Had the oddest thing happen last night. Not sure how to describe it, but I'll try.
Was lying in bed and suddenly heard a fluttering wooshing sound in my ears.
At the same time, saw bright flashes (my eyes were closed) and felt electrical shocks going through my body.
Was over in an instant, but it wasn't the first time I've had this.
Any ideas?
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
Not sure but I've had the lights flashing in front of my closed eyes.
Up for more answers.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posted by Lauralyme (Member # 15021) on :
I've experienced it too. It sounds/feels like a moth fluttering in my ear. Bright flashes with eyes closed too.
Posted by laughnos (Member # 15307) on :
I had it too!! It lasted for a couple of weeks with some days being more pronounced than others. Once my antibiotic kicked in it stopped. Now I don't have it at all. Are you on antibiotic?
I was told my someone who had lyme previously that it was a symptom of the lyme having entered the central nervous system. Don't know if that is true but was scary to me.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Flashing lights can also be a sign of a detached retina. I've heard Lyme can cause it, but it might be worth having checked out. You only have one set of eyes. Posted by Curiouser (Member # 14128) on :
Geneal, Thanks!
Lauralyme, That's exactly the sound! Didn't know how to describe it.
Laughnos, It seems to be worse when I'm lying down, for whatever reason. And yes, I've been on abx for 3 months now. Currently on zith/ceftin/plaquenil.
I've known for awhile now that it was in my CNS, due to symptoms. A recent MRI showed white matter lesions. Problem is, they don't know what kind or specifically from what.
WML can also be caused by B12 deficiency, CFS, migraines, etc. And I have all those.
Six, I don't get the flashes all that often. Still, should probably go see an eye doc anyway, just to be on the safe side. Need new glasses anyway, so can kill 2 birds and all that.
Thanks all! Posted by DakotasMom01 (Member # 14141) on :
I have had these for yrs, with eyes open, before the Lyme dx. One dr mentioned aura migranes. Perhaps mine are different. Do you see a pattern like a zigzag?
They completely blind me for mins at a time. Scarey when driving!
Posted by Dayle Ann (Member # 1657) on :
Yes, it is a good idea to have eyes checked out by an ophthalmologist (not an optometrist!).
The nerves that serve the face, eyes ears, are directly wired to the brain. So your guess that the symptoms you are having indicates CNS infection is probably right. I've had all those symptoms, to a much larger degree since my infection went untreated for so long. Once on treatment, they started getting better, though for me it took a while. My dr told me that these nerves, especially the third trigeminal, can be the last to heal.
Early on, my LLMD recommended that I do be checked by an opthalmologist. I was lucky to see one who understood the impacts Lyme can have on eyes. It was good to know that physically my eyes were fine. No uveitis or retinal issues. He explained that my symptoms were due to neurological impacts of the Lyme.
The only physical anomaly was amblyopia (double vision due to weakness in the eye muscles), requiring prisms in my glasses. I knew I had this, but it did not have it until after I was infected with Lyme. Apparently (in retrospect) Lyme weakened the eye muscles by affecting the nerves controlling them. It had gradually worsened over the years, increasing the prism needed to correct. I'd been told that it would not go away.
Recently I had an new eye exam because I was having trouble with my glasses, and because my eyes felt funny. Guess what? The amblyopia is gone. No prism. And my vision is better: the correction for my nearsightedness is now exactly what it was when I was in high school! I got to spurge on a new pair of cool glasses.
And all the sparklies, flashes, whooshing, and other oddities are gone, gone, gone.
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