5.20.2010

I can't see.



I've got a bit of a melancholy mood lingering over my head today. Yesterday I had another eye episode. I don't think I've talked about them on the blog... I joke that I have a brain tumor. It's probably not a very funny joke, and Chrischris doesn't exactly appreciate it. Understandable.

I've always gotten bad headaches. For as long as I can remember. We would attribute them to allergies (I take daily medicine now), poor eating habits (I actually eat pretty darn healthy), needing glasses (20/20 vision), whatever. In late high school I began to get migraines, and throughout college I would have absolutely horrendous ones.

One in particular sticks out in my mind - I left class 20 minutes into it because I threw up, on the drive home it felt like there were knives being stabbed into my temples and under my cheek bones. I got home and tried everything, the hot shower, Excedrin Migraine, sinus medicine, nothing worked, I threw up again and my mom ended up driving me to the emergency room. They gave me a shot and like a miracle within 30 minutes everything was gone.
Well lately my head has been mixing it up a little. I will be perfectly fine, until the vision in my right eye begins to go wacky. It starts to look like when you've rubbed your eyes, with the stars and bright parts. Eventually all of my peripheral vision goes out, most of the field of vision in my right eye looks like I'm underwater (wavy and funky) and my left eye starts to do the same. I can look straight forward, hold my hands out in front of me and not be able to see either of them. But there's no pain. Just loss of vision.

My doctor has chalked it up to migraines, saying blurred vision is a symptom, and offered to set me up for a brain scan. Except I've got the cheapest insurance known to man and don't want to pay thousands of dollars for a brain scan. Call me stubborn. Whatever. Plus I feel like I'd rather have them scan the brain when my eyes are going funky rather than when I feel fine.

Anyways, once my vision comes back to normal on comes the migraine from hell. And that, my friends, is how I spent me evening. I still have a bit of a headache hanging on this morning too.

I don't know where they come from, why I get them or how to prevent them. And honestly, yea it is a bit scary to watch as your field of vision disappears.

13 comments:

Domesticated-Bliss said...

Wow! Sounds like you need to be on an episode of House! Maybe it might be worth the money to spend on a scan...That sounds miserable - so sorry!

Caroline said...

Sorry you're so miserable. Have you checked in to see what your insurance would actually pay? Hope you feel better. It sounds so scary.

Lauren said...

Oh my gosh girl I am so sorry. :( That does sound scary, and I can relate to migraine pain! Would your parents maybe help you with the cost of the brain scan? Or work out a payment plan with the dr/hospital billing? They're usually do that but you have to ask. I know they are so expensive, but you don't know what could be going on in there!!

Sam said...

So I'm no doctor, but I've gotten a migraine like that. Only once though. I was in 7th grade, and I started seeing the stars and things were fuzzy in my left eye. Then, like you said, after the vision clears, on came the headache. I think it's actually called an Optic Migraine. Nothing helped. I had to lay in my room in the dark buried under several pillows and just wait it out. I'm sorry that you get them so often, that REALLY sucks! =[

Oh I totally do the brain tumor thing too. In fact, when I was in 9th grade, my hypochondriac self actually convinced myself that I had a brain tumor lol. I had a headache for a week straight, and I went to the Dr. Once I got the all-clear, my headache went away... Power of suggestion. Eye-roll. At least now I say it only kiddingly, lol... I also get major caffeine headaches when I go a day without coffee.

Chardonnay said...

That sounds horrible, I'm so sorry!! I hope you can get better insurance and find a solution :(

Annie said...

YOu need a second opinion!! That does NOT seem normal! Poor thing... :(

Taylor @ The Undomestic Momma said...

Oh my gosh girl that is horrible! I would say for sure get a second opinion...I have a brain tumor and the first dr. I went to said I had anxiety and then I went for a second opinion and they found the tumor....I swear some drs are just crazy! I hope you get to feeling better! xoxo

Brooke&Tyson said...

oh no!! i'm so sorry...my aunt gets migraines like that and she literally has to carry around shots with her just in case... i didn't respond to your email yesterday because my friend is still in town but i promise i will tomorrow :) have a great day!!

Taylor @ The Undomestic Momma said...

oh gosh I just read what I wrote and that totally sounds like Im trying to freak you out..which Im not! So I hope Im not like making you stress but just better to get a second opinion!

Brittany said...

Chelsea that's terrible! I really think you need to get checked. As Lauren said, try and work out a billing plan with the hospital or something. They're usually pretty flexible. I know what you mean about migraines though, even though I've had nothing as serious as yours. I get the nausea, pounding in my head and dizziness. It's terrible. I hope you start feeling better soon!

Mateya said...

Yikes! I hope you start feeling better...that sounds horrible!

Neely said...

I hope you feel better Chelsea! I would go to many different docs untill someone tells you something that makes sense!

bananas. said...

oh no...you poor thing! my mom used to get really bad migraines like you. she wouldn't even function until it was over.

hope you feel better hun...xoxo.