Migraine Aura

[johnMiosh]

There have been a few posts concerning Migraine auras recently. My experience is not really specifically relevant to any of them, but I think its worth passing on.

I have had migraines as long as I can remember, they were more frequent, perhaps monthly in adolescence, but dropped to around twice per year in my late teens and less than annually in adulthood. They have always started the same way with a blind spot in the centre of my vision. A few minutes later, the sight there returns and I get a visual disturbance just to the right and below centre. I know that if I take a couple of paracetamol before this appears I can avoid the headache.

This aura is difficult to describe, but it is a little like a jagged teardrop on its side, filled with little square boxes. Each box is filled with lines, some vertical and some horizontal, like a TV test card. The lines are alternately very black and dazzling white but sometimes give an impression of being blue or red. Each line flashes, with the black and white changing places a couple of times a second. Shortly after the aura I will start to feel ill with headache and nausea.

Last Friday afternoon, I had my first migraine since before my AF diagnosis (more than three years), although I did have an aura just after my RF ablation. This post-ablation aura was completely different in shape to my normal migraine and did not lead to a headache.

Friday’s aura was back to normal, except the blue light was much more than a tinge; it had the look of flashing emergency lights. I was working from home, so I thought I would lie down for half an hour in a darkened bedroom. This was very effective as it prevented the headache and also gave me two and a half hours sleep.

I don't think that there is a relationship between migraine headaches and AF, although it is possible there are some common factors. I do find it interesting that the first migraine I have had after ablation was slightly different, but I hope it is another three years before I get a confirmation.

[johnMiosh]

The first picture is quite close to mine. I get the smudge first, which stays quite small and then the flickering comes later. My colours are not normally anywhere near as vivid as in the video.

[jeanjeannie50]

Watching that first recording made me feel quite sick and brought back horrible memories!

I rarely get migraines and haven't had one for years, but think that when I do the flashing zig zag I see is just black, grey and white (will take more notice if I ever have one again). I don't really get the headache afterwards either, but will get a pain in my head that day if I go from sitting to standing. I used to get them in clusters over a few days, all were short lived and lasted perhaps under half an hour each time.

I didn't have the migraine aura at all after my first two ablations carried out by sedation, but did with my third under a GA.

Jean

[Hidden in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Mine are rather similar. I had *no* migraines until November 2017. Then one migraine roughly every month for about 8 months. Then nothing for eight months. Then (for the last 2 or 3 months) a migraine every ten days. The pattern is always the same: first of all a small blind spot in both eyes - this shows up as a “missing letter” if I try to read print. Then a sparking zig-zag line which grows and grows. Then it seems to disappear in one eye and shifts to the periphery of the vision in the other. Mostly I get no headache, sometimes a very, very mild one. The migraines never last more than 25 minutes.

[Justjudes3824 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I get it just like the second video I used to worry about it but as it doesn’t last too long it’s ok Thanks for sharing that

[BobD Volunteer]

I had a period in my life of regular migraines in the very early eighties. I was running a Touring Car in BTCC whilst holding down a full time job in banking and sleeping on average four hours a night. After a couple of years of this the migraines started and continued for some years till I closed the team down to start a family.

Fast forward twenty years and the only migraines I had were post my ablations which we know (listed on our fact sheet) are caused by the transeptal puncture when moving from right to left atrium . I have often wodnered if people who suffer migraines may have a leaky septum but in my case I suspect it was just down to plain refusal to stop doing what I loved to the detriment of my health.

It is interesting that we mention in our fact sheet that the aura may not be accompanied by headache and none that I had post ablation did so result.

One must conclude from anecdotal evidence that ablation (transeptal puncture ) induced migraine is in some way different to "normal" and this is backed up by the fact that many people only ever experience these post ablation and have never had migraines before or since.

[mavisrich]

I get a lot of aural migraines but I have not had an ablation.

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to mavisrich]

Yes, I had mine long before any of my 3 ablations. Did have them right after my third one though.

[F-M-C-MM]

Did anyone have a scotoma / aura after ablation that occurred more frequently over the course of nearly 6 months, and then stopped suddenly. I thought they should have occurred more infrequently as time elapsed and then fade away but that wadnt the case. Like nearly everybody else the lasted about 20 minutes, with jagged patterns like shards of glass.