Do you get auras?

[greenshoe88]

I was interested as to how others feel right before you have a seizure...or if you feel anything unusual at all? This precursor is sometimes called an 'Aura'.

I am especially curious because I experienced this myself today...but did not have a seizure. I am very familiar with the feeling I usually get before a seizure: slightly faint, everything moving in slow motion or in halted fragments, difficulty concentrating on whatever I'm doing, sometimes difficulty speaking clearly.

Of course there is also the familiar case of the woman who smelled burnt toast before a seizure. I myself have never experienced strange smells, but has this happened to anyone? Does anyone have symptoms similar to mine?

When I began to feel the aforementioned symptoms, I immediately got to my bed, told a family member, took my medication, and...well...waited. The feeling eventually passed.
What do YOU do when you get these so-called 'auras'?

I'd be very interested to know how everyone reacts/tips to perhaps prevent seizures when these symptoms appear.

Thanks!

 

[Bernard]

These questions have been posed in various forms before. You might try looking through these previous threads:

http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/tags/auras.html

 

[Crystal11]

Auras are technically seizure- simple partial seizures that are followed by a complex partial or generalized or other type seizure. The aura sensation is still an abnormal electricall activity in the brain.

With my auras- I get a strange feeling in my stomach like I'm going to be sick and it travels up until it goes to the top of my head I hear sounds that condense in the middle of the room and sometimes get the feeling of everything around me moving slow or not at all. the aura can be 30sec or so, then the seizure comes. Sometimes my aura is a minute or so and that gives me time to sit or "hide" lol.
Most of the times I will sit because I tend to walk off- not far but I don't stay still. My guide dog also helps me in seizure work. He will stop me and stand infront of me and not let me walk at all. He was trained for guide dog work- but was observed as I had a seizure in training. He was then trained how to help me personally. He is such a good doggie. I love him to death.
If I start having a seizure and I'm already sitting, he usually will walk over me a few times as if he is protecting me. I think he is though- he is my little boy..

I have migraine with aura and those auras make me see white sparks and I feel the migraine start up at the base of my skull. Its really bad and it hurts a lot. Went to ER twice for it and then neuro did testing and dianosed me with migraine w/aura. I honestly would prefer a complex partial seizure than a painful, long migraine that can last 4 days!
Anyway- I have two aura to deal with- when it starts, I have to figure out which one it is LOL.

 

[Endless]

Hi, Greenshoe,

Welcome to CWE!

I get auras. They are usually a weird electrical feeling in my head and body, plus a feeling that something really bad is about to happen - a kind of forboding. Sometimes I will also get beyond extremely tired along with it.

My auras can last 30 seconds, or a whole day. Most of the time it's about a couple of hours. When I get an aura about 99% of the time I have a seizure. I know when I have an aura to just get home and not do anything dangerous like cook on the stove, make any decisions or have important conversations (because I will muck it up), or go outside the house until after the seizure (for safety reasons). Sometimes I don't get home before the seizure hits, which sucks. My service animal usually warns me right before I'm going to have a complex partial or howls during and after it, which really helps. For some reason he doesn't warn me about simple partials or howl during those.

Auras really feel terrible. They can ruin a whole day.

 

[Aussie69]

Hello Greenshoe, Welcome to the Forum.

Auras affect people in so many ways. Just read through the various threads which talk about it and you'll know.

Reading through you're and others in this thread's experiences of an aura sensation they seem quite close to what I go through. Visual weirdness with difficulty on focusing with with white like sparks spinning in random patterns. Faintness in the body, especially in the chest and head. To me it sometimes feels I have no hands or legs. Sometimes de-javu sensations with nausea.

Had many auras yesterday until 2 seizures occured - 2 hours apart.

When an aura occurs I just head for the darkest area I can find, sit down and focus my eyes on a a particular object of no significance, just something that's still, and try to relax as much as possible. This usually works for me in not going to that next stage - a seizure.

 

[greenshoe88]

Thanks everyone for your input! Apologies for a repeat-topic (I didn't think to check board history first).
It is really comforting to know other people experience similar things as I do. I appreciate the tips for seizure prevention as well! Noted.

All the best