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Disoriented, queasy in stores/busy places--is this a cognitive symptom?

Since my "neurological event" I've had some problems with confusion, and yesterday I realized this often occurs at the grocery store or other places where there's a great deal of visual information to process. If I'm moving through the store and trying to find things at the same time--like glancing down the aisles--I quickly feel sort of seasick and overwhelmed. It's hard to read the labels and discern what's where. Then I get rather panicky, which probably makes it worse.

I'm finding that to navigate a store I need to keep my eyes down while moving, and look up at things only after I've stopped. Otherwise this unsteadiness sets in and I feel as if I'm going to lose my balance or freak out or both.

This strikes me as a cognitive problem, maybe, related to visual information processing? Or maybe it's something else. Can anyone tell me if there's a name for this and if others have experienced it? I don't have a dx yet, so I don't know whether or how this fits in with my other symptoms. Thanks for any input. Wishing all of you wellness and peace.

Violet
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Avatar universal
You most likely have a semi-permanent disorder called Vestibular Neuritis. It is a disorder that affects the nerve of the inner ear called the vestibulocochlear nerve. This nerve sends balance and head position information from the inner ear to the brain.

If you notice that your symptoms worsen after a common cold or the flu, it's most likely due to the varicella virus (related to the chickenpox you had as a child) lying dormant deep in your your inner ear. When you get a virus such as a cold or the flu, the varicella in your inner ear WAKES UP within a couple of weeks AFTER your cold or flu is gone. This wreaks havoc with your BALANCE system and causes numerous problems some of which include dizziness, confusion, panic/fear, sensitivity to SOUND, BRIGHT LIGHTS (especially FLUORESCENT LIGHTS), HIGH PITCHED SOUNDS, CROWDS of PEOPLE, A LOT of MOVEMENT (e.g. heavy traffic wizzing by), etc.

There is no cure, and your symptoms will come and go for the rest of your life. You can control your symptoms with MECLIZINE HCI 25 mg daily, and VALTREX (valaciclovir) 500 mg daily to control the varicella in your inner ear when you have a severe bout or feel it coming on. TRUST ME, NO OTHER DRUGS WILL WORK AS WELL AS THESE TWO! I have been dealing with this for more than 25 years, and these two drugs are the only ones (as of January 2016) which will help you tremendously!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You most likely have a semi-permanent disorder called Vestibular Neuritis. It is a disorder that affects the nerve of the inner ear called the vestibulocochlear nerve. This nerve sends balance and head position information from the inner ear to the brain.

If you notice that your symptoms worsen after a common cold or the flu, it's most likely due to the varicella virus (related to the chickenpox you had as a child) lying dormant deep in your your inner ear. When you get a virus such as a cold or the flu, the varicella in your inner ear WAKES UP within a couple of weeks AFTER your cold or flu is gone. This wreaks havoc with your BALANCE system and causes numerous problems some of which include dizziness, confusion, panic/fear, sensitivity to SOUND, BRIGHT LIGHTS (especially FLUORESCENT LIGHTS), HIGH PITCHED SOUNDS, CROWDS of PEOPLE, A LOT of MOVEMENT (e.g. heavy traffic wizzing by), etc.

There is no cure, and your symptoms will come and go for the rest of your life. You can control your symptoms with MECLIZINE HCI 25 mg daily, and VALTREX (valaciclovir) 500 mg daily to control the varicella in your inner ear when you have a severe bout or feel it coming on. TRUST ME, NO OTHER DRUGS WILL WORK AS WELL AS THESE TWO! I have been dealing with this for more than 25 years, and these two drugs are the only ones (as of January 2016) which will help you tremendously!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You most likely have a semi-permanent disorder called Vestibular Neuritis. It is a disorder that affects the nerve of the inner ear called the vestibulocochlear nerve. This nerve sends balance and head position information from the inner ear to the brain.

If you notice that your symptoms worsen after a common cold or the flu, it's most likely due to the varicella virus (related to the chickenpox you had as a child) lying dormant deep in your your inner ear. When you get a virus such as a cold or the flu, the varicella in your inner ear WAKES UP within a couple of weeks AFTER your cold or flu is gone. This wreaks havoc with your BALANCE system and causes numerous problems some of which include dizziness, confusion, panic/fear, sensitivity to SOUND, BRIGHT LIGHTS (especially FLUORESCENT LIGHTS), HIGH PITCHED SOUNDS, CROWDS of PEOPLE, A LOT of MOVEMENT (e.g. heavy traffic wizzing by), etc.

There is no cure, and your symptoms will come and go for the rest of your life. You can control your symptoms with MECLIZINE HCI 25 mg daily, and VALTREX (valaciclovir) 500 mg daily to control the varicella in your inner ear when you have a severe bout or feel it coming on. TRUST ME, NO OTHER DRUGS WILL WORK AS WELL AS THESE TWO! I have been dealing with this for more than 25 years, and these two drugs are the only ones (as of January 2016) which will help you tremendously!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Wow! I'm grateful to all of you for giving precious energy and time to this thread. It's been very enlightening.

Quix, I know you get this a lot, but your generosity with your expertise is extraordinary, as is your wry humor.

AnonnyMouse, your description of too much noise is sooooo familiar to me. No children in my home, but that explosion thing is just what I feel even for something as minor as the TV being turned up too loud. I have to work hard to keep from getting snarly--the situation doesn't merit snarls, it's just that the discomfort is so intense!

Thanks again, everyone. Be well.

Violet
Helpful - 0
1483064 tn?1291630337
I get something quite similar when surrounded by either too much activity (lights, motion, visual clutter) or too many different noises. In shops with lots of overhead lights I feel nauseas and mentally off-balance.

When faced with a lot of noise at once I get very agitated and feel like I'm under attack, which is awful for me because I have a new baby and a toddler and I have a lot of trouble staying calm and rational if both of them are making noise and the phone rings or someone tries to ask me something at the same time. My brain just totally shuts down and I feel like I need to hide in a quiet dark corner somewhere or I'll explode. As soon as the noises goes away, I calm down instantly and can think again.

I'm not sure if this is related to MS or just a weird thing I get that is unrelated, but either way it's awful!
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Avatar universal
I've got a couple of sexy canes (as sexy as a cane could be)

Two from here: Poppies, and I've ordered Walkabout.

http://www.stickandcaneshop.co.uk/acatalog/Switch_Sticks_.html

They are not at all "old" in design and colour!

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