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Medical Forum / General / Vision / June 2006

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Visual Snow/Headaches/Anxiety?

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hammad.awan_nospam@gmail.com - 12 Jun 2006 19:23 GMT
Hello,

I will try to make this story as short as possible.  Two years ago, I
suffered from what appeared to be an anxiety induced event that caused
a neurological change in my brain as well as my abdominal area.  I was
a long-time GERD (acid reflux) sufferer who took a medicine called
"reglan" for my problem.  Unfortunately, this medicine had a strong
depressive and anxiety driven effect on me.  After a month of taking it
three times a day, I just gave up (although it made my GERD symptoms
much better).  Several years after taking this medicine, I started to
lay on my back on my bed, with my head over the edge of the bed at
approximately an 70-80 degree angle with the flatness of the bed.  In
other words, I had my head upside down from vertical.  It helped me to
get to sleep quicker.  That is why I did this sort of thing.

Doing this several times caused my GERD symptoms to get worse, and my
general anxiety increased significantly.  I would shake a lot more than
normal. One day at work, before giving a presentation, my anxiety
juices kicked in and I could not control them until I felt a change in
my stomach as well as in my head.  It's like a little neurological
explosion in my stomach.

>From that day on, I have experienced more significant anxiety driven
headaches which cause visual problems/snow in my left eye as well as
some abdominal pain in the muscles/diaphragm(?).  What's good is my
GERD symptoms have almost completely vanished.  I no longer have to
take any acid reflux medicines in order to stop suffering from
heartburn.  It's almost as if the reglan, which increases the strength
around the LES (lower esophagul sphincter) has worked permantenly.

Unfornutately, I've traded one problem for another.  The GERD for these
anxiety driven headaches as well as some visual disturbances (seemingly
only in my left eye).  The visual disturbances (or snow) in my left eye
don't occur all the time, but seem to increase when I am more anxious.
My right eye seems to be completely fine.  What happens is if I close
my right eye and try to look out of my left eye only, after a while, my
eye starts to see the effects of visual snow close to the bridge area
of my nose.  It's almost as if the neural pathways that lead from the
eye through some portion of the brain back to the occipital lobe are
not functionally normally as before. This effect eventually occurs
whether I am anxious or not (it is apparent when in the latter mode),
but even occurs when I start to use my left eye more than my right
(which occurs when it is closed).  I've had an MRI about a year ago,
and everything was fine.  I also when to see an opthalmologist who did
a complete eye exam and he said everything was normal.

Also, when I get anxious, which causes sometimes these bad headaches,
it is more difficult to get to a relaxed state such that the headaches
can disappear on their own.  It's almost as if my stress body mechanism
has lost some of its ability to get back to an equilibrium state.  If I
take Xanax (an anxiety drug), it seems to help the situation get back
to normal.

What I am seeking is some help from someone who may know about the
biology of the brain, in particular with respect to anxiety, neural
pathways for vision, and such.  If anyone has any information, it would
be much appreciated.

Thanks.
Dr Judy - 12 Jun 2006 20:12 GMT
> Hello,
>
[quoted text clipped - 53 lines]
> pathways for vision, and such.  If anyone has any information, it would
> be much appreciated.

You really do not have a vision problem, you have an anxiety problem.
Anxiety and panic attacks can cause many other symptoms including
blurred vision.

You would be best served by working with your doctor to find a
solution, either drug or counselling, for your anxiety and panic
attacks.

Dr Judy

> Thanks.
judy.n - 13 Jun 2006 00:28 GMT
Just to clarify that I am not "Dr. Judy": I don't believe anyone can
make a diagnosis over the internet.
 The only advice I woud have to offer is to check out the web site by
Dr. Podell devoted to migraine aura:
http://www.migraine-aura.org/EN/index.html
 Perhaps that will give you some information that will be helpful.
 Seriously, no one can give a diagnosis based on a posted history on
the internet.
Judy

> > Hello,
> >
[quoted text clipped - 65 lines]
>
> > Thanks.
hammad.awan_nospam@gmail.com - 18 Jun 2006 04:43 GMT
Yes, I think anxiety has something to do with it.  However, I don't
suffer from panic attacks.  I don't feel like I'm dying or other
general symptoms of a panic attack.

What I do get is headaches/migraines (abdominal tenseness as well), and
as I said visual snow close to the bridge of my nose if I look long
enough out of my left eye while closing my right eye.

The migraines and abdominal tenseness seem to occur when I do get
anxious (but not a scared kind of anxious, but more of just I need to
get things done quickly).  What I think has happened is that the body
response that kicks in the fight or flight response has lost its
ability to quickly return to the equilibrium levels.  In other words,
once the fear leaves, the body still thinks its there and it manifests
itself as these headaches and abdominal tenseness.  The other problem
is that when I'm in this state, thinking about it furthur causes the
pain to remain and the feeback look to continue and not return to
normal.  The problem is I have a really difficult time disassociating
myself from the pain, because well it's pain.  It's almost obsessive
compulsive behavior that I can see, but I can't stop because the pain
refocuses the pain.

Any clues?

> > Hello,
> >
[quoted text clipped - 65 lines]
>
> > Thanks.
judy.n - 19 Jun 2006 01:30 GMT
About once a month, there is a post of natural remedies for migraines.
Catherine Woodgold speaks about the spiral of anxiety that you mention:
Here's an excerpt"
"(8) Psychology

People often think thoughts that are just a little frightening.
When normal people think these thoughts, nothing much happens.
But migraine people have over-reactive hormone systems, and
adrenalin and other hormones are released along with just
slightly scary thoughts.  A migraine person may not feel scared
at all, may claim to be relaxed, but at the same time may be
showing the physical symptoms of fear.  These symptoms may be
partly resulting from various chemical processes such as the
foods the person ate.  However, they are also the result of
thoughts.

The scary thoughts that bring on phase I of a migraine are
usually semi-conscious ...  just outside the range of conscious
thinking.  For instance, a migraine person may look at a gift
they're wrapping and consciously think, "Maybe I should have
bought something better."  But at the same time, in a semi-conscious
way, the following thoughts flit rapidly through the mind: "I'm no
good at buying presents.  People will look down on me for being cheap.
I might lose a friendship."  These thoughts go by so fast it's hard
to pin them down.  But they're real, and are accompanied by cold
fingers and other symptoms of phase I of a migraine.  The person
might not notice the symptoms.  Later, when they have a headache,
they might not realize they had been under stress.  "I was just
having fun quietly wrapping presents."

It helps to write down such thoughts.  Kohlenberg [11] recommends
writing the thoughts down in the form of a proof that either
there's a threat to one's life or health, or that a law of nature
has been broken, i.e.  that something "should" be happening and
isn't.  Writing the thoughts out slows them down so that they
come under conscious scrutiny and control.  Then, on another part
of the page, write down arguments against each point.
"I may not be the best in the world, but I'm capable of buying
reasonably good presents.  I have no evidence that people will
look down on me, and if they do it won't hurt me.  If the friendship
is worth keeping it involves a lot more than just gifts."

It helps to avoid thoughts with words like "should" and "ought"
in them.  Instead of thinking, "I should wash the dishes now,"
think "I want to wash the dishes now." One good way to eliminate
a "should" thought is to start doing the thing.  If you don't
want to, there's probably a good reason not to.  Then, instead of
thinking, "I should ...", think, "I decided not to...  because
...".  Accept that every decision has both good and bad results.

It's useful to combine this technique with biofeedback.  See
Kohlenberg's book for both.  Since that book is difficult to obtain,
other books which are excellent for dealing in a similar way with
emotions (but which don't specifically address headaches) are
Burns [2] and Ellis [4], Greenberger [7], and other books by the same
authors."

If you search the site, you can get her entire post, it's very helpful.
Many people with migraine have over-active autonomic nervous systems
(fight or flight) and that's why some of the medicines, like beta
blockers, can be helpful.

Personally, I'd check in with my doctor and get a good eye exam and try
to come up with a plan for treating the worry and the other symptoms.

I'd also not blame myself for being anxious--hard to do.
Judy

> Yes, I think anxiety has something to do with it.  However, I don't
> suffer from panic attacks.  I don't feel like I'm dying or other
[quoted text clipped - 89 lines]
> >
> > > Thanks.
 
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