#539 PeteyImo

"To start off, I'm sorry if this issue is covered elsewhere or if this topic was not worth it's own thread - I'm new to this forum, so bear with me.

I'm male, 16 years old, and I've had migraines with aura for the past 3 years or so. I've had 5 migraines overall, with the first 3 about 1 year or more apart from each other. Then, the next 2 migraines followed the third 51 days from each other exactly. I'm not sure why. Either way, I've also noticed recently I have some of the symptoms related to visual snow, and have had these for a long time (possibly preceding my migraines, I couldn't be sure). These symptoms are - halo's/starbursts at night, visual 'static' that I will only see (but will see heavily) at night, floaters in both eyes (but mainly in the right eye, which corresponds with the left side of the brain where my migraines occur), flickering white objects moving fast across my vision when I look at the sky or bright objects and occasional (this is hard to describe) tiny flashes of light in my right eye's vision which last for about 2 seconds, then fade.

To conclude, do I suffer from visual snow, or do I have a separate condition, or perhaps nothing at all?"

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 6, 2008)

"I wondered about Persistent Migraine Aura, but it seemed strange as the symptoms are nothing compared to the aura I get in an actual migraine, which seems far worse. Either way, it's not the end of the world, I've lived with it for this long, so I think I'll survive."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 6, 2008)

"I thought about how long I've had these symptoms, and it's been as long as I can remember (I remember asking a teacher when I was 6 or 7 why I was seeing colours at night). How come the PMA has preceded my first migraine by about 13 years? Theories anyone? lol

Also finally, I'm fine with it if it stays like this, I mean, I thought it was normal for many years so I'm used to it! Is there much chance that visual snow worsens and in what ways can it get worse?"

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 7, 2008)

"It only bothers me at night when the halo's/starbursts really mess with my vision and I have to turn a torch on or something to get rid of 'em. Apart from that, I don't really mind it."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Has there been times where it didn't bother you?, March 7, 2008)

"1. Name or screen name (optional): Peter

2. Email (optional): N/A

3. Location (optional): England

4. Age: 16

5. Sex: Male

6. Nationality and Race (optional): British White

7. Do you have classic migraine (migraine with aura) or common migraine (migraine without aura)? When did it begin?

Classic migraine with aura, started when I was 13, started becoming more often about halfway through my 15th year.

8. What do you take for your classic or common migraine and does it help?

Just paracetamol to ease pain.

9. Have you been diagnosed with persistent aura (prolonged migraine aura status)?

No.

10. What is your visual problem and how long does it last?

Perpetual, yet barely noticeable static during the day and highly noticeable static at night with halo's/starbursts, plus seeing white things zipping across vision when looking at sky.

11. Any other problems that you think might be related?

My migraines.

12. What do you take or do for your vision problem and does it help?

Nothing, no need, it doesn't bother me that much.

13. Have you found a trigger for your vision problem?

It's generally worse following a migraine.

14. What tests have you had and the results?

None.

15. Drug history (pre VS):

None.

16. Drug history (post VS - effect on VS - negative, positive, not at all):

None.

17. Do you have a positive family history for migraine? If yes, who is affected?

Yes, my father has a similar problem with migraines - his were more common in his teenage years as well.

18. Other information you want to provide?

None."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 9, 2008)

"Well, the classic aura symptoms I have are: shimmering, pulsating spots over my vision I cannot see out of easily, photophobia, phonophobia, and my speech becomes a little bit slurred... following a migraine, the yellow areas could be anywhere in my vision, will not move and instead will just pulsate and shimmer (e.g. they'll be there for about 3 seconds, then gone for 3, then back again for 3). This generally only lasts for the night following the migraine.

As for visual snow worsening after the migraine, it lasts for about 24 hours after the migraine attack, and I see more halos/starbursts, and I find it harder to concentrate on something visually (though that I think is more an effect of the migraine)."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 9, 2008)

"It [i.e. worsening of persistent aura symptoms] is only after the migraine it gets worse, so only after the migraine (e.g. the majority of the head pain has gone, I don't feel sick) has 'gone' as such is it worse. This could be however, due to the fact the migraine 'status' lasts a little longer (I will not feel fully back to normal until about 48 hours after the migraine has 'ended', I will have a general air of malaise and a feel a little bit depressed in this time)."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 12, 2008; additions in square brackets by Klaus Podoll)

"Well, the vs as in the static does not really worsen after a migraine but the 'ring scotoma' becomes shimmering and different shapes as well as occuring more often."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 14, 2008)

PeteyImo [subject #539], Ring scotoma, 2008. © 2008 PeteyImo (larger image see here, here and here)

"My normal halo's/starbursts might look something like this (right down to the colours), if I am looking at my bedroom (any difference between how objects are drawn in these pictures is just because I am not good at drawing, nothing to do with the effect of the halo/starburst). The images are in order, where (1) the yellow halo (2) moves into the centre of my vision, (3) getting smaller until it disappears, where a new one begins at the edges of my vision once again (1). On the left side of the final image I've drawn the static for you."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 9, 2008)

"To answer your questions on 'ring scotomas', I've never had them in daylight, and I've had them as long as I can remember, and I'm unsure of daily recurrance, I would say that they were not a daily recurrance at first, and are not QUITE a daily recurrance now, more 2 out of 3 days or 3 out of 4. I will only ever see them in pitch blackness (or close enough to it) to the point where the only light source would be the moonlight through the curtains of my bedroom."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 10, 2008)

"Just to let you know, the reason I don't recall seeing it AS often as a child is because I went to bed earlier, during daylight hours or when my parents are awake. Obviously this is more of a problem during winter, when there is less light around (I go to bed around 10 p.m. most nights so during summer its still light!). I have not recorded whether I have had ring scotomas each night, I may do so and let you know if I ever have them for 7 successive nights! And I cannot recall a dream where I have had visual phenomena during it, and I recall many dreams, so my answer to that would be no."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 10, 2008)

PeteyImo [subject #539], Floaters, 2008. © 2008 PeteyImo (larger image see here)

The floaters depicted in the illustration above are "Persisting, as long as I can remember."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 10, 2008)

"The floaters are each specifically in one eye btw - so some I will only see in my left eye, others only in my right."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 14, 2008)

PeteyImo [subject #539], Flickering white thingies, 2008. © 2008 PeteyImo (larger image see here)

"All [following] pics show me looking at the sky with a different symptom isolated (V shaped objects are birds btw , the yellow dot is the sun and white blobs are clouds). In Pic 1, the little white things are not that big, and the trail behind them shows the movement path they would take."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 10, 2008)

"Flickering white objects is Pic 1."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 10, 2008)

PeteyImo [subject #539], Shimmering thing (scintillating scotoma), 2008. © 2008 PeteyImo (larger image see here and here)

"That series [illustrating scintillating scotomas] is just to show how they get bigger, and they wouldn't be those colours, the grey just symbolises where it would more be a 'disruption' - like my brain is missing information from some parts of the vision and tries to make up for it by inserting colour from the area around it. The multicoloured edge is supposed to highlight the shimmering effect."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 10, 2008; additions in square brackes by Klaus Podoll)

"'Tiny flashes of light' refers to a different thing where I just see little (mostly light blue) lights appear on my vision, stay there for about 2 seconds then fade away."

(PeteyImo [subject #539], Yuku forum Visual snow or static - General discussion - Wondering if I have Visual Snow, March 10, 2008)

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