Scintillating scotoma??!!

[BabyMami]

Hi all,

First time here today. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on 26.11.2012 he weighed 2.95kg and was 47cm long.

I had a few complications after the birth, I was in for 5 days so they could monitor baby in special care (due to some u/s scares during the pregnancy involving his right lung - all seems ok though) , then I was readmitted again due to severe abdominal pain, irregular bleeding and fever - which was treated with heavy antibiotics via IV and orally. It was hell being in hospital for so long I just wanted to be home with my new little family! BUT I have been home for a few days now and i hate to say it but i feel a little overwhelmed!

Baby hates being in the crib so he co-sleeps next to me each night, and feeds like crazy (bf). I rarely have time to do ANYTHING and I mean unless I have help from someone else because he just cries and cries if he isn't held or being fed. He squirms and is uncomfy alot of the time too and I know it is probabl gas or wind but I do try burp him and all of that but I just don't know what is wrong? Are newborns suppose to not cry all the time if they're left alone or put down? Sorry if it sounds stupid im a first time young mother and feeling really stressed and overwhelmed.

Anyway, yesterday after I had some brunch, I noticed some of my vision going funny. Sort of disappearing in patches and then I noticed a straight squiggly/zigzaggy line to the left of my vision. When I closed each eye it was still there and I FREAKED out because I thought I was having a stroke.
I looked at my baby and even he looked distorted. I called my OH crying but he did not answer so I called my mum who then asked my auntie to come lok after bub while I go to the DRS. The visual disturbances lasted about 20 min and then I got a migraine/headaache. Dr didnt say much but to "take it easy" and she said my bp ws 80/60 which is low but I've been low before and never experienced this.

I did some research and found something called Scintillating scotoma .. which is pretty much what I think I experienced. Has anyone ever heard or experienced this?? Do you know the cause? I'm terrified of having a stroke in the near future and this being a warning sign or something. I've been hella stressed probably most of my life but never had this before.

Any input would be great, thanks! xx

 

[freckleonear]

I get severe visual disturbances before most of my migraines. It can be really scary, but it's very common and nothing to worry about. It's not connected with strokes or any health risks other than the actual migraine. Have you had migraines in the past? It might be worth keeping a diary to see if you can work out what triggers them.

 

[BabyMami]

Thank you for your response.

I've never had a migraine in my life so I'm scared this might be a bad sign of something in my brain like ischemia or something like that?

Today I started to feel a little visual disturbance again but I quickly layed down and closed my eyes to avoid being scared again. I still feel a little hazy and weird now.. It's really worrying me.

At what age did you experience your first migraine? I am 22.
What visual disturbances do you experience?

Thanks again xx

 

[freckleonear]

I had my first migraines around age 9. I've had scotomas (blind spots), scintillations (flickering), zigzag lines and hemianopsia (partial loss of vision).

Hormonal changes, stress and fatigue can be migraine triggers. It's extremely unlikely to be caused by anything physically wrong in your brain, but if it keeps happening then speak to your doctor to see if they can help determine what's causing them or prescribe some medication.

I think it's totally normal for new mothers to be feeling overwhelmed. Your baby has been snuggled up warm and safe inside you for the last 9 months, so it's not surprising he wants to be close to you at all times. Newborns are programmed to cry when they are put down because their survival instinct tells them that they need you. A sling can be a lifesaver if you need to get things done, and the upright position might help with the wind too. It will get easier.

 

[Rachel_C]

I get it before and during migraines too. In fact it's quite useful because if I take paracetamol or ibuprofen as soon as I notice it (it starts off with things seeming a bit shimmery/too bright to me, then I have a few spots where I can't see things in the front of my vision, then it expands until I can only see clearly in my peripheral vision, if at all), I often don't go on to develop a full blown migraine so it's a nice warning.

Did you definitely get a migraine? I don't think anybody I've ever spoken to who gets them would describe them as a headache as they're so much more than that. So if you're not sure, I would keep an eye on it. If it was definitely a migraine, I wouldn't worry about the visual thing at all.

I was around 14 when I had my first migraine and it was so scary. My mum gets them so she knew what it was when she collected me from school but I didn't have a clue and was petrified! My sister also gets them but doesn't get the pain in her head, she goes dizzy and faints though - they can be weird things! She was older when she started getting them I think, maybe 17 or 18.

Your baby sounds perfectly normal, so don't worry there at all. I would look up how to co-sleep safely as that has been a lifesaver for me

 

[BabyMami]

Thanks ladies.

I am not actually sure if it was a migraine but I did see the zigzaggy white/black line to the left of my vision and it was in both eyes when I closed each one. I wouldn't say I had bad head pain after it was very mild following pretty much after the visual disturbance disappeared.
Does that sound like a migraine to you? Do all Scintillating scotoma's have horrible pain following them? Or are all migraines very very painful or can they be mild like what I experienced? Sorry for all the questions, it's just good that I can talk to someone about this because my mum doesn't really know how to explain hers to me and she has no idea about what I'm talking about sortof.
My mum has suffered migraines since she was young but me, I've never had them and I'm 22 years old.

Thanks in advance. xx

 

[jessicaR4bbit]

I just wanted to add in my experience of a migraine because as a previous poster said it definitely is leaps and bounds beyond what a headache feels like. When I had a migraine the pain was so localized and intense that I couldn't stop screaming, lights appeared too bright so I had to close my eyes, it lasted for hours on end with the intensity remaining peaked even after medication. That was what a migraine felt like for me. I would go back to the doctors and look into it because if you did have those visual disturbances without a migraine afterwards then it wouldn't be related. Not to scare you though, I know a friend who has suffered from what you describe since she was 16 (wasn't migraine related either... I can't bloody remember what she called it) but all I remember is she thought it was stroke/heart related also but she takes medication for it when it happens and it's fine. If I can get in contact with her and find out what the name of her condition was I will come back and post it here x

 

[freckleonear]

Hmmm I do have pain-free migraines sometimes, but still have the nausea, photophobia and phonophobia. If you're not sure that it was a migraine, might be best to get checked out.

 

[MrsButterfly]

I started with migraine at about 24 and get the aura symptoms you describe - zig zags, flickers, tunnel vision. I also get pins and needles sometimes in my face. At the start I would get them without the headache but would feel very tired/woozy for about 24hrs.

When I came off the pill I started getting them around ovulation time and often would also get the awful headache pain after - I would be writhing in pain it was so bad. They stopped during pregnancy and touch wood, I've not had one yet.

I was really scared when I started getting the aura symptoms out of the blue - none of my family get migraine so I was worried it was a symptom of something awful. I've seen a few GPs over the years now and all have assured me its just migraine.

Oh and the other thing I was gonna say, at the start mine were all in clusters so I'd have a few over a few days. Not much fun. Hope you're feeling ok

 

[nicki01]

I had the zig zag lines and blind spots on and off for about 6 months after having my little girl, to the point if I try and pick things up I miss, I could t drive and had to leave my little one where she was! They would some times last for 30 mins or more, never had any pain with it tho, my doctor said it was probably a migraine! Touch wood I haven't had them for over a year but could happen again after my next little one is here. If your worried just book at docs appt!

 

[kippenhok]

I've never had migraines in my life before until LO was born! I would only have the visual part of it though, no migraine headache after, and it would start like a small bright pinpoint and flash outwards. I thought I was going blind though and freaked out first cause I thought it was a floater and I had heard that having floaters is a sign the retina is detaching!! It wasn't a floater though it was just this lightbulb like flash every now and then - phew!

Really don't worry about it, it's "just" the fatigue!

PS - DH has migraine visuals just like yours, zigzag "electric" lines. It's awful but nothing serious.

PPS - And yes, newborns generally hate being put down. Get a carrier/sling of some sort and use a bouncer or the changing mat to put LO on in the bathroom when you take a shower. It was the only way I got anything done in the first 2 months! Bedsharing was a lifesaver too.

It gets better! It really does!

 

[BabyMami]

I just wanted to add in my experience of a migraine because as a previous poster said it definitely is leaps and bounds beyond what a headache feels like. When I had a migraine the pain was so localized and intense that I couldn't stop screaming, lights appeared too bright so I had to close my eyes, it lasted for hours on end with the intensity remaining peaked even after medication. That was what a migraine felt like for me. I would go back to the doctors and look into it because if you did have those visual disturbances without a migraine afterwards then it wouldn't be related. Not to scare you though, I know a friend who has suffered from what you describe since she was 16 (wasn't migraine related either... I can't bloody remember what she called it) but all I remember is she thought it was stroke/heart related also but she takes medication for it when it happens and it's fine. If I can get in contact with her and find out what the name of her condition was I will come back and post it here x

Thank you so much, that would be much appreciated! Was it stroke/heart related though by any chance?
I hope it isn't serious! I will def go to another DR and see what they think.
xx

 

[BabyMami]

I've never had migraines in my life before until LO was born! I would only have the visual part of it though, no migraine headache after, and it would start like a small bright pinpoint and flash outwards. I thought I was going blind though and freaked out first cause I thought it was a floater and I had heard that having floaters is a sign the retina is detaching!! It wasn't a floater though it was just this lightbulb like flash every now and then - phew!

Really don't worry about it, it's "just" the fatigue!

PS - DH has migraine visuals just like yours, zigzag "electric" lines. It's awful but nothing serious.

PPS - And yes, newborns generally hate being put down. Get a carrier/sling of some sort and use a bouncer or the changing mat to put LO on in the bathroom when you take a shower. It was the only way I got anything done in the first 2 months! Bedsharing was a lifesaver too.

It gets better! It really does!

That makes me feel so much better! I find it weird how 3 of us here only started getting them AFTER our LO's were born so it very well could be the fatigue and stress.
Do you still get them now?

PS i was just ooking at slings on ebay!

thank you lovely ladies for your replies i feel a little more at ease

 

[kippenhok]

Yeah I still get them now and then and they're really fatigue related. After 6weeks things got gradually easier and from 2-3.5 months things were quite calm and I was as well rested as one can be with a newborn lol - save for the night feeds but that wasn't really a problem since we bedshare. I didn't have them during that time as far as I can remember. Then around +/-16 weeks we started getting into a wonderweek/growthspurt/4month sleep regression and that really threw us off! It was back to newborn crying every time he was set down and just being on the boob constantly (at night too) for about 1.5 weeks so I was pretty much ground to pulp and I started getting it again! I also know some other people that get visual migraines and for them it's always fatigue related too..

So, I'm not a doctor but I wouldn't be too worried about it. Just follow your docs advice spend some more time in bed for a few more catnaps in between feedings - they do add up somehow!