Frequent aura attacks - only very slight headache afterwards. Attacks last 30 minutes - can be either right or left sided. Aura starts in shape of small zigzag letter 'c' (this way 'c' seen if on left - reversed if on right)then gets larger until the 'C' disappears out of view on whichever side if appeared on.
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I suffer from the same aura attacks. I used to get about one a month and it would mainly just make me feel like total crap for a day or two. Starting in May of this year, I've been getting 3-4 a week! Some of them don't surprise me b/c I've been dealing with a few stressful situations lately. If I start feeling a heachache after the aura I take my prescription Maxalt and it works like a charm. Have you figured out what triggers your auras and/or how to prevent them?
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I'm having an aura attack right now. I've been getting up to four a week just lately. I've been under a lot of stress with little sleep for about 3 years now but my history is that I started with a classic migraine aged 11 years and then abdominal migraine and migraine without aura into my teens. Then migraine with or without aura until my 40s. During the time of great stress about five years ago the "silent" (aura only) migraines made a brief appearance, and they have returned with a vengeance in the year. They last for 20 minutes or so, accompanied with a feeling of being "spaced out" and sometimes numbness in my hands. I recently saw a Neurologist who confirmed Migraine and my BP meds were changed from Felodipine to a Beta blocker. It's made no difference whatsover except I now have cold extremities as well.
Now I find I'm getting the auras back to back and indeed the second one has just started, just as soon as the first finished after exactly 20 minutes. This means that I'll have to sit here for a further 20 minutes before I can drive home. It's especially annoying as I also ride a motorbike and often have to pull over because my vision is restricted.
I feel it is neck related as it's sometimes preceded by a stiff neck or if I turn my head suddenly. I also get a lot of sinus problems, related to a smell of stale cigarette smoke. It's all very worrying and annoying.
I get the auras too, but they never give me any pain. Sometimes I don't have any for months, sometimes I've had 3 or 4 a month. They are generally triggered for me by bright lights e.g. driving past trees in bright sunlight so that it has a strobe effect, looking at a bright screen. My laptop is always dimmed, I have had them remove the fluorescent lights near my desk at work, my phone screen is dimmed, I don't read books in bright sunlight (thank goodness for Kindle). I've had the attacks for years, they start with me noticing a blind spot, then a shimmering at the periphery of my vision, then it gradually spreads until my whole field of vision is shimmering...then it goes off - just stops suddenly and I'm fine. It's takes less time if I can find a dark room to sit in, but they don't frighten me now. I've had hundreds and no harm done. I get severe common migraines as well (30 years now), but not in conjunction with the aura.
Sorry to read about your symptoms, but relieved to find someone has the same symptoms I've been having. Exactly the same. I used to have horrible migraines without auras. Then the migraines stopped when I was about 50 and a few years later the auras started. It might be a year between auras, or sometimes two or three in one day. (I once had two going on at the same time, one nested inside the other.) They do seem related to neck pain sometimes. They rarely interfere with my vision enough to be disabling. Slight hand numbness sometimes. Oherwise, just pretty light shows that I can't share with anybody.
I started getting auras about ten years ago . The first was while driving and it frightened me to death. It affected my peripheral vision so I could only see properly through the centre of my vision.Ive only had a few like that over the years. I mainly have the zig zag ones.
, where I see a tiny bright squiggly line which gradually becomes bigger and bigger till it fills my complete eyeball with a zig zag circle. I take two tablets and lie down with a pillow over my head and sit back and watch the free psychedelic show. They last almost exactly 25 minutes each time. They used to scare me, but not any longer. The only common trigger I can think of is bright light such as the sun reflecting off a car windscreen , or off a rain soaked road etc. I have started to get headaches afterwards now as well.
I notice that this is quite an old discussion but I wonder if anyone had been or going through migraine auras (mainly without head pain) but I am experiencing sinus pressure (well I think it is) mainly over one eye.
I had migraine auras some time ago, about four a month for a while and then they stopped. I was going into menopause and so I thought they were hormone related. Well i'm two years meno now and they have returned.
In the last three weeks just under, I have had seven. When the first one happened I wasnt suprised as I was given a strong coffee and after swimming it came on. The second one was after some rose wine and I presumed that caused that one.
They mainly come in the mornings but the third one happened in the evening when I entered the bathroom and I wondered if the bright light had brought that one on. Another time one came on after I looked at a car headlight while driving. There seems to be quite a few triggers. One was brought on the first time round while looking at my phone in a darkened room.
The frequency of them worries me again, I recently had an eye test which was OK, I need reading glasses..
I have just had one this morning, first for a few months, didn't last very long this time. I find that if I take two paracetamol straight away and lie down with a cushion over my face to block out all light, they can pass after about 20 mins. The last half dozen or so have also brought on headaches at the back of my head that last quite a few hours.I am also super sensitive to bright light all the time as well as noise. I nearly jump out of my skin at sudden noise,"people think I am putting it on" yet I can listen to loud music no problem.
Thanks for your reply, yes I had one last night while looking at my phone in a dimmed room, I had this intolerence to bright lights once before but it seemed to have got better only to return! I wouldnt say that its the light all the time with me though. I'm hoping when my new reading glasses is sorted it might help as I am using unprescribed ones at present!
Wow. I feel so thankful to have found this discussion. I also get Aura migraines with no pain. I used to get standard migraines when I was in my teens. On & off throughout my life. Then after menopause I've stared getting these Aura migraines. They start from getting light in my eye, from a flickering speck and progressively get larger into a rugby ball shape. They last 20-25 minutes. Completely distort my vision with this flickering rugby ball shape working its way across my eye. Absolutely no pain, but I can feel very tired afterwards.
I do have slight blood pressure & take a beta blocker. I'm short sighted. I'm in my 50s, female. I have a lumbar spinal fashion. Ongoing disc issues in my entire back with bulging discs between my shoulder blades. My neck is also affected by my back problems.
Any similarities?
I never had them before in my life until peri /menopause! I was getting about four a month and then they stopped but two years menopause they started again. After having my eyes checked and glasses (I lost my other reading ones and was using some that weren't prescribed) they seem to have stopped again. Sometimes light sets it off (including phone light)
Hi Jen.
It really is reassuring to find other people with these aura migraines isn't it. I have also had bulging back discs for over 30 years, and in the last 8 years or so I have had problems with neck / shoulder and head pain. So there are lots of similarities.
hi there,
I am post menopause about 10 years
About 5 year after menopause, I started having these auras. starts like a dark spot on the outer side of my eye. Then I go into the C shapes and then the zigzags with all coulours and sparks. It lasts about 20 minutes....but never a headache.
The first time I had one, I panicked and ran outside in the sunlight. You sure do not do that.
Mine seem to be seasonal. Usually in Feb/Mar and then again in Mar/Apr.
I keep records of all these weird things, and looked back and noticed that many times I had them, I had a broken blood vessel usually up to a week before..
I also have bulging disc but in my lower back, and too have these auras Interesting
Dear lolasmom
Yes I did start to keep a diary, I did find lights set them off but sometimes I wasn't sure what it was. I had one once and I looked back at what I had eaten/drank and I had peanut butter (I believe this can cause migraines) well, like you, I dont get the full migraine just the auras. Another time I had the peanut butter and I didnt get one, so I don't know if that was the cause! I do get allegies with watery eyes and I believe that can set them off. When I had the very first one in peri it was awful as it really affected my sight and I felt sick, thankfully they arent so bad when I have them now. My husband experienced one for the first time recently and he remembered me telling him about them so he knew what it was!
I kept a diary for a few years on my ipad, but accidentally binned all the info, grrr. I also have sinus problems, nasal polyps and allergic rhinitis. I am sure all these ailments have a link.
I have had my eyes checked too and although I am short sighted with stigmatism, my eyes are healthy.
Ive had 4 Aura Migraines without pain in the last 3 days. I've just had dental work done, maybe another link?
Your comment on rose wine is interesting, I've suspected that myself as a trigger. I have silent migraines, just the aura and the feeling of being body snatched for 3 days and it's getting worse as I approach menopause (same frequency as yours). At the moment I'm experimenting with taking one piriton a day as, when I had to take it for 3 weeks following a several horse fly bites, my auras disappeared. Of course this could be a complete coincidence which is why, after coming off it, I'm trying it again. A few people have told me that their doctor has prescribed them a type of antihistamine as a migraine preventative so maybe it works. I too got my eyes tested and found I needed low magnification reading glasses. Your auras sound like they're hormone related, 2 others in my family have migraines that accelerated into menopause and didn't stop until it was all over, my Mum had her last migraine aged 61 and never had another. Hope things improve for you, Anne
Dear Anne
Yes I have read about antihistamines helping . It's strange they have trailed off abit but the last two have been exactly 20 days apart (I'm keeping a diary!) I am.like I might have said two years post meno and I had my ovaries removed due to family history and all that, I suppose it ia all hormone related , I presume I still have some hormones still up and down even in surgical menopause! I just feel unsettled if I get too many in one go as I was worried it was a sign I might suffer a stroke or something! X
Know exactly what you mean! Had my cholesterol checked for that reason and found to my horror it was 6.49, have been taking benecol ever since which has lowered it a lot. I also keep a diary but have never found a pattern to the attacks other than they've increased overall as I approach menopause. At the moment I keep feeling like my brain wants to have an attack but the antihistamine is keeping it from going critical. Will keep on with it and see what happens. Anne X