Didn't you tell me...

...that you didn't hit your head?

It's been a bit of a crazy week for me from a health standpoint. It all started with a strange image in my vision on Sunday. I was reading the paper when all of a sudden I saw some jagged lines in the edge of my vision. I thought there was something odd sitting on the counter, but as I looked down and then back up I realized the odd thing was in my vision. It was a shape with jagged and moving edges, not a circle, but an odd shape, kind of big. The jagged edges were perpendicular to the edge, providing a bit of distortion to what I was seeing. Was it in one eye, or both? I have to say that I really don't know. If I closed an eye, I could see it in the other - but if I closed both eyes, I could still see the strange shape. An afterimage? I really don't know.

My disturbed vision lasted about a half an hour, and I have to admit that it scared me enough that I called my doctor's office. (I guess I'm lucky that they have urgent care hours on the weekend...) After a discussion with the doc on call, I headed in to see her. And that's where the quote at the beginning of this blog entry comes from. This was the first time I met this doc. We started talking when she came into the room, and then she took a second look at my face and started to move in closer, saying "I thought you told me that you didn't hit your head!". Ah, no, I didn't. That mark on my face is left from my accident back in May of 2004. I'm so used to it that I forget it's there, but it's still pretty noticeable. It gave me a good laugh in the middle of my concern.

I've still got one more follow-up test tomorrow, but for now I'm going with the thought (diagnosis? or belief, or hope) that what I had was an ophthalmic migraine. Obviously it could turn out to have another cause, and if that happens I'll just have to deal with it. But I really would prefer not to have a repeat of that sensation, a visual disturbance without a headache. I have to say it was an interesting vision though, if I can separate my curiosity with the worry that it wouldn't go away. I wish there was some way I could take a picture of that strange image so that I could share it with you. I guess my description will have to satisfy your curiosity.