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Creed3

Creed3

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2002
Messages
856
Location
Virginia
Hi Everyone!
I was having a great day today until out of the blue I became dizzy and I couldn't see clearly. I had a hard time focusing or something. It passed in a minute or two. I went to the ER and they told me it didn't appear to be a stroke because you would usually see some changes in the retna and my retnas looked OK. I had no tingling or anything. How do I know, when I have these weird visual disturbances, whether to go to the ER or not. I am getting so tired of doctors. My INR was at 2.4 on Thursday and it dropped back to 1.8 today:mad: I am getting so frustrated. When will things get back to normal and when will I stop having these visual disturbances. Sorry to be venting right now. The ER doc said that when he did my exam everything seemed to be just perfect. He didn't seem to have any answer to these visual disturbances. He told me that if I keep having the visual disturbances and they only last a couple minutes and I don't have any symptoms like numbness, difficulty talking etc.....then I don't need to go to the ER. How do you guys feel about that? Will I continue to have these weird disturbances? How do you know if it is a blood clot or a stroke? Docs don't seem to be very helpful in discussing these visual disturbances. Again, I'm sorry to be venting like this. I thought things were going too smoothly the last week. Something was bound to happen. Well thanks for letting me sound off a little bit.

Take Care Everyone!
Creed3
 
Hello Creed,

If it's any comfort to you, I've *Lost Count* of the number of similar episodes where I become dizzy and / or have 'visual effects', especially where my eyes go out of 'convergence'. I can see fine if I close or cover either eye, but they just won't 'go together' for 1 to 3 minutes, then everything is fine again.

I've had Cat scans, with and without contrast dye, and EEG with negative results.

I don't even bother to call or visit any Doc's over this issue anymore. Hopefully it will go away sometime.

'AL' (AVR May 2002)
 
Thanks Al!

Thanks Al!

That is exactly what happened to me. I covered one eye at a time and I could see fine out of each eye, but trying to see with both eyes open, I couldn't. The docs just look at you like they don't know what you are talking about. You have helped me so much now that I know that it isn't just me. Have your docs ever told you exactly what is going on when this happens?

Thanks Again!
Creed3
 
Joe has had 15 or 16 TIAs, probably 10 of them affected his eyes. It was usually one eye and it caused diminished vision or blindness. The symptoms lasted for several minutes, and by the time we got to the ER, they had cleared up. None of the tests that were done revealed anything, but his ophthalmologist felt that they could have a cumulative effect on his vision if they weren't brought under control. He went to a neurologist a few times and went on Plavix. Since his mitral valve surgery he hasn't had any and is no longer on Plavix. so hopefully they are gone for good.

In my opinion, you should continue to go to the ER when they happen and also follow it up with your doctor. In Joe's case they were microemboli caused by the bad valve in combo with his old Bjork-Shiley valve. If they are TIAs, they can also cause other symptoms very similar to a stroke such as stabbing head pain, confusion, slurred speech or unintelligible speech, loss of balance, all of which Joe has had as well.

I think your doctor should be made aware of all of them, even if they clear up so he/she can assess the volume of them. There might be a med that can help to diminish them. And you might need a neuro workup.

Good luck.
 
Hi Nancy!

Hi Nancy!

My cardiologist put me on a baby aspirin every day along with my coumadin. My sister-in-law is on Plavix for a stroke she had due to a diet pill. Doesn't plavix and aspiring do the same thing? I know there are different blood thinners for different things. I'm going to give my cardiologist a call and let them know what happened. The ER automatically sends all their info to my family doc. The weird thing with my latest visual effect was that when I covered one eye I could see fine out of each eye individually, it was just like I couldn't center and focus with both eyes for a minute or so. Thanks very much for your info. It is very much appreciated. I still wish the docs would take the visual disturbances a little more seriously. They make you feel like you are nuts or something. I'll also talk with my cardio about seeing an eye doc. So far no one has mentioned a neuro doc. I'll see what they say. I'm just getting so tired of all of these doctors. Do things ever settle down? Thanks Again!

Take Care!
Creed3
 
Hi Creed-

Believe it or not, but things will eventually even out. It might take a lot of messing around with different meds to do it, that's why you have to keep the doc aware. That's how they make their decisions. They have to be able to assess the severity and number of incidents.

Make sure you're on the top of your doctor's list even if it's the S list, LOL. You know the old saying "the squeaky wheel---blah, blah, blah":p :p

You'll get there
 
Nancy

Nancy

I believe I am on my docs "S" list lol!!:D :D I feel like they say "Oh no, not her again" every time I have to call them. Well, not so much my docs "S" list as I am on the staff's "S" list.
Thanks Again!
Take Care!

Creed3
 
I have the samething happening to me, though I haven't since surgery. It doesn't happen all the time, maybe once or twice a month. No one has been able to explain it to me either. So don't feel alone. I think it's another one of us special people things.
 
Wierd visual symptoms!

Wierd visual symptoms!

I had double vision and other wierd visual symptoms for a while post op.I told my cardiologist about it and he referred me to an opthamologist. This good doctor said it was most likely due to emboli but he wanted me to get an opinion from a neuro-opthamologist. This doctor was one of the few of this specialty in the DC metro area. I live in VA and he was 15 miles away in MD so I called him up first. I asked him what he thought he could do for me. He said he would first order CT and MRI scans of my head which would not show anything. Then....... he wouldn't do anything! I thanked him for his time and never went over to see him. This was 4 years ago. the spells gradually became less frequent and I havn't had any visual symptoms in the last couple of years.I now look back and realize the symptoms may have been due to Percoset which I came to like and kept taking at night long after I didn't really need it for pain.
 
Convergence Problems

Convergence Problems

Creed,

I have had visual convergence problems since I was a teenager (I'm 40 now). It was just as you described...vision was fine out of each eye individually, but they wouldn't work together. I used to call it "split vision". I found that if I was tired, or if I looked too far to the left or right, that I would get the split vision in the next 5 minutes or so.

Fortunately for me, this phenomenon has ceased since my surgery.

I wish I had some answers for you, but you are not alone in these kind of symptoms.
 
I just read this whole thread, and was relieved a little, since I had one of these episodes that scared the cr*p out of me! A few days later, I started to have another one, and realized it was in exactly the same location as before (sitting at the computer). In hindsight, I realized I was kind of slouching, and probably not breathing very deeply. Since that first episode, I could feel it coming on a few times, but some deep breaths immediately cleared it up. I don't know if this is the same thing we are all experiencing, or similar symptoms with different causes. At any rate, if it makes you worried, going to the ER is a good thing. We don't need to worry about what any particular doctor thinks. Remember, they work for you.

Best,
John
 
eyes

eyes

Hi Creed,
I had avr (St. Judes) 4/97 and shortly after I started to have the same problems. Suddenly my eyes felt like they were crossing or not focusing or something - but like you if I closed one eye I could see with no problem. I told the dr who said it could be tia's, but we never did any tests. The worst times that it happened were when I would be driving. That was frightening. It became less frequent as time went by.
Sharon
 
Wow!

Wow!

Suddenly my eyes felt like they were crossing or not focusing or something
Click to expand...

That happened to me just the other day! I thought I was going nuts. Suddenly my eyes felt like they crossed, I couldn't focus on anything, I was extreemly dizy and felt like I might fall over. I was sitting down, fortunately. I was in the middle of giving my students instructions when it happened, and suddenly my mind went blank and I had trouble concentrating to get the words out. But I didn't want to freak any of my kids out, so I tried to keep going. I had someone else hand out their papers so I wouldn't have to get up.

It's nice to know I'm not alone.
 
Interesting observation about sitting at the computer John.

Several (but not all) of my non-convergence episodes have occurred while 'slouching' at the computer.

An internist friend told me it was probably a good idea to follow through with the neurological evaluation (which I did) but that most likely, nothing definitive would be found (it wasn't). The neurologist didn't doubt my description, he just couldn't find anything at the time of my tests / exam (when the symptoms had vanished). Not surprising. He (the neurologist) did offer to check me out any time I had a reoccurance. He also mentioned something about TIA's and visual migraines.

If ANYONE gets a better diagnosis, please advise / post :)

'AL'
 
Hi Creed,

Just wanted to let you know that I have had similar things happen to me too. It started happening shortly after surgery, in fact it started the first day back at work, under flouresent lights and sitting at my computer. I started getting these squiggly's across my vision. Scared the $%^# out of me. Called the eye doctor right away, and went to him. All I could think of was a detached retina, something I read about in regards to connective tissue disorders somewhere. Well, he said it was jsut part of getting old. I still don't buy that.. It still happens but less frequent. I also get these severe sudden pains in the eye. The only way I know to best discribe it is that it is like someone stuck a needle in my eye. It is a sharp pain that lasts for just a moment, then goes away.

Well, I take a Beta Blocker, Atenolol, and Coumadin. I figure it is just a side effect of the medicine. Like I said I still get these episodes on occation, but they are far and few inbetween now.

Hope you get it under control.. and also good to see that others here also have some episodes with their vision after surgery.. Amazing how we find things out that are common to us. Great question Creed!

Rob
 
A far out possibility

A far out possibility

When Al had his second stroke, his vision in one eye was blurred. The neurosurgeon and neurologist said it was not a result of the stroke and the vision would correct itself. His internist did tests and found that his thyroid was way off (hypothyroidism?). The internist was convinced that thyroid medication, levoxyl, would correct the vsion. It did not. Al now has prisim glasses that correct the problem. When he visited the internist last week, the doctor still held out hope for a correction. It seems that in the last two years he knows of three patients, who had heart surgery of some sort and were treated for thyroid problems had their sight corrected by the medication.

At first, I wasn't going to post this because it seems like a very remote possibility. None the less, a blood test for thyroid is easy and inexpensive, as is the medication. Something to consider...

Blanche
 
Hello everyone:

I have an untested theory about this.

Mechanical valves cause cavitation bubbles within the heart. (microemboli of gas) that implode upon themselves. I think perhaps at times these "bubbles" actually travel to other places with the blood, and cause the problems you folks have talked about for so long. Obviously the gas is from the blood itself, and then when the bubbles implode the cause of the problems disappears. Just a theory, cuz so many of you have these problems, with no observable cause. Marybeth
 
Marybeth,
I don't have a mechanical valve (SynerGraft homograft) but I have these symptoms on occassion too.
 
You think it might be the meds?

You think it might be the meds?

Creed,

Is the baby aspirin and coumadin the only meds you take? I?m curious because my vision has always been perfect until I started taking meds.

When I also started having headaches and dizziness about two months ago, I went to see an eye specialist. He said there are people who would kill for my eyes ... that they are perfect. He said something else was causing the problem. I?m convinced it?s the medication I take. Of course I haven?t convinced my cardiologist yet.....

Funny you guys mention breathing and sitting at a desk. My cardio?s advice was to keep myself aware of my breathing.... take a few deep breaths now and then and also to make sure that I get up and walk around often. I still have the squigglies in my vision at times, but the headaches and dizziness have pretty much went away!

Rain
 
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