Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Personal Experiences => Topic started by: discokaren on December 04, 2021, 12:13:16 PM
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Please help, I was woken up in the night with flashing lights in one eye it was like I was blind in one eye only being able to see these lights. The other eye was fine, has the day is going on I have a headache, worse when Iam moving, anyone had this. It was so scary. I am 50 years old and have had terrible anxiety, gastric, dizziness, palpitations and so on for about 4 years now. I am not on HRT.
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Sounds like the visual disturbance aura some of us get with migraine, especially as you now have a headache. I would contact your GP & get it checked out or ring 111 for advice if you feel you need to speak to someone sooner.
Wx
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Hi discokaren
I have had these on and off for a few years now. My first one started when I was peri menopausal but my husband had one before me and we went to hospital on advice of optician, they said it was a ocular migraine. Certain things can trigger, stress, food, and they are common in women over forty. On the NHS if you google it gives you some advice. The first time at had one I panicked which made it worse. It was in one eye and these bright lines and waves were in the corner of the eye then all over. I have had them since but do not panic but breath it out. I can not do anything while I have one, the last one at had was 3 weeks ago and I was at work . I feel wiped out usually a few hours after. I have been having anxiety waking me early for a few weeks. I expect it was this.
It maybe be best to contact GP just to put your mind at rest. Let us know how you get on. X
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I agree, that sounds like a classic migraine aura which is very common during the menopause - they can be with or without ensuing headache. It's very scary when you first experience them and although they are relatively harmless, they are pretty nasty and debilitating.
I started having migraine auras in both eyes at the onset of the menopause in 2004 and mine were caused by generic hormone "instability and oestrogen spikes.
I found that hormone stability was the best defence so you might want to consider HRT. It might take a while to find the right regime but if your migraines are hormone related, it's the best option by far.
If you Google Professor Anne MacGregor you will find a lot of very useful information on hormonal migraines.
I hope that helps.