joking self (“maybe aliens, etc., etc.”) and then told me what it was. Here’s to no more headaches for you. Hugs!

    • Definitely about the adrenaline! I guess that’s a good thing since it makes us take action.
      Love your husband, Bobbi! lol So funny!
      Thankfully, that’s only the second one of those I’ve ever had, I can’t imagine having them often, would be so inconvenient, for sure!

  13. Kathryn Hodgson says

    It wouldn’t hurt to see a doctor for your headaches and auras. I have suffered migraines my entire life. I rate them 1) I can function through the pain; 2) vision impaired, hurts to move head, best stay home, preferably in bed, and 3) in bed, windows blacked out as light and sound are excruciating and please, somebody shoot me NOW! Long story short, next time you feel one coming on, I swear by Excedrine Migraine taken with a real Coke. Good luck!

    • Kathryn, love your rating system…describes migraine headaches perfectly! When they hit that 3rd stage, you really do wish someone would just put you out of your misery!
      After I read your comment, I checked and I actually have some. I completely forgot that I purchased that a long time ago after hearing it was awesome for headaches. It doesn’t expire until December of this year, so I’m going to try to remember that I have it, if this happens again. Isn’t it amazing how many things a Coke can help when you don’t feel well?! They really do seem to help headaches. It must be the caffeine and the sugar boost. I didn’t have any in the house that day. I should keep a couple around for “emergencies.” 🙂

  14. Glad to hear you are okay. How freaky that all was!
    I’ll leave a note/warning that may be uneeded.

    When you/whomever goes to remove that ivy, make
    SURE that it is regular ivy and not poison ivy. I say this
    b/c my FIL’s girlfriend some years back removed ivy
    from a tree (just one) and it was poison ivy.

    Not only did she get a bad rash, she breathed it in
    somehow and damaged her lungs! Very painful mess.
    So make sure ahead of time, just to be safe. 🙂

    • So scary! Thanks for that warning, Tammy! I just had the tree removed recently so I will definitely keep that in mind as I have someone help me get rid of the ivy!

  15. Hi Susan,

    Here’s another migraine sufferer. My headaches always start with an ocular hallucination (also called an aura), that’s how I know a migraine attack will kick in. The hallucinations last about twenty minutes in my case. After that I get speech difficulties, I can’t find the words I want to say for another twenty minutes. In the end I get sensitivity difficulties for about twenty minutes, things fall out of my hands because I can’t feel them. If I didn’t take painkillers in the first twenty minutes, headache will be unbearable by now, but when I’m in time to take paracetamol and coffee I only will get a slight headache.
    They’re all different aspects of migraine. Dr Oliver Sacks, a famous neurologist (the movie Awakenings, with Robin Williams and Robert de Niro tells about him), has written a great book about migraine. It’s called (you would never guess this 🙂 ): Migraine. I can really recommend this to all migraine sufferers. It’s easy to read, also for non-medical experts.

  16. Ocular migraines are indeed weird. Mine were like looking through a windshield with raindrops all over it. It sent me running to my optometrist in panic mode, but by the time I got there, symptoms had improved. I had never even heard of “silent” migraines but have had plenty of headaches in my lifetime. Air pressure change can almost guarantee one. I am so glad that you are feeling better and that the tree did so little damage. I love your blog and the comments. Today it hit home. Keep up the good work.

  17. Ok, like everyone else here, I say please go to an ophthalmologist! They are trained well beyond our degrees in Googlology! Seriously, please go. A few years ago I had what felt like a black veil come over one eye (just a large floater), but things like detached retina come to mind when reading your description of the headache and light flash.
    On your way home from the ophthalmologist, reward yourself by picking up that lighthouse toile pillow slip – handsome!
    The tree….! That was a close call! We have trees on the riverbank, across the street, some which are probably 100 years old. Depending on the direction they’d fall, they could hit our house. Happy it didn’t damage your home – whew!

  18. That’s a whole lot of weird in one day!! I really enjoy your blog and have been inspired to make improvements to my own home after reading it.
    I’ll add my experience to those urging a visit to a doctor any time symptoms seem extreme or out of the ordinary. Several years ago I started having the most intense headaches on the left side of my head. The pain started in my forehead and behind my eye, and extended down along the side of my nose. I consulted “Dr. Google” and decided I was experiencing migraines, though I had never had migraines before. Long story short, I mentioned it to my doctor a few weeks after the onset (I was there for a routine checkup) and he promptly sent me for a CT scan. It turned out I had a subdural hematoma — a life threatening blood clot between the brain cavity and the skull. I was rushed to a brain surgeon and so thankfully I am still here. Up til then I had never heard of a subdural hematoma and didn’t know what it was, much less how much danger I was in. It was a scary lesson: when symptoms seem out of the ordinary, see a doctor without delay. I was so, so lucky to have had, and kept, that routine doctor’s appointment!

  19. What a strange day indeed. I know the tree sound would have scared the life out of me. I have experienced the same type migraine. I realized years ago that having Pike Place Keurig coffe in the morning would cause me to experience the ocular migraine every day around 11:15. It was so strange to me that the coffee would cause that. Needless to say I switched brands! My symptoms would start with me not seeing well in one eye then get a firey dot that changed to a fragmented bolt of lightening. I never felt pain but pressure….

    • Molly, I think a lot of the allergies and sinus related symptoms that I sometimes have are related to food allergies. Whenever I cut certain things out of my diet, my allergies all but disappear. I’ve been doing that this last week and it’s amazing what a difference it makes. I noticed this once before years ago when I was being very careful about what I was eating. So I would not doubt one bit that you experienced that. That was so smart of you to notice and figure it out. It’s not easy to do that, sometimes!

  20. Hopefully you never have a day like that again or the migraine problems. If you have the vision issue again, try taking a couple of baby aspirin right away or one regular aspirin. The faster you take it the quicker the light visions will end. You are less likely to have follow up pain if you treat quickly. My migraines started in high school but don’t happen much anymore. Foods can trigger migraines. You can find a list online. Hope you have a perfect day today!

  21. Hi, Lynn,
    I was a huge fan of Ben Casey (all the doctor shows, Kildare, etc.) and he always diagnosed someone with either a subdural hematoma or an astrocytoma (astro, because it had “star” shaped cells in the tumor.) I also went right out and bought one of the blouses for women and teens that looked like a doctor’s white button-up medical top. Oh, the fads we fall for!
    Susan, take care and do get checked out. It’s probably what you said, but a 2nd opinion is good–we’d do the same if we were roofing our house, etc.

  22. YEOWIE! I was so engrossed in reading about your day – I actually skipped the photos and had to go back….
    NOTHING worse than pain…. takes over everything… and I always hate it when I hear something I can’t identify – is something leaking ? is that an animal? I figure if the dogs are not freaking out – then I am probably good – then I discover I had my iPod earbuds hanging down my shoulder – and my that is what I have been hearing! Worse – my book has been running this whole time?!!
    Hope you don’t get one of those headaches again ( and – pop a note in to your doc…. yeah – I don’t want to go do all the tests either – but – if it happens again – you NEED to let him know) Take Care!

  23. I also have had ocular migraines a few times in my life. They can be very scary and seem to come with no warning. I can go years without having one, and then -boom- there it that prisim again. I don’t know anyone who has had these, so I really appreciate that you shared your story. I don’t feel like an ‘odd duck’ any longer.

    I’m new to your blog and find it to be great fun. I look forward to your next post!

  24. The very first comment on this and I said, “that’s just what happened to me, too!” Detached retina….they really are “very mysterious” and are extremely dangerous if not DEALT WITH. You know the adage….”BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY!!” You were so fortunate with “that tree!!!” franki

  25. I’m glad you shared your odd day. We all have them and I’m finding at my age they are more frequent.
    I enjoy your blog very much.

  26. Judith Duncan says

    Thank you thank you from my husband! He has been having these types of headaches for the last few years and has been to his ophthalmologist and his retina doctor and neither of them could figure out why the pain and blurred vision occurred. Now he knows and he can treat it so thank you so much! Such a relief to know what is going on! We also contacted Dr. Google and it was very clear what was occurring. Now he knows what to expect and how to avoid it.

  27. Hi Susan…so glad you’re ok..migraines can be scary. Might be a good idea to see the Dr., just to make sure everything is ok and what to do if this happens again…hopefully not!!!

    Love the blue and white bedding from PB. Spring…it’s coming..yeah!

  28. Emily Smith says

    It’s not an eye problem, it’s ocular migraine with an aura. I had them for years before menapause, definitely hormonal in nature or after a stressful event. I have fewer now but they are debilitating. I see a spinning pinwheel in one eye that expands in size, lasting about 20 minutes. No longer have the accompanying headache. Please make an appointment with your doctor. These are sometimes triggered by chocolate, wine, cheese etc.

  29. Thank you thank you for my husband as he has been to his ophthalmologist and his retina doctor for those exact symptoms and they could not figure out why he was experiencing pain and altered vision. We also contacted Dr. Google after we read your post and it became very apparent what he was experiencing and now he knows what he should avoid and what he should do if he does get the pain and loss of vision. Thank you for your input as it was extremely helpful!

  30. Terri Gonzalez says

    Hello Susan. I suffered with migraines for years, starting when I was 13 and continued until I was 55. Fortunately, I started HRT and blood pressure meds and never suffered another migraine. But as I read your story, I thought that perhaps you might be suffering from a detached retina. Those are some of the symptoms my opthamalogist told me to look for as I have weakness in my left eye that could very well lead to a major problem. He advised that if I had symptoms similar to yours, I should head to his office or the ER.

  31. MARY WENDLAND says

    What a crazy scary day and night! I would get my eye checked by a doctor tho just in case. Thanks for the post. It was so well explained! mary in Az

  32. Wow that would have scared me so much. My sister had a terrible headache hit her and she said it seemed like her brain was knocking around back and forth and sound and light was a big issue. She went and laid down hoping for it to quit. The next day at the urgency of others she went to be checked out and she had had a mini-stroke. That’s all I could imagine as you talked about this, so I hope you are right about the ocular migraine but I would definitely tell my doctor about it. One thing the doctors told her is when something comes on quick out of nowhere and is not normal it should be checked out.
    That is so weird too that the tree fell over that same day! I’m imagining you going through all this alone. Thankful the tree went that way and not towards your house!

  33. Brenda Lawrence says

    I started getting migraines when I was in 4th grade Susan. They were painful to say the least! They carried on and when I was in high school, I started to lose 70% of my vision in both eyes. Then the extreme migraine would come after my vision came back. They lasted for a week long and it was all I could do to function everyday. They finally left when I had a partial hysterectomy. Mine were from hormones I guess. Every once in a while I feel like I could get a migraine but it never comes all the way, thank goodness and no more lost of vision! Very scary they are! OMGosh, to think that that noise was the tree falling!!! I can imagine how scared you were! Thank goodness it was just the tree falling! Hugs, Brenda

  34. Susan, wow that was definitely a day for your record books. I understand that migraines are horrific! And I know you were thrilled to figure out the noise…that would have frightened me to sheer panic! Happy Wednesday!

  35. Mary Boger says

    Glad you’re feeling better and the tree caused no
    significant damage. That said..see your doctor,
    better to be safe than sorry. I love Dr. Google
    too but she’s got her limitations. I can barely
    say the word migraine..so scared of jinxing myself
    and getting one. I too had a “Ben Casey” blouse.
    Walked three miles to the store to get it….lol
    Stay well everyone.

  36. Linda Page says

    Please consider seeing an eye specialist. There are so many things that it could be besides the effects of migraines. You do NOT want to lose your eyesight! I don’t mind moving to Marietta to be your care taker but just not yet!!! So get your eyes checked, Woman!!!

  37. Dear Susan, You must see a doctor right now! My story is similar to yours. To make a long story short. I now have nonarteritic ischemic optical nerve neuropesy.
    That means that I only have half of normal vision in my left eye. My vision is in a checkerboard fashion. There is no cure and no known cause. (The problem can be stopped if diagnosed in the first week). It has been 6 years. They say that if I have made it past four years that my other eye will not be affected, but not always.

    Your eye pain and headaches can be caused by too much time on the computer. Close your eyes once in a while and give them a rest. Also use non irritating eye drops, they will help.

    Most importantly, make an appointment with a specialist. Today Eye exams include many sophisticated procedures (non hurt). It’s important for you to know how healthy your eyes are. ox, Gina

  38. Susan-Just go get checked out. We love you and don’t want to worry about you! I saw lights in my eye a few years ago. It was a detachment of the white of my eye. Harmless, but I’m glad I went to the doctor for the peace of mind. My niece is an acupuncturist and helps a lot of people with migraines. Maybe that would help. Keep us posted.

  39. Go to the doctor. Sounds like the migraines I get, but I take meds that shorten length of time of event. But migraines can screw up other things in your head and vision so best to get it checked out.

  40. I’ve had ocular migraines my whole life and your description was really good about how you can’t see everything at once, only fragments. When I was young, we would go to this shoe store a few times a year and it had brown and beige striped carpeting. The stripes would always start a migraine up. All I knew as a kid was that the carpet ‘made my eyes go funny’. To this day, I veer away from looking at thin stripes on shirts etc. because I’m wary of another migraine firing up. While mine don’t normally have any pain, sometimes I’ve had brutal headaches with them. And if I catch them starting right away, I pop a Tylenol and shut my eyes and sometimes that helps reduce the severity (or so I think). Nice to see all the support here. I will read all the replies later when I have more time. What a day you had! Hope that’s the last of the crazy days for a long while.

  41. I’m being really bossy here, you get a doctor’s appointment about those migraines and go see your eye doctor too.
    Nothing more, nothing less!

    What a weird day!!! Glad you shared the pictures of the Pottery Barn bed because I need to lie down!

  42. My husband gets ocular migraines. Even though he knows what it is, it still can be disconcerting when it happens. You scared me at first. I thought there was going to be some connection between you seeing things & hearing things! As least there really was a noise outside! :0)
    I love that bedding! I can just see it in a bedroom with the windows open & white curtains blowing in the breeze!

  43. Ok, Susan….after all these comments I feel you sort of just brushing off these ocular migraines because you have experience with them….I so do not want you to do that! You are greatly loved in the blogosphere and we all want you to get checked out….at the very least by a good opthamologist and best case: a good neurologist. If it is nothing more than what Google and lots of these commenters have said, that is great. But if ANYTHING AT ALL is AMISS…you need to know NOW! The older I get, the more cautious I become….always better to err on the side of caution. If you DO have a CT scan or an MRI of your head/brain, have the imaging center put it all on a CD for you to take home & keep (it’s free). Then, any doctor you see, going forward, that would be interested in those imaging results, will have them right at his/her fingertips. You can add other images to that CD and keep your own personal imaging library with you at all times. You never want to leave the disc with a doctor….with everything electronic these days, they have nowhere to keep them. YOU MATTER, Sweet Pea. See your doctor. Love the Pottery Barn photos!

  44. crumpety cottage says

    Hello Old Friend,

    I haven’t posted in ages, but I do peek in every now and then to make sure you are well and still making the world a more beautiful place. 🙂

    I just wanted to tell you that I had my first ocular migraine about 12 years ago. It was a particularly sunny day and, just as you described, my vision started doing all sorts of fanciful things. I didn’t know what was happening and since I was far from home and out in the boonies, I was fairly terrified.

    The most recent spate of oms happened about 4 weeks ago. Again, as always (for me) they were kicked off by intense light. What I have found is that they usually come in groups. In other words, I may have 3-4 in a one week period, and then I can go for months without experiencing one. I have a great new doctor and I think he will have some good suggestions for me and when I get them, I will let you know. What I can say is that numerous doctors have since told me that there is nothing harmful about them (says them!) and that little is understood about the phenomenon.

    Since this originally happened to me and I can associate it with bright light (and possibly even flashing light) I make an effort to protect myself. Just the ‘right’ bit of light slanting in at just the ‘right’ angle can kick one off. When it originally happened, it lasted at least an hour. Subsequent episodes tend to last only about 30 minutes. This is what happens to me — an odd shape appears in my line of vision. It could be any shape, but let’s just say it’s a crescent moon. The edges of the moon are all jaggedy and pointed outward, and that area sparkles and shimmers in the colors of the rainbow. The whole crescent moon shape stays intact, but begins to expand outward until it eventually expands beyond my line of vision and I see normally again. Sometimes the rest of the area outside of that shape is blurry, like a wrinkly sheet of saran wrap is between me and the object. Other times it’s clearer.

    You said this happened two weeks ago, so maybe you won’t have to deal with the ‘follow up’ episodes I usually have. But I can say that even though these are ocular migraines, I have very little headache that accompanies them. Nothing like an actual migraine, which as you suggested, is virtually unbearable.

    I don’t know, maybe we should form a club, lol. It IS fascinating and now that I have been dealing with them for so many years and sort of know what to do and that they will not kill me, I try to look at it as a unique experience that not everybody gets to have. (How’s that for putting a positive spin on things, lol)

    But the fact that you wrote about this in your blog will probably help hundreds of other people when it happens to them and they turn to the internet to figure it out. I had never heard of it before, and I can tell you it was very alarming to me. It will be good for people to see that it is apparently an odd but unharmful phenomenon.

    Glad to post again and I hope everything else is great in your life, Susan. ~ Pam

    • Good description of silent migraines. Sometimes mine resemble the Northern Lights!

      • crumpety cottage says

        Hi Debra,

        Wow, that’s crazy. I used to live in Alaska and have seen the Northern Lights many times, but my oms never look like that. Actually, come to think of it, the very first time was different from subsequent episodes – the images did have a ‘wavy’ pattern like the Northern Lights. So yeah, now I can relate to what you’re saying. It was so strange at the time.

        Whenever I saw the actual Northern Lights, they were always green, whereas my own personal light show is multi colored, lol. It’s also glittery and shimmery. Hey, it’s weird but at least it’s pretty! 🙂

    • That is wild, Pam! They are kinda pretty, aren’t they? lol As long as they aren’t followed by pain and go away quickly, I can live with having one every once in a blue moon. I had heard that flashing light can cause them, but so far that doesn’t seem to be the trigger for mine. It’s good that you kinda know one of the triggers for yours. I’m seeing an eye doctor on the 22nd, if he gives me any helpful information or new information about migraines, I’ll be sure to mention that in a post after I go. Great to hear from you, glad you are doing well!
      XX

      • Hi Susan, glad you’re seeing a doctor. I’ll also let you know if my new doctor has any recommendations.

        I forgot to mention, stress can trigger them too (for me.) I have also found that the way they present sometimes differs. The very first time I experienced an om, it was fairly different from other occurrences. It was more like watching the Northern Lights, as Debra described above; it moved and waved across my line of vision. After that, I had the more typical ‘random shape with pointy sparkles’ all around it for years. The more recent spate of them was somewhat different still; more saran wrap, fewer shimmery points. I don’t know if there is any significance to the changes or not.

        I’m glad you’re seeing your doctor for an official diagnosis. Good luck and keep us posted. 🙂 oxox

  45. Firstly; re your eye my motherly instincts are kicking in and I like so many of your other readers would like you to make an appointment with your doctor to confirm that what you experienced was definitely in connection with a migraine. That said; hopefully you will Susan, as you are dear to many hearts. In regards to the tree; so happy that it didn’t cause any major damage and its falling was when you were ‘not’ outside within its range …. ouch! (Isn’t it strange how often, things occur in threes?) -Brenda-
    P.S.: Loving the blue ‘n white Buffalo Check bedding.

  46. What a strange day! Glad that is over! I am glad your eye is better too. I have never heard a tree fall, I would have been scared too hearing those sounds.

  47. Wow! What an eventful night. My husband has ocular migraines. He has lost his entire vision once and had both eyelids close simultaneously. He had to use his fingers to hold his eyelids up. Very scary but after a trip to the ER and ophthalmologists, he was diagnosed with ocular migraines. He has had one episode while driving which was particularly scary! Fortunately, he was able to pull over and his vision returned to normal in seconds and we were almost home when it happened. He now experiences an intense, but brief, headache either right before or following the vision problems. What you described sounds very much like ocular migraines but I would make an appointment with an ophthalmologist just to have your eyes checked more thoroughly and to be on the safe side.
    The bedding is beautifully springlike!

  48. I love your blog. Like you, I was concerned with my first silent migraine. Then the eye doctor brought out graphics of what I had been seeing. Eye strain, stress and being over tired can bring them on more frequently. Take frequent breaks from electronic devices and wear sunglasses outside.

  49. Marlene Stephenson says

    I have had migraines for about 30 yrs. and very once in a while it is a little strange. Sometimes i feel like there is something in my eye,but i never find anything my vision is terrible. Sometimes before i have a mig. my head hurts like i ran into something and the next day i have a mig. Glad it was a tree and nothing else.

  50. cathy Christie says

    Again, I’m not a doctor (don’t even play one on TV) but here’s what happened to me:
    For years I thought I was having migraines ie; pain behind my right eye much as you describe. One day I felt like my glasses were smudged, cleaned them. nope. fuzz in my eye. nope. kept blinking trying to get rid of this blurry sight in my right eye. FINALLY after 24 hours went to my opthomologist who quickly sent me to a retinologist. My retinal artery which rests atop the retinal vein had pressure so high it impeeded the flow of blood back from my eye, causing a “bruise” to my retina. I waited to long and it improved but never went away. my vision in the right eye is exactly as you described, looking through wavy sun lit water. Please see a doctor right away.

  51. I suffer from migraines monthly. They usually follow my cycle or changes in weather. I have never seen a vision like that. I would suggest a visit to a neurologist for an MRI, just to be sure. You can get medicine to take at onset that gets rid of them by mid-day, although the medicine may make you sleepy. Symptoms I have have vary, but include the need to be in a dark, quiet place, stomach upset, nauseau, and the need to try to sleep it off. I hope you don’t have any more! They are no fun!

  52. Glad it wasn’t something dangerous to you. It sure sounded scary though! One night at about 3 a.m. several years ago, I heard the loudest noise outside my apartment. It was terrifyingly loud. Looked out the window; Nothing. ?? Next morning found out a major stop-light pole had fallen over! I never found out how it did, though.
    As for the headache/eye light: It sure seems to me you need to have that checked out post haste. A friend of mine has a detached retina and needed an immediate eye surgery. I sure wouldn’t want that kind of headache popping up.
    It’s amazing to see that much property behind someone’s house with nothing on it like your backyard. I live in So. Calif. and you rarely see that. Sure is calm and peaceful looking.
    Keep writing your great blogs. Enjoy them very much!

  53. My husband called me at work and said he couldn’t see out of his left eye and an hour later he was on a LifeFlight to Tulsa at the tune of $43,000.00 for the ride!! Yes, you did read that right, $1000 per mile and we are 43 miles outside Tulsa. He complained there was no inflight movie! Seriously, he was on the slippery slope of a stroke. But, we caught it just in time and he is as well as can be, Thank God for LifeFlight and great health insurance. Glad you acted fast and now know what went wrong. You just don’t ever know what could go wrong when you body starts sending you signals. It definitely is trying to tell you something. Take care my dear and keep writing!

  54. Practical Parsimony says

    Go to a doctor! You can never get your eyesight back if it is something worse. My macula is changing. I have flashes in the outer corner of my eye and am in grave danger of losing my vision to detached retina.

    One day, I was sitting at my computer with my back to the windows. I, too, heard scraping that intensified and got worse and stopped. I, too, ran to the door. Finally, I looked out the window that had a room ac in it. There were twigs on the ac. I looked out the other window nest to it and found nothing. I ran to the yard and a pine tree managed to fall all the way across the yard and thankfully only scraped the window, ac and house, causing absolutely no damage to anything. It also missed my swing and the picnic table. Like you, I had a few moments of sheer terror. Then, it was over.

  55. Dr. Google can neither confirm nor deny your self-diagnosis! I am no fan of allopathic medicine (I see a functional medicine doctor myself), but no kidding, those symptoms could be so many things other than an ocular migraine. things you and Dr. Google cannot figure out! Much better that you go and have your self-diagnosis confirmed than you find out the hard way you were wrong.

  56. What is wrong with you? I love your blog (and thus you) but goodness sakes go to the doctor!!!!!!!!! Google is fine when you want to get a general idea but if you can’t even see clearly and it keeps on happening, you go in! Go! You could be in the midst of having a stroke or permanently losing ur sight. Smh.

  57. I had similar vision problems with migraines. The headache would only go away after I could sleep. I haven’t had one in many years.

  58. Susan, I’ve experienced several ocular migraines. The doctor I see confirmed that they were not dangerous. I notice that some tiny blood vessels in my eyes break more frequently, leaving me with blood shot eyes on occasion. I think its from being tired. I think you should have this checked out with a physician.
    Love the bedding. Wish I needed some. ‘-)

  59. Robin Gasser says

    I get ocular migraines on occasion, too. My eye doctor told me what they were and told me they weren’t anything to worry about. Check with your doctor, though. Everyone is different.

  60. So I just told my kids what I want for mother’s day! They can afford the duvet cover and shams.

    Hope you feel better.

  61. Go to the eye doctor. I also have ocular migraines but they NEVER are associated with any pain behind the eye, or headache beforehand. Better be safe than sorry. Ocular migraines usually dont last any more than 20 minutes. I find watching tv helps the annoying crackly “vision” disappear into the screen. Even with your eyes closed you still see the jaggedy lines.

  62. I’m joining the crowd and crying for you to get to an eye doctor. My husband lost vision completely in one eye from not telling me for a week he was having trouble. I’ve been through eye surgery and can’t read with one eye. You just don’t mess around when it is so important. Even if it was nothing you will know for sure if you should be worried or not.

  63. Betsy Gordon says

    Susan,
    You are so cared about from the concern in the comments.
    I know everyone just wants you to get checked out and I must agree. Life’s too fragile!
    I know it’s recommend to get yearly eye exams. I always get a yearly eye exam since I wear contacts and glasses but I know not everyone does. The eye dr can tell a lot by your eyes and the tests they do now can detect many various diseases, conditions and even tumors.

    if you’ve never been to a neurologist for your headaches, it wouldn’t help to go for a visit. I’d rather go and be told you are fine than have something come up down the road and say I should have seen someone.

    Again, your obviously loved and cared for since so many are chiming in to give you advice. It all comes from a great place of love.

    Betsy G.

    Take care of yourself.

  64. FYI Susan, I had no trouble wearing contacts in Morocco not even when riding a camel on the Sahara. Hope your eye issue is easily remedied.

  65. I found that acupuncture helped greatly with my migraines. I am very light sensitive and flickering lights will bring on a migraine every time. Not fun, maybe one day they will find a simple cure for the nasty things!
    Best of health!

  66. I have experienced losing my sight in my right eye before a migraine starts. I don’t have any pain, but slowly I start loosing my peripheral vision. If I don’t take something right away I get a horrible migraine and I have to go to bed and sleep it off. Now that I know what to expect, I take some Motrin and in about 20 minutes my eyesight is back to normal and I never have any pain.

  67. Susan, Your day was weird and scary. I really dislike it when people tell medical horror stories but I really think I need to. Be very careful with such severe eye symptoms. A close friend of mine experienced shimmering spots and lights which turned to black dots. She had a detached retina which required immediate surgery to save her sight in that eye. Her vision was fine afterwards but her surgeon told her she was smart to have gotten immediate help – she would not have regained normal vision even with the surgery had she delayed .
    The headaches you describe sound like the hormonal migraines I had for many years. Also had dizziness and nausea. I would not wish those on my worst enemy. I had to laugh at the Coke advice. I would get those headaches for several days at a time. I knew the headache was really gone and not just temporarily subsiding when I started craving plain cheese pizza and an ice cold Coke. That Coke would taste so good and I am not really a soda drinker.
    Listen to the advice of your friends.

  68. You are so right. You certainly had a most unusual day!! Glad the tree did not hit the house. I worry about the visual effects that you had. I do have them every once in a while but usually lasts only a minute or so. Are you considering consulting a physician about this if this occurs again?

    • Thanks, Shirley! I know…so glad it didn’t fall toward the house or take out another tree.
      Yup, I’ve been hoping to get some new glasses, tired of my old ones, so I went ahead and scheduled an appointment. I’m sure it was just one of those weird migraine auras, but I know I should get my eyes checked just in case. XXX

  69. Sheree Cloyd says

    Susan a few months ago I was headed to work when my vision in my left eye became very blurred. I too have headaches, but never affected my vision. I immediately called the Optometrist and told them I have to come in now.

    I went straight there, and was told it was an Optical Migraine. I then went on to work, I drive a school bus so need full vision.!!! I still was not comfortable with that diagnosis.
    Few weeks later I went to another Optometrist and it was not an Optical Migraine after all. So glad I got another opinion.

  70. Brenda Lawrence says

    Hi Susan, I had to come back to this post to reread it. I read all your posts, but don’t comment often. Well I used to get migraines too, since the 4th grade, but once I got a hysterectomy, they went away. So haven’t had one in years. I used to lose 70% of my vision and that’s how I knew one was coming on. No pain, just was seeing in tunnel form. Once the vision came back, the headache hit. Mine would last as long as a week. But like I said, hadn’t had one in years. Yesterday I was with a friend and we went to lunch. While sitting there talking to her, I was having a strange experience as well. I could see, but not. I know that doesn’t make sense. But how it felt. While that was going on, I started to see sparkles-looked to me like when you go see fireworks, there is this one kind that just sparkles, not really explodes. Looks like a giant sparkler. That is what I was seeing, little sparkles of light. So I thought of this post right away and though I will need to come back and re-read it! But I had to come home and leave to elderly sit. Driving over is when my headache hit. Came home later that evening and sat down and tried to relax. Finally I got up and went to bed. Still have the headache today. But I knew I wanted to come and re-read this post. While it isn’t sounding exactly the same, I think I too had a ocular migraine. I too suffer from sinus problems and last night part of the headache in the middle of the night was a sinus headache. So thank you for writing about this as I would have had no clue what I was experiencing. I probably would have know it was some type of migraine, because it felt like a migraine, just different. I guess I will be more diligent with my sinus meds! Hugs, Brenda

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