It's hard to explain. And it's a bit different for each person who experiences it (and there are a lot of us!).
Although I'm not sure what the cause is... Possibly a late side effect of the brain tumor I was diagnosed with in 1983. Possibly a side effect of the Seizures I had a few years ago... No one seems to know for sure. However, in my case, I think it is a medical side effect of the radiation treatements I received for a brain tumor in 1983...
It is a visual... Well not really visual.... My eyes don't actually "SEE" the aura, my brain does. Wether my eyes are open or closed. Although, I normally close my eyes or try to sleep when I feel it coming on, if possible. It's a wierd feeling to say the least...
I see shapes and colors and patterns and shadows drifting through my field of vision, (similar to watching one of those "plasma" screen savers with a low opacity (more transparent), that no one else can see... but it's blotchy... There are spots or areas where I can see almost normally... It generally affects my peripheral vision. And the frontal cortex of my brain feels sort of heavy and a bit numb/tingly...
Like I said, it's hard to explain. That's a terrible explanation, but it's the best I can do...
It happens to me every once in a while. Thankfully, it's not a constant thing. It comes and goes. It's usually accompanied by memory blocks (more than usual for me) and although my meds do help suppress the Migraines, I still get headaches sometimes. Although, not as severe as they were before I started the meds....
The "aura" I had yesterday, temporarily broke my internal compass and GPS. I was out with my wife and realized I had no idea where I was. I recognized the lanscape and street layout around me... even though I'd been there hundreds of times and even driven the same roads when I was well. My sense of direction was useless... thankfully, I was just a passenger and it didn't matter if I knew where to go...
It's more than a bit of a scary feeling.
Oh well... Shit happens. There's not much I can do about it. But, I needed to vent.
I did see a YouTube video that explains it from another sufferers point of view. It's not exactly the same, but there are quite a few similariies... "Aura"
Feel free to visit my personal Web site and read "My Story"...
--- Mark ---
