Temporary vision loss

michka · 03-09-2010, 01:40 AM

I was away from home last week, in Portugal. I have been having some mild and rare headaches since October. I told my onc but he did not seem worried. I am on Faslodex and it is a frequent side effect. I had a mild headache again for a day and all of a sudden, I loss the vision in one eye for 30 seconds. It came back gradually in 15 minutes. I was really scared. I managed to see an eye doctor. He really examined the eye and said there was nothing. He tryed to reassure me saying it is not due to a tumor and that there was no hemorrhage. He said it could come from a sudden dilatation of a vessel. (that's what I understood) He said that if it happened again, I should see a cardiologist. I saw one 6 months ago and everything was fine. I have neither high blood pressure, neither cholesterol. I have a headache again today.
Do you think I should ask for a MRI?

SoCalGal · 03-09-2010, 04:06 AM

When I get migraine headaches I loose vision in one or sometimes both eyes. It takes about 15 - 20 minutes to clear up.

whatz · 03-09-2010, 07:29 AM

Have you told your onc about the vision loss? He might suggest an MRI. You are asking if I would ask for an MRI? I can tell you that I reported on head-aches to my onc about a month ago. Her take was to use anti allergy med's to see if that cleared the headaches. If not, she would order an MRI. So...I would assume if I told her I had vision loss in one eye she would order an MRI and I would not have to request. Consider though I'm new to this and don't have as many miles behind me as you have. In your shoes, yes...I would ask for an MRI.

Jackie07 · 03-09-2010, 01:06 PM

What a scary episode! I hope it is not caused by anything serious.

I think you should call your oncologist about your concerns. After all, he/she should know about what had happened to your eyes. And if an MRI is needed, he is the one person that can get it scheduled faster than any other doctors.

Tell the oncologist what your eye doctor had recommended (seeing a cardiologist) and ask for the oncologist's opinion. Regardless what the oncologist says, get an appointment with the cardiologist as soon as possible.

Hope you find out the cause and get rid of the problem soon.

schoolteacher · 03-09-2010, 01:24 PM

Michka,

Hope your head has stopped hurting. Hope you are feeling better. You could ask for a brain MRI to alieve your worry. Let us know how you are feeling and what is going on.

Amelia

StephN · 03-09-2010, 07:15 PM

Dear Michka -
Sorry to hear that happened.
If you are not prone to migranes or headaches in general, it might be smart to ask for the brain MRI.

Hope you otherwise had a chance to enjoy Portugal. My hubby and I spent 3 weeks there in 2006 and loved our visit.

Let us know how things go. Hopefully the headache will stop and not come back!

Lien · 03-10-2010, 12:33 AM

Hi Michka, It does sound like a migraine headache to me. One can develop migraine at any time in life. My 9 yr old son just started getting them, I had them since I was 13, my sister has had a few attacks since her late 30s. Migraines can be triggered by foods and inhalants. You were in a different country, with different foods & vegetation. That could have caused the attack. Do you feel nauseous too?

Having said that, please have it checked by a doctor, because you need to set your mind at ease.

Hope your fears will be set to rest soon

Hugs

Jacqueline

michka · 03-10-2010, 12:50 AM

Thanks to all for answering my post. I still have a headache and I am going to ask for a MRI. I don't have headaches usually. I am always embarrassed to ask for exams. However, I think I will feel better although I don't like to worry my family. I hope my onc. will accept. Michka

Lien · 03-10-2010, 01:02 AM

Sounds like a plan! Perhaps you need to exaggerate the symptoms a bit to get them to cooperate.

Hope it's all very treatable and very B9!

Could it be a side effect from meds? I noticed you have been treated very aggressively.

Hugs

Jacqueline