Painless migraine episodes - how long are your auras?

I know exactly how you feel. I have the exact same thing. I have been just diagnosed with Acephalic migraines with Auras along with Migraines with Auras. I go through the exact symptoms you descriped but on the opposite side. the weakenes is on my left side and etc. I am a stay at home mom and I have a hard time getting through the day with my four year old. I am lucky that my daughter is so well behavied.
My epidsodes last forever. months. but it's hard to distiguish between my acephalic migraines and my migraines with aura sometimes. I do have them right now under control with medication (preventive and abortative) hopefully my migraine free period will last. I seem to go through migraine free cycles and with no rhyme or reason and then I get whammed with it all at once and with no known triggers. Can't seem to figure it out.
My neurologist put me on extremely high risk for a stroke. She is having me get a ECHO done and checked for a PFO which is common for migraines with auras and silent migraines or Acephalic migraines, you should ask your doctor about it. You might be at high risk also since your symptoms for a your migraines mimick a stroke!
Are you on any medication such as a preventative and an abortive for your silent migraines? If so what are you on. I am on Topamax, once I got over the side effects it worked great.
Family and friends don't seem to understand at all-I pretty much given up on them- My husband and daughter understand and that all that matters. The rest of the family (in-laws really) tell me to take an asprin and get over it! They just don't get it. I know you probably feel alone- There are not to many people that have Acephalic migraines but you are not alone and you are not going crazy at all! You can talk to me any time! I know exactly how you feel! I know half the time I feel LOST ! It would be nice for me to chat with someone that knows how I feel too! I look forward to chatting with you also!

I am so glad that I finally found someone going through the same thing as me. I felt so alone. This is a scary thing to go through! My husband is very understand. My daughter is to young to really understand. She only knows that mommy is sick. I think the only reason that I got my MRI, MRA and CAT scans done so quickly is because they thought that I had a stroke since I have a hard time communicating during one of my attacks. They did the CAT scan first and thought my third ventricle was enlarged so they then did a MRI and MRA-they came out normal. Thank god.
Acephalic Migraines is another term for silent migraines-My new Neurolgest is preferrs this term to silent migraines because she says that silent migraines makes it sounds like theres really nothing wrong with you when there really is something wrong. That was her explaination.
I try not to panic when I have an episode-sometimes I can't help it but other times I can ride it out. I always panic when I am away from home and have an attack especially when I am alone or with my daughter. When I have a silent migraine attack I always feel pressure and I don't know how to describe it but before I get my aura I feel funny. during the attack I have a hard time moving my right side and my left side tired or the neurolgest says weaker than my right. After my Aura goes away everything gets really bright so bright it makes my eyes hurt so bad and I can finally see again and talk (I make more sense at this point stutter a lot I have to consentrate to put words together) vertigo hits and stays for weeks. Then the next day I get the aftermath (this is what sticks around for the next couple weeks) I still have the vertigo along with flue like symptoms-aches and pains diahreaha teeth soorness neck stiffness( usually sticks in collarbone) confusion sticks around for sometime but is managable. Tiredness, feels like there is a 500 pound weigh on me and it takes and effort just to raise my arm. These are the symtpoms that stick around for a while. I call it the AFTERMATH OF THE SILENT MIGRAINE!!!
I don't know what starts these migraines- silent and my regular migraines with auras- I can't find the triggers. I find that I go through cycles which I find is weird. I'm at my wits end and I don't know what to do anymore.
Please feel free to e-mail me personally since I don't check this forum alot and I wold love to keep in touch with you. My e-mail address is [email protected]
Please e-mail anytime. it is nice to know that I am not going through this alone and that there is someone else out there that is just as scared as me and having just as a hard time getting through daily life. I will be looking forward to your e-mails and I am hoping you to having a SILENT MIGRAINE FREE DAY!

Unfortunately you are not alone. I have the same symptoms excpt mine are also left sided. Had one a few days ago. Sometimes they last weeks but lately just a few days. I am on only abortive no preventative.
Mikelean

  I am so exited to finally find someone else with the same symptoms that I have had for the past few years. I am only fifteen, and have been having these "episodes" for the past few years. My main symptoms last for a few hours, such as blochy vision, numbness down the side of my face (either left or right side), dizziness, trouble talking, a hard time understanding what to say or what I am saying, studdering, not recognizing voices, or even familiar faces. I also feel like I am about to faint. I usually panic because it can get so scary!

  The aftermath of these silent migraines can be just as bad as when as when I am having them. I only get them for a few hours, but weeks after they have happened, I still feel confused, weak, and I might have a horrible headache that can last for weeks. I felt alone, like no one had any idea what was happening to me, no matter how much I would explain what was happening. One of the worst parts for me, is that every time I get one of these attacks, my eyes sight gets progressively worse. I have to struggle with my eye sight getting better and worse throughout the day, even if I haven't had a silent migraine is months. There is never a day when my eye sight doesn't change. It can get bad in seconds, and last that way throughout the day.

  I have been to several doctors that have had no idea what to do about my symtoms, or why they were occuring. I have had many tests to rule out any obvious conditions that may cause these episodes like a CT scan, MRI, EEG, blood glucose tolerance test, thyroid test, eye exams, and they even want to do a lumbar puncture. I think that it may be caused by bright lights for me (lie videogames or TV). It seems like every time I get one, it is casued by light. Thanks to everyone that has written, and I hope that I could help!

It is relieving to read that there are others out there with similar issues!

I believe I had my first episode when I was 7 or so. My mom thought I was having a stroke. I remember sitting in Sunday school and my teacher asking me to read an excerpt from the bible. I told her I couldn't see all the words. I don't actually remember having another till I was 15. The biggest one came on a month before my wedding when I was 23. They did an MRI and said everything was normal.

They all start the same. I feel tingling in my fingers and can actually feel it traveling up my arm, to my face, then on my tongue (always on my left side). After that, I usually have weird visual effects. I lose all peripheral vision and see what I refer to as "snow" around a pinhole vision. I would also lose the ability to read because I couldn’t all of the letters, as if there were blind spots. The whole episode only lasts minutes. For me, these symptoms never have a headache, but I feel motion sick for a few weeks after. During this time, I also have terrible auras when I close my eyes, seeing a tunneling effect. I had another MRI after the latest episode 3 years ago. My Family doc said that I had MS!! I was devastated. I have no family history of MS and was puzzled. He told me that my MRI was indicative of someone who had MS and referred me to a neurologist. How come this wasn’t visible 3 years ago in my first MRI??? I went for another opinion of course. I met a neurologist who spent a long time just talking to me and getting to know my history. He determined that I was VERY sensitive to birth control, specifically the Ortho Evra patch. I had been on it since I was 22 and on BC pills since I was 18. He told me to get off all hormonal birth control and that if I stayed away, I should be ok. He also believed that I am even slightly sensitive to my own hormones, which explains my earlier episodes. Apparently, it was the massive dosages of estrogen that were the problem. I ended up with a diagnosis of acephalic migraines.

Since then, 3 years ago, I haven't had near as many issues. I still have an occasional episode of aura once a year or so. My periods are irregular now, which I think is my body’s way of giving me a break from the migraine symptoms associated with a monthly cycle!

I guess this is my plug for all you ladies who are suffering from acephalic migraines and the like...stay away from fake hormones! It is worth a try if you are suffering. There are so many other options out there!

Hi you guys. I'm writing with a different experience. I am a 53 year old female. On Monday of this week I had a zig-zag strobe-light type of visual experience for about 10 minutes. I had no clue what this was, but since last fall I had had a vitreous humor detachment, I thought it best to call my eye doc. He sent me to a retina specialist who examined me, said my retina looks fine (no tears), and that--ruling out a retina problem--the zig-zag visual experience was a silent migraine, or aura. (I've never had a migraine in my life.)

My aura experience on Monday was quite a bit different from those described in this forum. There were only two basic symptoms that I noticed: 1) a curved, zig-zag flashing light which was continuous for about 10 minutes. It occurred in the lower right of my field of vision--whether I had my hand covering up one eye or the other; 2) During that 10 minutes I had a lot of trouble reading. You see, I was trying to research what might be causing my zig-zag symptom. So, I was on some medical web site, but I couldn't make heads nor tails out of the article. Each word looked correct, and the spelling looked right. But when I'd try to read the words as a sentence, the sentence made no sense! I had to read very, very slowly and even then I couldn't do it. So, I tried another site (USAToday's article about the Toyota steering wheel issue), and I couldn't read that one either. Yet, I could write just fine--and I could write as fast as I typically write--and the sentences were written correctly (I saved them and checked them after my aura was over.) Very odd.

Anyway, it sounds like some of you have some challenging problems with this, and my heart goes out to each of your situations. On the positive side, though scientists/doctors don't seem to know a lot about the human brain yet, knowledge in this world is now increasing so fast, that it would seem logical that treatments for these type of neurological issues should be available within 5-10 years. Just one person's guess, I know, but I'm holding on to it for my dad's movement disorder problem--and anything else that comes up with my family's health.

Best wishes,
Jola

I get all these symptoms my episodes last for weeks at a time and i have never found anyone else that understands till now, I have another symptom that i have started getting which is my tongue tingles..as if all the othere things weren't enough. I am 55 and have had migraines since age 11 but these "silent" ones just for the last few years, i do still get the odd headache alpong with them but mostly the awful neurological symptoms, i do function ok but they are always there in the background. So stressful. I would love to here how others cope, i constantly worry over stroke even though my doctor says there are a lot of risk factors other than migraine which i dont have eg : smoking , overwieght, high BP, all hese are fine.
Still i am glad i have found this site, anyone who wants to contact me feel free. :)

I am happy to find this site/thread. I have had this problem for as long as I can remember. I find intense fear triggers mine but sometimes after a period of intense stress that subsides will also trigger it.

Normally I get them in a bunch for about a month or two then don't get them again for years. I am in a clump of them right now. I just started take a beta blocker ans they are coming much more frequently now, at least 3 times a week now for a month straight.

Yes, the aura is very scary. My heart races and pounds and I shake and sweat and go into panic mode. It lasts between 20 minutes to a half hour. If it's shorter than that I will get another one right after the first.

At this point in my life I am glad I live alone because anyone watching me during one of these incidents would think I need to be hospitalized.  Or watch me freaking out and keep asking me questions. The last thing I need during one of these things is to have to talk. I just put my sunglasses on and go in my dark bedroom until it's over.

The medical term for these things is "Scintillating scotomas" or in simpler terms "Flashing, electric blindspot". There are videos of this horror. I can't watch them, they upset me.

I'll see if I can find one so you can watch it if you want.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV_37cao38U

Here an eye doctor explains what is happening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ldl4I4uiJw&feature=fvwrel

Post Edited (Glacier) : 3/6/2011 8:11:01 PM (GMT-7)

My migraines (eventually diagnosed with basilar migraines) started in 1980 and for the first 25 years I did not have pain though for the past few years occiptial neuralgia type pain sometimes go hand in hand with the aura symptoms. My aura symptoms include facial numbness that can travel down my throat, confusion, sensitivity to light and sound, inability to talk and also a lowered level consciousness that forces me to lay down and fade out for anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. The most frustrating aspect for me is the fading out.............for part of that time even though I can't open my eyes and I am unresponsive I am still aware of what is going on around me but then I finally do fade completely out and when I come back I am so exhausted I need to lay down for another couple of hours. Since November of 2008 they have occurred daily.

It is so difficult to learn to take 1 day at a time and make room for the migraines in our lives but sometimes we have no choice. Forums like this 1 are wonderful ways for us to share our stories and not feel so alone. It is important to try and figure out what our triggers are and minimize them as much as we possibly can since there seem to be very few preventatives that focus on trying to eliminate the aura symptoms. Also, please remember that a migraine is a major brain event and not "just a headache" that we need to push through. Be kind to yourself and remember that when we take good care of ourselves and make that a priority that the people in our lives will receive the best of us rather than what is left of us.

I did a Google search on how long silent migraines lasted because I am at the end of my rope. I have an appointment with a neurologist tomorrow. I haven't been to one since high school. I've had migraines since I was in 2nd grade; I am not 23 years old. I can still remember my first one. Up until this past year the migraines only involved mild auras and severe pain never any of the symptoms I'm currently experiencing. The first time it happened I thought I was having a panic attack. I was driving to work and out of no where I started to feel faint, my vision was blurry, my peripheral vision was gone, my mind felt foggy, my words were coming out jumbled, and I felt like I was going to faint. I didn't understand what was happening so my reaction was to panic. I had to turn around and go to the hospital because I was in such a state of shock. They diagnosed me with a panic attack but in hindsight I now know it wasn't because it happened again and I handled it better, and again but this last time I didn't panic. The first episode was intense, it lasted a few hours and subsided but I could feel the effects for days after. So I went to urgent care because I didn't understand why I still felt like I did. I didn't have a primary care physician at the time but the one I saw there has taken me into his practice thankfully. The second one lasted a week and I went back to the doctor because at this point I was losing it. I was out to lunch with my sister and again, out of no where I felt like I was going to pass out, my arms, legs and face were numb, I couldn't think, I could barely see, I felt nauseous. And the last episode I had occurred a few days before Christmas and lasted a solid 2 weeks. When the symptoms are at their worst all I can do is sleep because it's excruciating to be awake. I can't think, I can't speak, I can't see, all of the sensation in my extremities and face are dulled, I can't eat... it's terrible. I am still feeling the effects. I have had anticipatory anxiety since I can remember. So, I have considered the thought this was anxiety related but this feels completely different and separate from my anxiety. When the episodes started occurring I was not stressed, if anything I was finally in a place in my life where I had a very low level of stress and anxiety. This has been very disheartening for me because it's caused me to not be able to live my life the way I want to. The pressure in my head comes and goes. I've even experienced a tingling sensation on the top of my head. I can recall one time when I had that same sensation. It was after taking an Imetrex my doctor at the time prescribed for my migraine pain. My head felt like it was on fire and I had a crawling feeling on my scalp. I never took it again. After the neurological symptoms subsided (finally) on this last attack that's when I had mild headache pain. I wouldn't consider them migraines only because I consider them migraines when they're debilitating. I get painful migraines for weeks at a time. That hasn't happened in months though only the painless ones. Honestly, I'd settle for the painful migraines. I've had those since I can remember and I know how to cope with those. The silent ones however have taken a toll on me and I'm at a loss. I'm living in fear that I'll have another one and that's no way to live. If in fact this neurologist doesn't think silent migraine's is what I'm suffering from I'm not entirely sure how I'll feel. I've done a lot of research and this is the ONLY thing that seems to make a remote amount of sense. Since my first episode I've had countless blood work done and a CT scan. They all came back normal. My physician referred me to this neurologist so I have my fingers crossed.

Hello,
I have painless migraine auras when I drink large quantities of tea! Does anyone else have this? Thanks.

This message board is such a gift and relief to me. I have been suffering for years with Acephalgic Migraines but only got an actual diagnosis a little over a week ago. I am currently having a 4 week episode that is being slowly worked out with 25mg Amitriptyline. They said this treatment could take a couple weeks and sure enough it will be two weeks Thursday and I'm just starting to feel a little relief. The worst part is people not believing you because after awhile you start thinking you are crazy!! Finally I was smart enough to ask for a referral to a neurologist who is also a headache specialist. I really wish I could have gotten some faster relief but if this treatment keeps symptoms at bay, I will do it. I've been lucky enough to only have the episodes every few years but it seems like the older I get, the longer they last. Thank you so much for posting your experiences, it's so nice to know you aren't going through it alone.