FSTDT Forums

Community => Science and Technology => Topic started by: Nightangel8212 on January 14, 2012, 01:41:36 pm

Title: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Nightangel8212 on January 14, 2012, 01:41:36 pm
I've been experiencing something weird for quite some time now. It used to happen at rare intervals when I was younger, but now it's been happening to me on almost a nightly basis and I'm wondering what the hell could be causing it...

I lay down and close my eyes to go to sleep... and even though my eyes are CLOSED... I'll see weird flashes of white light... almost as if someone is flashing a bright light right into my eye from the inside of my eyelid. It used to happen every few weeks, but now it's happening more and more often and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced it and might have an idea of what might be causing it. I have a hard enough time falling asleep without feeling like someone is flashing a light in my face at night... I have had no other symptoms with my eyes that concern me.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Shane for Wax on January 14, 2012, 01:43:33 pm
I moved this to Science/Technology for better hope of an answer.

I myself have it happen sometimes but I attribute it to basic brain and eyeball chemistry and the like.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Radiation on January 14, 2012, 01:52:36 pm
Are you experiencing any pain in your eyes?

I have had "flashes" before but never any pain or anything. It might be a normal thing but if it is disrupting your sleep you may want to consult with your doctor about it.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Nightangel8212 on January 14, 2012, 02:04:51 pm
Nope. I haven't been experiencing any pain in my eyes, though I have been getting headaches more frequently lately. I just find it more annoying and frustrating than anything else.

I'm visiting with a friend today, so I won't be responding to any posts for a bit. Later. :)

Edit: Thanks for moving it, Shane. :)
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Shane for Wax on January 14, 2012, 02:07:28 pm
Wait. Do you get the flashes before the headache? Cause that could be an aura. I think I'm using that word right.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Radiation on January 14, 2012, 02:10:10 pm
Wait. Do you get the flashes before the headache? Cause that could be an aura. I think I'm using that word right.

Yes, an aura accompanied by a headache is what is called an "aural migraine." It's what that one reporter, Branson had when she flubbed up her report on the Grammy awards, or whatever award show it was.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on January 14, 2012, 03:47:01 pm
I've had that a little bit. Sometimes as I close my eyes, right as I'm going to sleep, a lot of bizarre images and lights start flashing in my eyes and I twitch my arms and legs. Personally I've found that not going on the computer or the TV a few hours before sleeping helps, but I don't know if that's the case with everyone.

Yesterday I also had my first experience with sleep paralysis, and I couldn't move for a full five to seven minutes. It was pretty cool.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Smilodon on January 14, 2012, 08:14:50 pm
Wait. Do you get the flashes before the headache? Cause that could be an aura. I think I'm using that word right.

Yes, an aura accompanied by a headache is what is called an "aural migraine." It's what that one reporter, Branson had when she flubbed up her report on the Grammy awards, or whatever award show it was.

There's also the possibility that it's epilepsy. I'd check with the doctor for something like this.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Nightangel8212 on January 14, 2012, 09:36:14 pm
I've had the flashes without and with the headaches. I'm not sure if they're related or not. I thought my headaches were caused by my teeth. My entire top row needs extensive work, and I'm pretty sure more than one is absessed.

And speaking of teeth... as a slightly off topic question... Is it possible for infected teeth to kill you? I've seen conflicting reports of it on the internet. Some people say that the infection could spread to your brain and kill you, others say no it can't. Does anyone here know for sure? (Yeah, I know, I REALLY gotta get myself a family doctor) >.<

And in regards to the possibility of it being epilepsy... I honestly hadn't thought of that, but that could be a possibility. My mother has epilepsy, but I have no history of seizures. I'm going to have to ask a doctor about that one for sure...
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: deadpandoubter on January 14, 2012, 11:43:04 pm
I've heard that if the infection can spread, period, it's bad news whether it gets to spinal or brain matter or not.

ETA: The NIH indicates that untreated tooth abscesses are serious shit (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001060.htm):

Quote
Outlook (Prognosis)

Untreated abscesses may get worse and can lead to life-threatening complications.

Prompt treatment usually cures the infection. The tooth can usually be saved in many cases.


Possible Complications

    Loss of the tooth
    Mediastinitis
    Sepsis
    Spread of infection to soft tissue (facial cellulitis, Ludwig's angina)
    Spread of infection to the jaw bone (osteomyelitis of the jaw)
    Spread of infection to other areas of the body resulting in brain abscess, endocarditis, pneumonia, or other complications

As far as the flashes, dunno if this is relevant, but I have a family history of epilepsy, and flashing lights give my mother migraines within a few minutes. I've also had weird flashing lights when I close my eyes, but not very often and I don't usually get a headache after them.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Nightangel8212 on January 15, 2012, 01:27:44 am
DPD, thank you soooo much for that link. It actually made me feel a little relieved because I only have the general toothaches.  I did the test thing and felt no additional pain, so I don't think my  teeth are absessed yet, but I'm damn sure there's cavities up there, and some of my old fillings are slowly chipping their way out...

I'm kinda tempted to tell a dentist to just yank all my top row out and just give me false teeth >.< I only have eleven teeth up top anyway, and one of them already had a root canal done on it twelve years ago... and I only found out recently that a root canal is only good for five years.

After I'm through with those anxiety group sessions I'm starting on monday, I'll make medical appointments with my old family doctor and try to find a good dentist in the area.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: SpaceProg on January 15, 2012, 09:02:46 am
I've been experiencing something weird for quite some time now. It used to happen at rare intervals when I was younger, but now it's been happening to me on almost a nightly basis and I'm wondering what the hell could be causing it...

I lay down and close my eyes to go to sleep... and even though my eyes are CLOSED... I'll see weird flashes of white light... almost as if someone is flashing a bright light right into my eye from the inside of my eyelid. It used to happen every few weeks, but now it's happening more and more often and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced it and might have an idea of what might be causing it. I have a hard enough time falling asleep without feeling like someone is flashing a light in my face at night... I have had no other symptoms with my eyes that concern me.

Thanks!

Do you have any existing problems with your vision?  Namely severe near or far-sightedness?   Any 'holes' in your vision or thick washes of 'floaters'? 
Do the flashes of light, upon closer examination, resemble streaks of lightning?

The reason I ask is to rule out the possibility of a retinal detachment or tear.  People with severe myopia or hyperopia (like me) tend to have a decently increased risk of such things happening.

I'm starting out pretty much with one of the worst-case-scenarios, but what you're seeing could be as relatively harmless as an ocular migrane. (amarosis fugax [sp?])  which I was diagnosed with once or twice.

It runs the whole gamut really... so I'd suggest you see an eye doctor and get checked out.  If just to rule out any possible problems that can be fixed if caught early enough.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Nightangel8212 on January 15, 2012, 09:49:14 am
I've been experiencing something weird for quite some time now. It used to happen at rare intervals when I was younger, but now it's been happening to me on almost a nightly basis and I'm wondering what the hell could be causing it...

I lay down and close my eyes to go to sleep... and even though my eyes are CLOSED... I'll see weird flashes of white light... almost as if someone is flashing a bright light right into my eye from the inside of my eyelid. It used to happen every few weeks, but now it's happening more and more often and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced it and might have an idea of what might be causing it. I have a hard enough time falling asleep without feeling like someone is flashing a light in my face at night... I have had no other symptoms with my eyes that concern me.

Thanks!

Do you have any existing problems with your vision?  Namely severe near or far-sightedness?   Any 'holes' in your vision or thick washes of 'floaters'? 
Do the flashes of light, upon closer examination, resemble streaks of lightning?

The reason I ask is to rule out the possibility of a retinal detachment or tear.  People with severe myopia or hyperopia (like me) tend to have a decently increased risk of such things happening.

I'm starting out pretty much with one of the worst-case-scenarios, but what you're seeing could be as relatively harmless as an ocular migrane. (amarosis fugax [sp?])  which I was diagnosed with once or twice.

It runs the whole gamut really... so I'd suggest you see an eye doctor and get checked out.  If just to rule out any possible problems that can be fixed if caught early enough.

I'm near sighted, but it's not severe and EVERYONE in my immediate family wears glasses. My vision hasn't changed at all since I graduated over ten years ago, though. I have no holes in my vision (at least that I've noticed?) and I've never seen a floater before in my life.

As for the flashes of light... no, they don't resemble lightning... They're weird. The closest thing I can think of to describe the general shapes of these things is roundish, but with uneven sides. Like if you shot a paintball at the wall straight on and the paint splattered on the sides. Sometimes it seems to come almost from the corner of my vision, other times it's like it's directly in front of my pupils.

When I talk to my old family doctor, I'm going to tell him that I want a COMPLETE 100% thorough medical examination. Top to bottom, inside and out, X-Rays and CAT scans, I want it all frickin' done. There is something (I'm thinking maybe SEVERAL somethings) wrong with me and I want to get it dealt with. The Anxiety Attacks are the worst still for me yet, though, so that's why I want to do these sessions first.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Auri-El on January 15, 2012, 10:12:21 am
I sometimes see lights like that. It kind of looks like a spinning pinwheel, and it sometimes (but not always) precedes a migraine. I figure they're just auras. Been getting them for years and it's never been a major issue other than it makes it hard to see for half an hour or so.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Witchyjoshy on January 15, 2012, 12:19:52 pm
I had an aura migraine some weeks ago.

The aura, for me, was more like a manifestation of several blindspots on my eyes, like I had looked into a lamp too long and had developed a semi-permanent glare.  Was not fun.

I've yet to experience sleep paralysis.

I do swear, however, that I've shut off my alarm in my sleep a few times.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Nightangel8212 on January 15, 2012, 12:45:57 pm
LOL!! Zach, I've shut my alarm off in my sleep for sure. I sleep with earplugs, so I keep the alarm pretty close so I can hear it through my earplugs. Sometimes, I think when my ears pick up on it, my brain just says "fuck it" and makes my arm hit the "off" button so I can give my usually sleep-deprived mind additional zzzzzz...
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: SpaceProg on January 15, 2012, 07:48:16 pm
What you described as the flashes sounds to me what I described to my eye doctor, and he said it was a neuron firing.  That was the same day I got diagnosed with the ocular migraine, so... If it persists or gets worse, it couldn't hurt to visit the doc.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Nightangel8212 on January 16, 2012, 12:20:09 am
What you described as the flashes sounds to me what I described to my eye doctor, and he said it was a neuron firing.  That was the same day I got diagnosed with the ocular migraine, so... If it persists or gets worse, it couldn't hurt to visit the doc.

I talked to my mom about both the light flashes and my teeth. She suggested that I go to the University of Alberta because you can get free dental care there from the students who are studying dentistry. I guess my parents used to bring me there when I was really young at a time when they didn't have coverage from Blue Cross, and they do very good jobs.

She's also going to talk to her doctor (who used to be my doctor too, but I lost a huge chunk of respect for him years ago... long story) but my mom says he's been very good lately. So, rather than trying to locate a doctor in a province that is currently having a SHORTAGE of medical professionals, I guess I'll return to Dr. Dipshit. While I don't like him, his father has been in the medical profession for over forty years and still works a couple days a week. Due to this, his son has easy access to many medical professionals because of his father's many years of making connections in the medical field. So it's the best way for me to get the help I need very quickly. My mom said he got her in to see a Neurologist only a week after going to see him, and as any Canadian knows, that's pretty fucking fast up here.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on January 16, 2012, 01:18:49 am
What you described as the flashes sounds to me what I described to my eye doctor, and he said it was a neuron firing.  That was the same day I got diagnosed with the ocular migraine, so... If it persists or gets worse, it couldn't hurt to visit the doc.

I talked to my mom about both the light flashes and my teeth. She suggested that I go to the University of Alberta because you can get free dental care there from the students who are studying dentistry. I guess my parents used to bring me there when I was really young at a time when they didn't have coverage from Blue Cross, and they do very good jobs.

She's also going to talk to her doctor (who used to be my doctor too, but I lost a huge chunk of respect for him years ago... long story) but my mom says he's been very good lately. So, rather than trying to locate a doctor in a province that is currently having a SHORTAGE of medical professionals, I guess I'll return to Dr. Dipshit. While I don't like him, his father has been in the medical profession for over forty years and still works a couple days a week. Due to this, his son has easy access to many medical professionals because of his father's many years of making connections in the medical field. So it's the best way for me to get the help I need very quickly. My mom said he got her in to see a Neurologist only a week after going to see him, and as any Canadian knows, that's pretty fucking fast up here.

Do you mean this Dr. Dipshit?

(http://downloadhousemdepisodes.edogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/house-md-promo-season-4_06.jpg)
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Shane for Wax on January 16, 2012, 01:32:47 am
House is not a dipshit. You take that back.
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: Nightangel8212 on January 16, 2012, 03:04:25 am
Well, I guess I could explain exactly why I don't like the guy....

He used to be a very good doctor... patient, sympathetic and taking all his patients concerns into consideration. We had him as a family doctor for years. He even delivered my sister's first baby.

But... a few months after delivering my sister's baby, he was doing another delivery... and tragically, he accidentally DROPPED the baby when it came out and the baby died. He obviously felt absolutely horrible and took six months off to get mental help to aid him in coping with the event. Then he came back.... and turned into a complete fucking ass.

My mother has a shittonne of things wrong with her medically, and he started getting really impatient with her and told her to "Stop being a fucking baby over everything" on one occasion. For a brief time I was experiencing what I thought was auditory hallucinations. I could have sworn there were people in my bedroom whispering right behind me, and I could even almost make out what they were saying. Rather than referring me to a MENTAL professional, he prescribed me antipsychotics, saying I might be schizophrenic. So... after three weeks of horrible muscle spasms, bouts of nausea, and cramping (and still hearing what I thought was whispering even with the pills) I asked him to refer me to a psychiatrist and he REFUSED. I had to get another doctor who would do it for me, and after a few sessions, the psychiatrist determined that there was no way I was schizophrenic, as I had none of those symptoms outside of my bedroom.

I had the fun of being weaned off of those fucking things (getting on antipsychotics isn't fun, but the sensations you get weaning OFF them sucks just as bad) and me and my dad sat in my bedroom at night trying to determine what it was I was experiencing. It was only when the furnace came on that we both realized that the sound of the air coming through the vents sounded like creepy ass whispering. It was fucking SOUND MATRIXING.

If the asshole had simply referred me to a mental health professional from the START I wouldn't have had to go through three fucking weeks of horrific side effects from those pills. He never apologized for it, never apologized to my mom and for the longest time treated her like an annoyance more than a patient. I think the only reason he's been behaving himself lately is because my mom started bringing my dad in with her... and the doctor knows my dad well enough to know that he'll never tolerate anyone talking rudely to Mom while he's present.

So... yeah. Not really looking forward to seeing him again, but it'd be faster than 1) trying to find a doctor who is actually accepting patients and 2) going through a doctor with no really helpful connections immediately available and being put on a six month waiting list.

So, I'll suck it up and go see the prick. But he better not try pulling something dickish again, because I'm not a fifteen year old anymore, and I'll dish it back to him x10!
Title: Re: Has anyone else experienced this?
Post by: SpaceProg on January 16, 2012, 08:03:04 pm
Looks like Dr. Dipshit badly needs to see a shrink himself... if he isn't already.
Repressed guilt can REALLY change a person.