Your description of an aura comes closest to what I've been experiencing.  I've had two normal EEG's and never a regular seizure, but these auras happen between 19 days and 2 months apart, last about 10 seconds.  It will come on suddenly and leave me speechless, but focused on a weird memory or more recently, a test to complete, saying a word, speaking a name or answer to a question.  The memory fades quickly and I'm sort of drained and spacey.  I feel weird in my stomach afterwards.

I was diagnoses with mild sleep apnea and so I was hoping that with the cpap machine, my auras would be solved, but alas, they are still occurring.  Tomorrow I'm seeing my primary doctor and hope to be referred to a neurologist or seizure specialist for that angle.  I've heard they can be stress related, so am also thinking about getting into counseling, because I know I tend to repress a lot of stress and don't share the bad stuff of life verbally.

Originally I thought it was a left over from early marijuana use, because the cloud type feeling is similar to these auras.   Thanks for listening and any insights. 

ive been having aura awhile now it affects me more in work then any other time it is such a weird feeling,and i go into the biggest day dream ever and when i come round i get a bad feeling of dread, and the deja vu is so weird and i also get a memory of something that i havent thought about in years.. its been so great reading all of the replys as i actually thought i was losing the plot

Hi Graham,

 Thank you so much for describing your aura. The part with the ridiculus memory is exactly what happens to me with a little bit of recalling dreams that I have had in the past thown in the mix. With me, the memory slips away and I can hold it in consciousness to process it. Once the initial memory slips away, I feel an overwhelming since of dread and anxiety that last for about 10 to 20 seconds. I have never had a seizure but my sister has epilepsy and when I described my experince (much like yours) she said is sounded a lot like an aura. To complicate matters, I have OCD (an anxiety disorder) so I start having depersonalization experiences. I am trying to figure out if my experiences are truly auras or an episode of depersonalization. Anyway, thanks again for your description.

Graham, this is brilliant, I am going to forward it to my neurologist and GP, because I have had so much trouble describing my auras to them. I was having them for 3 years before I had my first fit and nobody could diagnose them, the closest we got was post natal psychosis at first and I thought I was losing my mind and was so scared.

 My auras scare me rigid, I go cold with fear and find myself looking at people next to me on a train or in a work meeting and think for a split second - "Who are you? Where the h*** am I?" and then think something lawful is going to happen - I know what you mean about the black hole. Also I can't believe that nobody notices what I am going through - if I look half as scared as I feel it should be obvious but apparently not. The ridiculous memory thing is so true, I hear sounds in my head like a section of dialogue from a TV programme, or have deja vu feelings -  somebody putting an item of clothing back on a rack on a shop - trivial bizarre memories. 

 They also happen in my sleep when I am particularly bad and I wake up with a mouth full of saliva and feeling sick. Afterwards my stomach has filled with acid because of the fear and I have stomach ache and headache for hours afterwards. Sleep is the only way to recover.

I am on Epilim 500 for my fits (which are only in my sleep) and these auras don't occur when I am super diligent about taking them but if I am under great stress and forget a tablet or two they come flying in from nowhere.

Interesting to hear you had encephalitis that started your fits - my auras started at 37 soon after giving birth to my second child who was a challenging baby and I was under a lot of stress at home and at work - then my first fit happened out of the blue at 40 years old after a temperature and tummy bug.

 I would love to understand more about why I develped this so late in life and also whether anybody feels like this..  It doesn't always follow that I end up having a fit.

Before my surgery 8 years ago I would have that feeling to. A deja vu feeling and remembering hearing a past situation in my head, but you can't talk. It was the same everytime ,but I still can't explain it. I had surgery in 2000 I had astrocytoma in part of my brain that works speech and memory. My memory lasted. I sord of had to relearn speech.

Since my surgery I've only had 4 gran mals since 2000. I went 6 years without one, But after my mom passed away I was so upset and stressed in brought a seizure on. I had one last year to at work and luckily there was only one child in my class and another teacher there. The seizures aren't the same I don't have the dejevu. I just start feeling weird and scared and then my vision starts fadeing out and I can't breath. I still bite my tongue.I hate biting my tongue. It takes a while to heal. Now I haven't a seizure in a year. I have had a couple weird feelings since then. I pray It doesn't continue. I'm scared.

Before my surgery 8 years ago I would have that feeling to. A deja vu feeling and remembering hearing a past situation in my head, but you can't talk. It was the same everytime ,but I still can't explain it. I had surgery in 2000 I had astrocytoma in part of my brain that works speech and memory. My memory lasted. I sord of had to relearn speech.

Since my surgery I've only had 4 gran mals since 2000. I went 6 years without one, But after my mom passed away I was so upset and stressed in brought a seizure on. I had one last year to at work and luckily there was only one child in my class and another teacher there. The seizures aren't the same I don't have the dejevu. I just start feeling weird and scared and then my vision starts fadeing out and I can't breath. I still bite my tongue.I hate biting my tongue. It takes a while to heal. Now I haven't a seizure in a year. I have had a couple weird feelings since then. I pray It doesn't continue. I'm scared.

Hi Hannah:

I was reading your post and I was wondering how you know you're having an aura.  I have had nocturnal TCs for 38 years and I think I've just started experiencing them but they can be really freaky.  Sometimes I'm in bed just before I drift off and all of a sudden I see floating red specks (sometimes other colours too) and they slowly drift toward me, sometimes blinking on and off really fast. I start feeling panicky because I know what could come next. Sometimes it does happen other times it doesn't. I've tried explaining this to my neurologist but he just doesn't get it. Do you think I should try getting up and walking around or just stay put?

The other type of aura? is I'm thinking about something strange and zone out for a couple of seconds. Most of the time this does not preclude a seizure but it still is a little disconcerting.  I'll definitely try to do something different if I feel one of these types of auras coming on.

I have no idea what I should do. All tests have been inconclusive since I was 2 and every time I go to the neurologist he says there is nothing he can do for me. Can anyone give me some suggestions?

 Thanks!:)

Hia Everyone,

I am new to this thread and hoping to find some answers as to why I get these auras.

This is my little story and I would love for any feedback.

It all started when I was around 14 years old and I was hanging out with friends playing tuggy rope. I slipt, fell back and hit my head on the pavement sharpley resulting in what felt like an electric shock running up my spine and into the back of my head. The very day after I started getting these weird turns which I have always called (Deja Vu) its the only descriptive word I can think of. I get these sensations that wash over me and make me feel nauseous, incredibly hot and sweaty no matter if it is freezing around me. I feel like I need to go to the loo badly my heart pounds and I get a weird blank taste in my mouth which makes me feel a little sick. Thats whats happening to my body whilst this little episode is happening. What happening to my brain starts off by me feeling like I have seen and done the things I am doing right then in a recent dream or something, very deja vu feeling and very familar. I even run to the loo or put down my lap top in slow motion when its happening like I have done so in a dream or before lots of times. I havent. I always feel when its coming and will deliberatly look around and say to who ever is there, Im getting Deja vu and i always feel like I know how they are going to turn around,look at me and say "Oh dear I know...just relax" Its so odd and all of the above happens together and can last maybe up to 2 minutes only. After the bash to my head I got these Deja vu's each day maybe up to 6 a day. Then it dwindled to around 1 a month which I then thought was something to do with my menstrual cycle but the more I think about it and have the deja vu's I realise its not even close to them. I am 27 now and feel as though I know the inside outs of them. During the day I can handle them because I am aware of them washing over me, however I dont like the ones I get in my sleep as I wake up startled at first until it dawns on me whats happening..its slightly confusing at first and makes me get up and break the pattern by drinking some water or running to the loo feeling nauseous. 

  On these nights I wake up properly in the morning feeling tired and as if my brain feels fried, thats the best way I can describe having a hand full of these on and off leaves me feeling. I suffer head aches all of the time, but these ones feel different. 

They can be triggered in me by lots of different things, like watching TV something Ive never seen before. Il be sat there and it will wash over me like this big fear and it makes me feel as if I know what they are going to do and say next. I dont believe in physcics so I am confused as to why thats happening. When I am out and about and meet people or friends it can come over me in an instant and makes me feel like ive sat there, the same place, feeling the lot but vaguely in a dream..its so weird. I even start remembering faces to my dreams and things I felt in my dreams that I had forgotten about when I woke up. All these things only happen on those days that I get the Deja vu once a month. 

For a few days after the Deja vu's, I feel almost scared, deffinitley depressed and just generally at a low. I also feel like I cant be bothered to do anything even though on a normal day I know its important. Im lucky enough now because I have had them for so long, to understand that the few days after are going to pass because if I didnt, It would be awful and I dont know what I would do.These few days always fill me with dread too and i can never put my finger on why. i dont feel safe and feel so aloneeven though I am not.

I have a lot going on in my life right now with TV and traveling and when I get these two down days after the Deaj vu days it worries me because at them times I feel like just giving it all up and hiding under my bed sheets.

All the other days in the month minus these three, I am so happy and normal..maybe a little stressed but never feel down or anything so i know its just a brain blip that I need to keep check on.

I never have seizures though after my (auras/deja vu's) which scares me because does that mean I havent had that pleasure yet? I only have auras, never felt as though Im having a seizure. What do seizures feel like? am I having mild ones which dont feel too bad that I am just not understanding them or will they come to me further down the line?

I dont want to go on medication because I hear so many bad stories and as long as I can keep a check on these myself then I will try my best.

Just after each of the Deja vu's happen, it makes me feel giggly
like Ive taken drugs or something. I get a massive brain high and
smirk... I never smirk normally so dont understand why its happening
after these.

Sometimes when I know one is coming I will try and
focus on it or stare at something which will trigger a more powerful
one.. I know completely in sane way of thinking but I dont feel myself
when these are happening so who knows why? 

My partner is also starting to get similar things happen to him. Are we syncronising or are we both eating bad diets? its all so strange and its really getting him down so i gave him links to this page so he could read through all of your posts which may help him too.

Would love to know your thoughts on this and its very comforting to finally find out that I am not alone.