# Ever had a migraine aura? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 14, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261 "2005-06-14T19:36:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/1 "2005-06-14T19:36:23Z")
I think I just did. I don’t have a migraine but I got this weird shimmery, crescent shaped spot in the middle of my vision and I could barely read. While I freaked out and read up on retinal tears, the spot got more and more diffuse and eventually went away. Anyway, I came across this [vision site](http://www.richmondeye.com/symflot.htm) and it’s _exactly_ what happened to me (including the worrying about having a stroke 🙂 ). > [@](#): > > Ophthalmic Migraine > Migraine headaches may be preceded by a visual “aura”, lasting for 20 to 30 minutes, and then proceeding to the headache. Some people, however, experience the aura but do not have a headache. This visual aura can be very dramatic. Classically, a small blind spot appears in the central vision with a shimmering, zig-zag light inside of it. This enlarges, and moves to one side or the other of the vision, over a 20 to 30 minute period. When it is large, this crescent shaped blind spot containing this brightly flashing light can be difficult to ignore, and some people fear that they are having a stroke. Anyway, this ever happen to anyone else? I’m so glad I’m _not_ havong a stroke I just had to post… ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/2 "2005-06-14T19:52:20Z")
Just once, and I didn’t have the headache to go with it. It was freaky enough that I went to the doc, and he told me that’s what it probably was, but if it came back he wanted to see me again. It didn’t come back. It was very weird. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/3 "2005-06-14T19:59:27Z")
I get the zigzags before I get a migraine. Fortunately, I don’t get them very often anymore (maybe one every few months). ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/4 "2005-06-14T20:00:19Z")
I’m just imagining what people throughout history though was happening that didn’t have the benefit of modern medical diagnoses. Sure glad to hear you had neither the stroke nor the migrane but that must have been pretty darn scary regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/5 "2005-06-14T20:07:34Z")
I’ve had them for years, and never made the migraine connection. Thanks to a post and a link on SDMB, I was able to figure out that I was having a migraine! I don’t get a headache, really. Maybe oh so mild pain, mainly I just get a really, really blah feeling. A nap in a cool, dark, quite place is just all I can even think about. And after an hour or so, I’m good to go. If I’m at work, the funk just hovers over me until I can get home and get that nap. My auras are absolutely textbook classic, I’m SO glad that that’s where it ends. I hear stories of people with the full on migraine symptoms and realize how lucky I got off (although I only have maybe 2 or 3 a year, I’d guess) ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/6 "2005-06-14T20:08:27Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I’m just imagining what people throughout history though was happening that didn’t have the benefit of modern medical diagnoses. It’s interesting you should mention that. [Hildegard van Bingen](http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.html) was a nun from the 11th century who had visions. (She also composed Gregoria chants which is how I know about her. She was popular during that weird Gregorian chant revival about 10 years ago.) They now think that her visions (and the visions of other prophets) were a result of migraine auras. It was a pretty freaky experience… ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/7 "2005-06-14T20:10:25Z")
I get, at most, a migraine every year. And it’s _always_ preceeded by “auras.” So much so that I drop everything and head to a comfortable place to lie down when I see them… ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/8 "2005-06-14T20:26:24Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > It’s interesting you should mention that. [Hildegard van Bingen](http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.html) was a nun from the 11th century who had visions. (She also composed Gregoria chants which is how I know about her. She was popular during that weird Gregorian chant revival about 10 years ago.) They now think that her visions (and the visions of other prophets) were a result of migraine auras. It was a pretty freaky experience… [hijack] She also wrote the first Passion play. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/9 "2005-06-14T20:28:28Z")
I’ve gotten them a few times. The first time I was at work and momentarily confused, but I have a sister who was very prone to migraines and from her descriptions of her auras I figured out what was going on. It is a really weird feeling and I can see why people panic and think something terrible is happening. I was hit with a very severe migraine about a half hour later. I got a few more after that and I knew when they started I better get somewhere where I can lie down pretty quick. Now I am pretty sure my migraines were caused by a problem in my sinuses because after I had sinus surgery I stopped getting them. A huge relief for me because they were awful. I really sympathize with people that have chronic migraines. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/10 "2005-06-14T20:30:50Z")
Man, I had one of those about two weeks before I went to college. I remember that I woke up in the morning and had that blurry thing going on. My mom took me to the eye doctor because I had some serious eye problems as a kid and we didn’t want to take any chances. He immediately told me that I had an “ocular migraine.” Weird, I told him, because I didn’t have a headache. So, we went shopping as we had planned for the day. I remember sitting at Arby’s with my mom and sister and suddenly feeling like I was going to get really sick. I ran outside and puked by a dumpster. Some kid that worked there watched me the whole time. For some reason, I never forgot that. I told my mom we had to go home, that I was too sick to do anything. Then the headache creeped up on me. I went immediately to bed and stayed there for approximately 48 hours. I don’t even think I went to the bathroom. It was truly horrid. I never had another migraine like that, only minor headaches. I hope it was a one time thing because a condition like that would just leave a person disabled. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/11 "2005-06-14T22:23:21Z")
Occasionally, I get an aura-like thing if I’ve squeezed off a nerve or blood vessel in my neck. It’s weird and sometimes painful. Usually, if I sit down and let my neck relax, it goes away. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/12 "2005-06-14T22:34:58Z")
I’ve gotten three, two without headache, one that was followed by a headache about 10 hours later. Oy, I hope _that_ never happens again. In each case, the aura was in my left eye, started at the center of my field of vision and spread until I couldn’t see anything. The aura abated, and was followed by numbness in my left hand, which freaked me out more than the aura, frankly. You wanna talk about worrying about a stroke! Weirdly enough, although ocular migraines are rare, both my huband and have both had them, and we both started getting them at the same time. He gets them much more frequently though, with a headache. Luckily, his headaches can be controlled if he takes Advil as soon as he gets the aura, but they still suck for him, poor guy. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/13 "2005-06-14T22:43:47Z")
> [@Podkayne](#): > > I’ve gotten three, two without headache, one that was followed by a headache about 10 hours later. Oy, I hope _that_ never happens again. Gosh, I hope I don’t get one of these delayed migraines y’all have mentioned. Right now I feel mildly headachey and my throats a little sore (like it is when you wanna cry) but I think some of that’s 'cause I’m kinda hormonal right now. I’ve had migraines (rarely, maybe every couple o’years) before but they’ve always been brought on by exertion and bright sunlight. I don’t know what would’ve triggered this… ---
**Author:** ![ILovCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e99b99/32.png) [@ILovCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ILovCoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/14 "2005-06-14T22:44:52Z")
The first ocural migraine I had was at work and it started in the center of my field of vision and became a flashing neon sign–a mexican/aztec design. I too thought I was having a stroke or going blind. I was very lucky–no headache followed. I have had three that I can pinpoint. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/15 "2005-06-14T23:12:18Z")
I sometimes get the weird vision things with my migraines. Once, I my vision blacked in and out- while I was horseback riding. Luckily, I was on a well-behaved horse. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/16 "2005-06-14T23:29:08Z")
All. The. Goddamned. Time. One week I had four of them. Fortunately I don’t always get migraine headaches with the aura. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/17 "2005-06-14T23:45:09Z")
The Mayo Clinic’s [take](http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=EBA196E0-0202-46A2-84257E14B6D8002A) on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Cherry2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/18 "2005-06-14T23:48:50Z")
I can usually tell when I am getting one when everything looks extra-bright (like when you step out of a dark room into the sunlight…only your eyes don’t adjust). That is usually followed by the center of my field of vision going missing. After that, I sometimes even experience speech difficulties…as in I know what I want to say, it just won’t come out of my mouth without an extreme force of will and concentration. It’s definitely scay and weird. I have had these since I was about 12 (I’m now 40). And like **Velma** , I have had sinus problems since about that time too. Migraines suck, big time ☹ ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/19 "2005-06-14T23:55:33Z")
About a year ago, I started getting 4 to 5 visual auras a week, to go with my 4 to 5 migraine days. Prior to that, I’d only had one visual aura in 35+ years of migraine (not nearly as frequent as they have been the last 2 1/2 years). My neuro thinks the spins/vertigo I sometimes get are also migraine auras. I’ve also had auras in the form of double vision, which was pretty scary. Some people get auditory auras; I’ve never had one of those that I know of. There are also phantom smell auras; I think I’ve had 1 of those, but don’t know for sure. For me, the auras are actually more disruptive than the migraine. I’ve had migraines all my life, and have developed a lot of coping skills, and except for the really bad ones, just go on with my life as best I can. But the visual auras I get are almost always right in the center of my field of vision, so when I get one, I generally can’t function. Luckily, they mostly come on after 11pm when I am generally home. I also sometime get hynagogic hallucinations associated with my auras, which are basically waking dreams. ---
**Author:** ![Sgt.Pepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Sgt.Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sgt.Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261/20 "2005-06-15T00:28:11Z")
I haven’t had one in over a year _knock on wood_, but I used to get them just as described in the OP. It would usually start with what I thought was the after image from staring at something bright, like the sun reflecting off a car. Only it wouldn’t go away. Eventually it blocks out the center of my vision where I can only see what’s on the side and not what I’m trying to look at. Then it’ll move to the side and do some funky shimmering. That’s my warning to get somewhere safe. My worse was once at work I got the aura, but couldn’t read or spell. Usually I could just work around it, trying to be mindful of my lack of vision. My worse ones have also come with feelings of nausia and stomach upset, but nothing really came of those feelings, thankfully. The headache hasn’t been too bad in recent years, the worse will be the next day when I have what feels like a lingering hangover headache, where I won’t notice it unless I bend down, and then there’s a dull ache felt. When I was working I figured it was caused by wearing my contact lenses through the night and into the next day. Also if I drank the previous night. Later they were because of no breakfast. I would get up and drink coffee and smoke unitl I got really hungry after noon sometime, that habit would cause them. For recent ones I would just get somewhere safe and try to sleep, that would make me feel better. Unfortunately now I have this fear reaction as a result. If I know I’m engaging in behavior that used to cause one, if I see any after image in my eyes I get nervous and break out in a sweat. And that’s just with a legitimate after image, not a oncoming headache. It’s terrible to have that feeling and get so scared about it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-had-a-migraine-aura/308261.md?page=2)