Years ago, I wrote that if I ever got a tumor, I'd call it Buddy and rename my journal "Buddy & Me".
Well, I think Buddy is here. And he's a ghost. In my eye.
In my right eye, to be precise. For about four hours today, I could see a little flickering ghostly blob, just off from the center of my field of vision. It was this shimmery little thing, metallic gold in color, and it just sort of hung out. It was very defined and present, and aside from being a little distracting while I drove, it didn't cause me any discomfort. It was like a tiny little "check engine" light going off, except of course it was warning me that my head was about to explode.
I have no idea what Buddy the Eyeball Ghost was, or if he'll be back. I don't know if he was a result of the Beedies, or some new fun way that my body is betraying me. I have an appointment with Dr, Hottie next week, so perhaps she'll be bale to shed some light on Buddy and his mission in my eyeball.
So there you go. All you armchair doctors can go nuts telling me what sort of hideous eyeball tumor I've got now. Just remember, his name is Buddy. Buddy the Eyeball Ghost.
31 comments:
look up migraine auras!
See, I thought about that, but it was really clear and didn't fade or change shapes. Also, no headache.
It could also be a "floater", where part of the inside of your eye detaches. It's harmless, though annoying. I've had one for five years. How noticeable it is comes and goes. My optomitrist said that she has one too. :) I hope that's all Buddy turns out to be.
Yep, I think you experienced an eye "halo" that are often precursors to migraines. You might not have gotten the headache, just the halo. I've had them before and they're weird and kinda frightening, but harmless--mine are always silver, darn it! I'm also not a doctor but don't be afraid, get your eyes checked and we'll be praying that all is well in your noggin. I know you are an athiest (agnostic?) but I shall pray for you anyway. God loves you and so do your readers!
Sounds like a floater to me. I'm quite obviously no doctor, I just heard about these a few weeks ago, and yours sound like the classic symptoms. Some info here, if you want to check it out: http://www.floatershell.com/
Hey, I'm not a doctor either, so I'll take a crack at it! Sounds like maybe it's a detached retina. An acquaintance of mine had that (surgically corrected, fine now). It's more common in folks with diabetes.
Actually sounds like a floater to me--I think those can be caused by detatched retninas. My ather in law had them, although I don't recall if there was any treatment for them.
I don't usually get auras with my migraines (the warning would be kind of nice, actually), but my understanding is that it is possible to get the aura without the headache, occasionally. So I wouldn't rule it out.
Is it still there today? Did you try rinsing out your eye with saline?
I had a vitreous detachment a couple of years ago and it sounds a little like that. It's kind of like a shiny version of the floaters that you get occasionally. How near-sighted are you, Rob? That can make it more likely. I don't know if the beedies increases your chances too.
Mine came and went for a while, then came and stayed a while then went away completely (apparently when the vitreous humor completely detached from a little piece of the retina). It sounds scary but is a lot less serious than a retinal detachment. Tell Dr. Hottie about it and she may be able to refer you to an ophthalmologist (hopefully with a referral it won't cost another big box o'money).
Rob:
My husband has diabetes, and when I read this to him, he said, "No. Now. Not next week, now. With diabetes, any visual distortion is time to go see an opthamologist, now. It could be a sign of diabetic retinopathy. Call the doctor; they'll make room for you when you tell them you're a diabetic. You only get two eyes!"
In a normal person, you could easily suspect a migraine aura, but with diabetes, it could be much much worse. It is far better to know. They'll need to dilate you and check your retinas. Please, don't wait! (Says the woman who takes her husband to eye appointments regularly, and - so far so good - nothing has shown up yet.)
Whoa! My husband suddenly had something like this appear two weeks ago, and we were just in for our third visit with the specialist yesterday. Your cases are different, since his hasn't left in those two weeks, but the guy yesterday did mention it could have been a migrane (and was quick to tell us that migraine doesn't necessarily mean a headache at all) except that, if that was the case, it would have been on-and-off.
So, we're still hunting down the cause of his, in a few weeks we're headed up to the nearest big city to have fancy eye doctors shine fancy lasers at his eye to get a better idea of what it is. Whee!
I have to agree with carrie - please go see an opthamologist as soon as possible. I'm not a diabetic, but I have a tiny "bubble" behind my retina that makes me at higher risk for retinal detachment. My doc keeps a close watch on my eyes, but tells me that if I ever see lights, flashes or anything like that to stop what I'm doing and get to his office *right now*. They can usually fix these things if caught early, but the longer you wait the less chance there is. Please get your eyes checked!
And hopefully it will be a big old nothing - the human body is just plain weird sometimes.
Kristin
Carrie already beat me to the punch, but anytime you see a "floater: and you haven't seen one before, please call an opthalmologist. There's even a clinic near your work: Texas Retina Associates.
I have had three retina detachments, and while you're most likely experiencing liquifying vitreous, with diabetes and diabetic retinopathy to consider, please go ahead and call.
Sounds like a floater, but definitely have Dr. Hottie check it out. You can still name a floater Buddy, if you'd like, by the way. No one will hold it against you, and you wouldn't want to piss off the floater for fear of him bringing friends.
(Raises hand... has floaters...too many to name, but too few for a basketball team.)
Well, everybody else's posts are scary enough! So I won't add anything except to say that I hope it's none of the above, just a big nothing... or maybe something good.
I have to chime in with everyone else: for most people, floaters ain't no big thang. But if you got the beedies you gotta check it out asap -- not next week, now.
I'm 28, perfectly healthy, and I had a retinal detachment two years ago. I know it's not what you want to hear, but yes. Eye doctor. Immediately. It could be a pointless visit - but it could be the difference between keeping your sight in that eye, and going blind. I wish I were exaggerating. Thank goodness I got mine caught, and fixed, in time. Please, from someone who's been there, do go right away!
Rob
I have to agree with the comments that mention diabetic retinopathy. Also being very nearsighted increases the risk of retinal detachment. I wouldn't wait till next week, see an opthamologist ASAP. There is also a condition called an "optic migraine". I've had a few and mine present as neon colored zig-zags in my peripheral vision. I also have patches of missing vision. They are harmless spasms of the optic nerve, but very unnerving the first time you have one. I only had the slightest of headaches along with it once. With your NIDDM, don't mess around, see an eye doc now!
My husband went from 20 units shy of his graphic arts degree to unable to see his hand in front of his face in within three months. He's type 1 diabetic, it was retinopathy, and it started with floaters, flashers, and a detatchment. This was twelve years ago, and they can do a lot more to save sight now, so please go get this checked out today.
Forget this aura business and this retina business and this beedie sbusiness, too. You, sire, have been visited by an alien! An eyeball alien!
I thought "optical migraine" (I get these occasionally, they're kind of like the migraine aura without the headache that follows; they're linked to high blood pressure, so get that checked soon) and "floater," but Carrie is absolutely right, beedies + eye problems = do not fuck around.
The first time I had an optical migraine I almost called 911; I was convinced I was having a stroke. Eye problems are scary.
GO TO THE EYE DOCTOR RIGHT NOW.
DONNA
Rob, I got something similar a two weeks ago. But mine was a backwards-c shape made up of little silvery triangles and pyramids connected in a line. They sparkled/shimmered and obscured my vision for about 30 minutes then went away. My doctor's best guess was what she called a "visual migraine" and she described it as a temporary spasm of blood vessels in the eye or brain.
Oddly enough, the same day my mother got what she called "lightning strikes" along with hundreds of floaters and a cloud in her vision. She made a doctor appointment for the following Monday (it was Thursday) to get a referral to the eye doctor. She ended up having emergency laser surgery on Monday due to a partially detached retina. They told her if she'd waited another day or two it would have been too late and she'd have lost vision in that eye.
My point is pretty much everyone else's point. It could be nothing but it could be a retina problem. And I understand that eye problems are common with the Beedies and you don't want to mess around with that. You can always just call your retina Buddy.
Everyone else has said it, but... GO TO THE EYE DOCTOR.
Prolly just a floater (I've had them all my life) but better safe than sorry.
You got the health insurance now, right? So please tell the doctor that he/she needs to make some room on the schedule right now. Go to the doctor, don't wait. It's probably nothing, but it might be something.
OK, you may not want to hear this, but you knew the armchair dr.'s were going to come out. And if I'm right, I think you were secretly hoping they would, with lots of comments to ensue!
So here's the scoop. My Grandpa had beedies and he had floaters. Don't know if they were related or not, could have been completely separate problems, anyway, he had to have a "procedure" for the floaters. I think he had a detached retina, and because I'm only an armchair dr., I don't know if a detached retina and floaters go hand-in-hand. I was quite distracted when he told me his story because the freakin' but-ass scarry surgery he had to have. It grossed me out every time he told it to me, but secretly, I quite enjoyed it.
Not wanting to freak you out anymore than I have, leave a comment here if you want me to tell you what they did for him.
***He was able to see clearly the rest of his life....that my friend, is the REST of the story!
It could really gross you out
Can I just add, Hear Hear! Go to the doctor. Our very good neighbor almost lost his eyesight due to a detatched retina in one eye and then a few months later in the other eye, and it needs IMMEDIATE attention. Quick response saved his eyes, and it can save yours also.
It's probably not a retinal detachment, since you can still see. It may well just be a blood sugar fluctuation thing, or an optical-only migraine. But it could possibly be a sign of retinopathy or something weird going on. Your general doctor probably won't be able to tell you much; you really need a dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. They usually catch retinopathy before it does any damage or has any symptoms, by virtue of checking for it regularly. I know it sucks to have to pay for another doctor, but you really may not want to wait till your regularly-scheduled appointment.
As someone who's had a retinal detachment (caused from being nearsighted), my advice with anything to do with your vision: go to the doctor immediately, and don't put it off. I made it in time and saved my eyesight! There is no pain with retinal detachment.
Hope you go soon!
Vixen
www.geocities.com/vixenaccount
My doctor thinks it's blood sugar related. We talked through the sequence of events, and she pointed out a detail I missed: it went away when I had lunch. We're going to check it out further on Tuesday. Buddy hasn't returned since that one appearance.
Rob, where did you get those pictures you are using in the blog by Luke Chueh?
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