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Underground > Temple >

Do I have brain damage? No, seriously...

rising and revolving

16:10 / 10.04.06

So, the last week I've had some strange symptoms that I really hadn't put together until now. The smell of gin and lemons has been following me around, cropping up in weird places. For a bit I thought one of my workmates had a new cologne, but it's been pretty persistant, and I keep running into it in the outside world.

Weird headaches as well - kind of migraine-y, but not. Pressure inside my head in a couple of places.

Then, last night, I went to see a movie. And as I arrived at the cinema, this shimmering curtain of light appeared all over the right hand side of my vision - making it hard to, for example, see things very clearly.

It went away after half an hour or so.

Then came back.

When I woke up this morning, it was gone. But my vision was blurry, and I was stumbling around like I was drunk. I've straightened out a little now but I still feel ... crazy.

I just went to the clinic to see a doctor, and he seemed unconcerned. Suggested that it was probably 'floaters' - but I've had floaters, and this isn't it. Anyhow, he's referred me to an eye specialist for Wednesday morning. Which is good ... but ...

I'm freaking out a little. Because the symptoms sound to me a little more than a minor deal. But maybe I'm just being paranoid...

Gods. Hope so.

The temple-y side of this is that Sunday, which seemed to initiate the beginnings of this, I did some pathworking with Resh which lit my body ON FIRE.

The evening, although my brain was in pain and my vision screwy, my clairvoyance was superb. I did a middle pillar that was just amazing and found myself projecting with ease.

So, I kind of think I'm going crazy, just to even out the mix.

*

16:37 / 10.04.06

R&R, it would be good to see a neurological specialist. Have you got any ideas for what might be causing all this? i.e. did you hit your head, or take some substance? Are you under an unusual amount of stress? Are you fasting or not eating well? Have you ever been diagnosed with anything relevant, like epilepsy? How old are you?

I think you need to see a neurological specialist of some sort. I think your concern is valid, although I greatly suspect that you are more scared right now than you need to be. You sound like you're well-placed to get care, which is the important thing. There are a lot of possible causes for all this, and many of them are quite benign and easily fixable, and some of them are more potentially severe but if you have good access to medical care that can help immensely.

You might page the Lab for this one, too... Once we rule out anything organic, then we can maybe talk about the speeeerits and the ennnnnnergy, man.

*

16:39 / 10.04.06

Also, for a combination of reasons, whatever you do to ground and bleed off excess ennnnnnergy after ritual... do some of that. It will hopefully help with the stress, and if you actually did just screw up your ennnnnergy with the Resh thing Sunday then maybe it'll be just the ticket.

rising and revolving

16:44 / 10.04.06

Good advice.

Should I try and see a neurologist (any advice on finding one?) before wednesday, or should I hang loose and see what the eye-doc says before moving on?

rising and revolving

16:49 / 10.04.06

Oh, and as to cause - nothing I can think of. Diet is solid, blood pressure is good, haven't taken any blows or anything untoward ... nothing new, really.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

16:52 / 10.04.06

I get something very similar, and have done for about eight years now- especially this part-

this shimmering curtain of light appeared all over the right hand side of my vision. Did yours start with a small part, looks (except you can't focus on it) like a scratch, or a tear, then gradually expands to fill the vision in your right eye?

My GP told me it sounded like migraine, except I never get a headache with it, which doesn't sound right at all. Sometimes it includes nausea, sometimes not. Was talking to a friend at work about this and he said the visual part can sometimes be to do with diabetes, which was news to me. I may have to go see my GP again. I recommend you do the same, and offer some suggestions yourself.

Bottom line is- go and see anyone (GP, neurologist...) you think may be able to help.

Let us know how it goes- for obvious selfish reasons, as well as for your welfare, I'm interested.

01:13 / 11.04.06

R&R, could be migraines, they come in all shapes and sizes.

Go the medical route first. They have excellent tools to eliminate diagnosis of the big things like tumors, then they work down from there. It will probably be months before they know. You'll probably see lots of doctors. The Eye Doc is a really good place to start- if you need a Neuro he'll get you into a good one more quickly than you can yourself.

Hopefully they will triage you out of the system quickly. But then they will Ply you with Medications. Be careful. Meds are tools and not your only choice.

While working with the docs you may want to get some complementary therapies acupuncture/massage/energy work. You may want to work with and elder or sifu or master in your specific style of practice to see if they are familiar with these symptoms.

Best of luck and keep us informed.

Kill for Inner Peace

07:24 / 11.04.06

http://eugeneeyecare.com/conditions/Ophthalmic_Migraine.html
It could be a painless migraine....

It could be this. Another thing to check is if it appears in your right eye's vision or in your right field of vision. If it doesn't interfere with your visual field when your right eye is closed it is most likely related to an issue with your eye. If the disturbance still exists in your visual field with your right eye closed it is most likely neurological, which is not something you should be too worried about. Minor visual disturbances are quite common, and olfactory hallucinations usually are not symptoms of anything serious. Of course, if this is causing you distress you should seek the advice of your GP.

*

07:25 / 11.04.06

If you're feeling calm, I would go ahead and schedule an appointment for sometime after the eye doctor, and if it's sorted by then, you can call and cancel. As for finding one, asking your primary care physician for a referral is generally the route I would take.

foot long subbacultcha

11:55 / 12.04.06

How's it going, R&R?

rising and revolving

16:31 / 12.04.06

YAY!

I appear undamaged, at least in any sort of perma-fashion.

Opthamologist this morning concurred with the migraine suggestion. Seems the description fits - he was a little surprised by the sheer *number* of episodes over the last week. I've got my own theories about that, but certainly stress is a big factor.

Just having someone say "You're not dying, chill out," was very helpful.

Also, knowing that it was a series of migraines allowed me to do what I usually do for migraines. Take some asprin and get some extra sleep.

Feeling much less panicky today. Which means I feel less stressed. Which helps.

Thanks for all the feedback. Appreciate it.

Feel a bit stupid getting all het up over it, though.

16:45 / 12.04.06

glad to hear. Be Well.

Charlie's Horse

18:34 / 12.04.06

Hey, don't feel stupid. Seriously. Nothing wrong with a little freaking out, especially with the symptoms you've had. Besides, it's nice to see how easily we all assume the worst, isn't it? Seeing that can help take it into account.