** An Aura is a Simple Partial seizure and can include a taste or aroma
that's not there, a sensation of Deja Vu (if the focus of the szr. happened
to be in the Right Temporal Lobe) or Jamais Vu (if it's in the Left
T.Lobe -- where your own house might feel like you've wandered into a
stranger's house by mistake).    Also whether the Taste is Eggy or Sour
tells whether it's from the Left or Right Temporal Lobe if that's where the
seizures were starting.  *Your's above sounded to a Non-Doctor like you
might be grinding your teeth? or having absence seizures? and doing that,
since *normally the aura of taste or aroma lasts for a Short Period -- under
10 minutes, and not Days like you suggested above.  There *Might be others
here who have auras that last that long, and They'll post *Now since I said
they only last 10 minutes or so, but *I never had one that either didn't
move on to the Full CP Seizure OR (when I got closer to full control) would
Arise, and pass in less than that time.**

  If the taste is lasting several days, you could ask the Dr. if there's a
chance you could be biting down so hard you might be damaging Fillings? to
produce that taste? or what else it might be.  *Normally (many times) the
Aura will last from Minutes up to e.g. about 40-80 minutes and either
subside or move to a Stronger seizure.
  Mine were a warning, once I knew what they were, that a stronger szr.
might be about to start and I should move somewhere Cool and sit down in
case it got so strong that I lost awareness or consciousness.
  I responded to your "Deja Vu" comment above, since that's what I used to
get ahead of a Complex Partial Seizure (older sites call it Temporal Lobe
seizures), but the szr. starts in the *Right Temporal Lobe to produce that
sensation.
  When my seizures were not controlled and would Generalize (spread through
rest of the brain), was when I'd lose consciousness.   I'd often do strange
things Between those 2,  from the Aura to loss of consciousness -- I've
boarded buses I didn't need, thrown a security guard who was trying to hold
me down about 6-8 feet from me (he was the same weight I was, and not a
weight I'd 'normally' be able to lift easily), and those plus other events I
only learned about from Others -- *I wasn't aware during the events or
Following that I had done any of those things. /

** I don't know the symptoms of a Grand Mal.  *Usually with a CP type once
it's gone past the Aura (taste, aroma, deja vu) part, I'd be unlikely to be
able to use a phone or talk to anyone in a meaningful way.
   Perhaps someone else here who's had Grand Mals can respond to that.
There is a Frequently asked Questions section under Julie's Idaho Foundation
site.  Main entrance is at http://www.epilepsyidaho.com   .    Check also
e.g. no.14 item is First Aid for seizures to see if any of the symptoms are
listed there.
  *I can't find the "olde" 2 First Aid Charts that were on that site
(Julie are they still there somewhere?  )    .    IF you find or Julie posts
the First Aid for seizures chart (main one plus one for first aid in Water),
under the First one, it also had Excellent description of each of the ~5
types of seizures with Symptoms we might show to outsiders,  Then what they
should do to help us and minimize side effects as we 'come back'.
  You could also look at http://efa.org   the Main US Ep Foundation Site.
Some Older sites list our type of szrs under Temporal Lobe Epilepsy or
Seizures,  the Newer sites combine those types of seizures within "Complex
Partial" seizures.   So if you look at sites and can't find anything under
the latter name, sometimes there's informatin under TLE if it had info.
based on older research. In Many cases the fact that some of the research is
'old'  doesn't make it less valuable to us, with respect to the information.
/

**G* ABOVE was what I can't find there now./

** I posted 2 sites above **at top**.

** Yes, or in extreme cases you could even go outside etc. without being
aware you're doing that.  That's why most of us use e.g. Electric Kettles
with an Auto-Off setting (some countries sell 2 types- one boils until it's
unplugged), microwave ovens or ovens with an Off Timer (for reasons above
too, in case someone were to have an absence or full seizure after starting
e.g. baking, but be unaware or unconscious at the time when the baking is
supposed to be removed or the oven turned off), and other aids that might
help for those of us who have a Seizure while doing things around the house.
  I don't know if those are the only types they sell in **Europe or the
British Isles.  It seemed to me someone said that the safety type were the
only ones they could buy.

  **Some types of hot water tanks in N.America can have the Maximum
Temperature adjusted downward, OR we have a Showerhead (in Canada/N.America)
that adjusts to a temperature setting, then keeps that temperature constant
so there's less risk of burns.  People who can have Rapid Onset seizures are
recommended to use Showers rather than Bathtubs in case they were to lose
consciousness while in water. *I never had problems with that, even before I
was fully controlled for Complex Partial Szrs.  But it depends on the
extremes of types of szrs. we have around the group.

   If you also have trouble 'remembering things'  (like whether you took
your morning pills etc.)  I have a few tricks I can post to prevent taking
too many or too few pills etc. There may be some of those ideas also posted
on that Idaho site.

   Some of the 'regular posters' might be away on Holidays over Christmas
to New Years, so they might add ideas when they're back too.   We normally
get 12-30 posts a day, depending on the topic or how many people are reading
the group.    G./

I get complex partials and I have woken up several blocks away, or on a bus,
or in different rooms of my house. My doctor seems to think that's a
"normal" manifestation of CP seizures.
I used to get grand mals, but since I've been on medication it's only been
CPs. I take 1000 mg of Tegretol per day, and it has not completely
eliminated them. I am now being considered for surgery to my right temporal
lobe.

Yes, that can happen with certain types of epilepsy as well. Epilepsy can
manifest in multiple kind of ways. The question though is why doesn't your
neurologist know these kind of things? If you can find this on the web, in
this newsgroup, why can't he/she not find this and why does he say that he
does not really understand you?
-
Thanks.

Marco
The Netherlands