// Auras.//

So as I’ve mentioned before, I occasionally get auras before my migraines.

When I do experience an aura, it’s usually accompanied by what I’ve described as a Flash Migraine (see this post). But the more I read about auras, the more I realize how incredibly highly individualized even this rare part of a migraine attack is.

If you look “migraine aura” up on Google images, you’ll get lots of results showing a jagged semi-circle in what is presumably someone’s field of vision. In some cases it is bright and multicolored, and in others it is iridescent. This has never been a part of my aura (at least so far… or that I can clearly remember).

My auras seem to be characterized by a few things:

• Auditory disturbances: I have had a slight hearing loss in my left ear since birth, presumably as a result of being born in distress. Therefore, it is common that every once in awhile, the hearing in that ear becomes dampened. However, I don’t use any kind of assistive listening devices. When I experience aura, a few things happen in the realm of hearing. I tend to experience tinnitus, which is especially awful because of the sound sensitivity that comes along with a migraine. A sound I can’t escape from? Fantastic. Also, besides the tinnitus, things start to sound metallic. I know that this isn’t really a succinct explanation, but I can’t think of any other word to use. All sounds just start to have a metallic tinge to them.
• Visual disturbances: I do experience some visual disturbances, but they aren’t a jagged line across my vision, nor are they characterized by losing half of my field of vision. Instead, I start to experience a form of tunnel vision. The outer reaches of my vision start to become blurred, and my peripheral vision becomes almost non-existent because of it. I wear contacts on a daily basis, so it feels almost as if my contacts have stopped working at the corners of my vision.
• Balance disturbances: This could be interconnected with the hearing thing, but my balance is much less than steady when I’m experiencing aura. Everything seems a bit skewed, so I have a bit more trouble than usual getting my footing (and I’m a pretty clumsy person when I’m offstage to begin with…)
• Confusion: During this period, I cannot multitask like I usually do. In order to get a task done, I have to give it my full concentration. And it usually involves a very concerted effort. And I’m one of those people who likes to multitask as much as possible. I’m the queen of divided attention. (I actually had a friend tell me that when a professor told his class that “multitasking and divided attention are a myth” he actually laughed out loud, and in response to a look from the professor he said, “It’s just… You’ve never met my friend Rachel.”) During aura though, it takes time for me to move from one task to the next. This is not something I like at all.
• Movement issues: I know that I mentioned balance issues before, but when I have an aura I also start to feel, well, discombobulated. My limbs don’t always seem to move how I want them to, and I sometimes feel like my body is changing. I’m no longer fully confident of the area my body occupies in space and find that I’m prone to taking too big a step on that last stair or trying to lean against a door frame that isn’t quite as close as I think it is.
• Nausea: Yes, nausea is a part of my aura. It tends to signal the transition phase to me, when I will move into experiencing pain. Nausea is usually the first sign though.

As I’ve mentioned before, when I experience an aura, my migraine pain seems to be more intense. I don’t know the reason for this - but then again, do any of us really know the reasons behind most of our migraine issues?

Do any of you share any of these characteristics of your auras? I’d love to hear about how you experience aura, if that is a part of your migraine process. Like I said, I’ve only been experiencing occasional aura for a few years (and was diagnosed with chronic migraine at the age of 13… I’m now 24.)

I’d love to hear about how others experience this phenomena!

// So here’s the paper I wrote about my migraines for my Dance Class://

            Rachel Pribish

I’ll never forget the first time I experienced that searing pain right behind my eye that has become a commonplace occurrence for me over the years. My age that first time might be a bit hazy, but I know that by the time I was 13 years old, I had stayed home and suffered through enough of these headaches to finally warrant being diagnosed with chronic migraines. The diagnosis of course included CAT scans and MRIs along with eliminating caffeine and sugar from my diet for a few weeks to make sure they weren’t the cause of my pain. I was found to have no abnormalities in my brain and the change in diet did nothing to get rid of the headaches

            In the academic world, I was always able to find understanding due to my stellar grades. However, that changed during my senior year of high school. During the 2006-2007 school year, all of the students in Elizabeth were informed of a change to the attendance policy that reduced the number of allowable absences to 10. After this point, credits would be withheld from the student, regardless of their GPA. At the point in the school year that it was announced that credits would be withheld, I had already amassed 10 absences, and although I was ranked in the top 1% of my graduating class (of over 1,000 students), my parents received a letter informing them that my class credits would be withheld if I missed any more days of school. I was now in jeopardy of not graduating. At the suggestion of my guidance counselor, I was evaluated for and granted a 504ADA Accommodation Plan, which negated the absentee policy of the school district.

            I was able to use this accommodation plan for a short period of time during college, but once I arrived at Kean University, I was told that my condition was “not disabling enough” to warrant accommodations. Luckily, I have been studying in a helping field that is concerned with the wellbeing of people. Due to this, my professors have always been helpful in allowing me to make up missed work. The fact that most of my work can be submitted online has also been helpful, as I can still get my work in on time even when I can’t make it into class. I have missed out on conferences, lectures, and demonstrations because I haven’t been able to get out of bed due to the intense pain.

            My personal life has suffered greatly because of my migraines. I have come to a place in my life where I have a core group of friends who know of my condition and who do understand when I can’t hang out or have to cancel plans at the last minute because I’m too nauseous to move. However, I have had many friends lost because they think I’m blowing them off or don’t understand that it’s more than “just a headache”.

            Something I had to learn to do very early on was to advocate for myself. This has spilled into every aspect of my life, including my work life. I have held two part-time jobs in my life, and when I have to call out because of a migraine, I have had managers who understand, and those who think I’m just trying to get out of work.  When I was a student at Union County College, I worked on campus and was able to use my accommodations plan at work. As a college student, being able to earn money is crucial, however, it’s not always easy to get a part time job and hang on to it when you’re sick in a way that’s not visible.

            The biggest thing I’ve had to struggle with as a chronic migraine sufferer is the fact that migraines are an “invisible illness”. I don’t require any kind of physical accommodations and have no outward demarcations of my illness. This sometimes leads people to assume that I’m not really sick or that I’m exaggerating the pain I experience in order to garner sympathy. Suffering from chronic migraines brings it’s own headache of explanations and dealing with people who are not understanding of the kind of physical agony they cause.