Recognizing Auras

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Heavy Kevy

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Fortunately the majority of my seizures have been nocturnal. Unfortunately my last three were during the day. I kinda recognized the aura “odd” feeling pretty well the last time. I’ve heard some people can clearly recognize it and sit their but down. Wondering if anyone has gotten “good” at recognizing the aura?
 
I think I've gotten better as the years go by. When I was a kid, I didn't fully realize what was going on and I didn't listen to my body as much, either. My mother noticed by looking at me that my eyes seemed glazed over and I looked kinda zombie-ish. She knew "the look", but teachers didn't generally recognize it.

I started medication in high school and into adulthood. I came off of it for 15 months after being seizure free for 10 years. When I got COVID, all of it felt for naught, so I was back on medication for a time and then I was off of it again (per ER doc instructions, plus I only had that one script, and when I got back to the neurologist months later, I was put back on medication and it seems to be probably for life this time), I noticed the auras so much more during a point of not being on medication after I had COVID. It was easier for me to recognize them then - funny smells (I never noticed this before, but one day with a close call everything smelled like a rainy day to me and was a bit startling because we're in a drought - there isn't rain). One day I was out of it and I get these waves of nausea that come over me. I'll feel the need to vomit for a few minutes, it goes away, and then it comes back, and so on. Twitching of my bottom lip or corners of my lip I started to notice a bit more. For the first time, I noticed arm tremoring...my arm moving up and down where I couldn't stop it. My emotions - I notice that when I'm on the edge of a seizure, I either get irritated and angry, super anxious or overwhelmed, or start getting incredibly sad and crying (most common for me) - basically it all goes haywire. I notice I play with my hands, it feels like I have to constantly rub them as if I am rubbing something off of them, usually it seems like an attempt for my brain to remove an uncomfortable sensation in my hands - but I have caught myself doing this or people staring - wondering what on earth is wrong with me. I have had intense vertigo - like a carousel spinning at top speed that won't stop at all to the point I can't think about standing because I can't. Light headedness, brain fog, and/or a migraine at times can be a type of aura I notice.

I am glad I've gotten better at noticing auras, but it took me time off of the medication to truly recognize it, and that's scary - do not recommend it...I hate going through the auras and feeling on the edge of a seizure. It bites! The onset of my seizures is also quite slow - they rarely happen suddenly. I'm generally super out of it for hours before epilepsy takes over.

Everyone is different, but some are common like different tastes, smells, or sensations on the skin.
 
Hi Heavy Kevy,

I've been able to tell when I have an aura seizure for many yrs. I will start to see colors of the rainbow in a zigzag pattern flash back and
forth from one eye to the other then I get a nevous feeling in my stomach and then the seizures is over unless it goes into an absence
or complex partial seizure.
My neuro taught me many yrs. ago that the moment I start to have an aura seizure to tighten up all the muscles in my body and make my
hands into tight fists and if I do if fast enough it will stop the seizure and it has worked many times.
Wishing you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
Thanks for replying. If I’m able to recognize one I’ll definitely try tightening my muscles.

The more I read about it the scarier it gets. So many different aura sensations and levels of intensity. My seizures seem to happen second’s after the odd feeling. Saturday I feel on the floor and Sunday I fell down half a flight of stairs. Ended up getting stitches above my eye. Lots of bruises and my shins got all scraped up. I’m searching for anything that might be an indicator. At the same time I don’t want to be nervous every time I get a head rush or something.
 
I often wish I had auras before my complex partials. Unless somebody witnesses them, I have no idea of their occurrence. Unless I'm watching TV & suddenly note that something very different is on, or I hurt myself/damage my surroundings, I don't even know that I've had a complex partial. I have also found myself in different rooms of the house once or twice when a seizure has ended.
I had one while at my neurologist's office when there on 3/11 for my last appointment--he raised the dose of one medication by 100mg/day. I had still 2 on 5/4.
 
Nausea is a aura I never really thought about. I’m lucky to have a strong GI system as far as I know. I almost never feel 🤮
 
If I feel a strong sense of terror, it will trigger an aura for me and usually a Tonic Clonic.
Sometimes (usually) I start to have very strong, deep, grief, emotion so strong .
 
Bad emotion so strong it makes virtigo and nausea. I have this overall wave of killer sorrow/grief and my stomach turns. That is when I immediately say , OH #$!! IT'S HERE AGAIN, F-$!; maybe months later I can remember. I recognize it though. It's so horrible.
 
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