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Aura for 1 week or longer?

Hello all, I'm new to the forum. I'm Lindsey and I'm 29 years old. My overall question is whether any of you have had a visual aura for longer than a few days??

Brief history: I had migraines with auras when I was in high school, they pretty much went away in college and a few years after. Then I got pregnant at 27 and at 20 weeks along I started to get multiple silent migraines a week (visual auras, difficulty speaking, numbness in my hands and arms) and the day my daughter came they disappeared. THat was 2 years ago.

Fast forward to last month, we have been trying for a second for some time and we actually got pregnant last month and had a miscarriage. A few days into the miscarriage I had 5 rounds of auras for a few hours then the worst headache of my life. I figured it was hormone related. Then this last Sunday I noticed i was seeing funny. Since Sunday (so a week now) I have had what seems like a visual aura (blind spot/disturbance in my right peripheral vision) that has me freaked out. My last month of pregnancy I had something similar and had my eyes checked as well as an MRI and both were fine. I'm just so scared that it won't go away, I know it's silly maybe to think that because it's only been a week but i'd love to hear from anyone that has had something similar and when/if it went away!

Thank you!

  1. Hi Linzetta7,

    Please accept my condolences on your miscarriage, I'm sorry.

    I've not experienced visual aura but have seen it through a visual aura simulator, not a pleasant thing. Visual aura usually ends when the migraine attack ends, but on occasion, can continue longer. Having said that, please see your doctor. It's important to get prolonged aura checked out to rule out anything serious. Here is information on this; https://migraine.com/blog/what-is-emergency/.

    Keep us posted on how you are feeling,
    Nancy

    1. Hi Lindsey,
      I’ve had a lot of different kinds of auras, 6 MRIs, and 3 retinal exams, but only one aura lasted over a week, and that was due to bad medication. Nancy is right, you should get more, maybe better, exams, to rule out a micro-embolism. If you start with a wide-angle (not just 30 but 60 degrees) visual field perimetry test to measure your new blind spot, that could help the MRI reader know where to look for any clots that could be smaller than 2 mm and easy to miss. You might not recover perfect vision (I didn’t, and I cope), but if you do have blood circulation problems, doctors can help prevent much worse occurrences, with medications and lifestyle change suggestions. Good luck with your pain, and grief, but your anxiety is good motivation to action.

      1. I have been experiencing this aura for about 2 weeks. Super scary because i had no clue what was happening to me. I saw an eye specialist and she told me what it could be. Because my eye is perfect health wise. Im 29 as well with two children. Never had an aura before. I do remember bad headaches in middle school.. What ever happened to you? Did it go away???

        1. Has your Aura gone away 85AmyBeth85 yet? I am starting on my second week.

        2. Sorry I missed your response. I'm going on 8 months and still have the aura. It is not as annoying as it was in the beginning but it is still there worrying me. Did yours go away?

      2. Hi there - I am new. Hey Nancy - this is the cellist - I feel funny saying "new" because my migraines def are not. So about that pesky Aura. Well I live with mine ALL the time. And when a migraine is coming they pick up in vividness- this can happen from 2 - 4 hours before to four days - not specific but usually that two to four time is my early warning system - my aura the last six months has been vivid blue - like electric blue - I find it amazing actually at least from a colour stand point - but this aura is sticking around it has taken up residence in fact when I see a lot I just sorta sigh and go with it - same with the black spots - I just turn my head to either side and I see black spots all the time.linzetta 7'- don't worry - I am living proof that you can have aura nonstop for years and it's not going kill you and they do not permanently do odd things to your sanity. I think if you live with them you have to learn to understand yours in relation to the actual headache- does it become more intense - do the colours become more intense or more frequent - how do they change - keep a little diary just for aura(s) and you will begin to see patterns - that you might find very useful -yes being in status or at the emergency room with half your vision taken up with aura is no fun indeed but those auras that change before the attack give you time to go,to your migraine room or area get that seven up or sprite ready and the abortive handy or give you enough time to call a friend or husband to help -- in this way I don't think of my constant aura as something necessarily bad but you have to begin to understand it - your brain is trying to tell you something - and I would say listen. Hang in there!

        1. Hi Ian (I assume),

          You wrote a post some time ago about suffering from a persistent aura associated with migraine headaches. My wife has had an aura for months now. Did you ever find a solution? You're the ONLY person I've found to ever talk about an aura lasting so long.

          Can you or anyone else point me in the direction of any research on the subject?

          Thanks.

        2. My aura appeared on May 23rd last year. I have had constant migraines for years but I did not have one for 5 months straight after this began. I have only had 3 mild headaches since then, which is odd for me. For the first 5 months, I saw it constantly. Now it is faded and I don't notice it as much. I don't know if it got better or if I just got use to it. I notice it the most under office lighting and I tend to also notice it more when I feel like my heartrate is higher than normal. I'm a pretty high stress/anxious person but don't know if that's a factor. I never got an answer from my doctor or the 2 eye doctors I saw as to why this is happening. I'm hoping to use my notes and any information others are willing to share to help figure this out.

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