Sense of direction

[corina]

Last sunday I had a really great day, because one of my friends took me to Rotterdam where we went shopping. And instead of all the sportsshops we usually vistit when my husband and boys are with me, we now went to Esprit, Mexx, Hilfiger etc, etc,. We did all the girlsstuff and I LOVED it. I didn't go out shopping for a long time so I enjoyed it SO much. The only thing was that eventhough I've been to Rotterdam many times before I seemed to completely loose my sense of direction. I saw some shops that I saw before but didn't know where we were and felt completely mixed up. I also felt very dehydrated and asked my friend to stop somewhere to buy a drink (although we drank just before that, didn't eat much salt and I already drank about 2 liters). I didn't want to spoil our day and didn't tell my friend but it does make me feel worried. Is anyone of you having these problems as well? I felt glad I can't go out on my own 'cause I might not find my way home . Hope to hear from you,

Corina

[Jersey Girl]

I can easily become disoriented if I am tired or don't drink a gallon of fluids at a time. The heat does it to me as well. I can only shop for about 20 minutes before I have to leave because of these feelings. I think the shopping causes sensory overload.

[blackwolf]

Ditto here too. I can't go out in the heat or without drinking alot. I think Jersey Girl has something too. I also have trouble in malls, I feel over loaded. One of our malls has alot of natural lighting and I do better there, I still park right where the stores are that I want to see, and I'm in and out as fast as possible.

Blackwolf

[ethansmom]

Maybe it's just me but I am like that all the time. I am very disorganized and confused...ditsy...you name it!! I haven't figured out if its from POTS or just my personality...but it is frustrating nonetheless. I feel like everyone around me is "with it" but not me...

[funnyfrog]

Hi - I just wanted to let you all know that I have the same problem - I say something one minute and forget what I said or put something away and can't remember 2 minutes later where I put it, but I can remember things from years ago, sort of like the same way an Altzheimers patient would. I asked my doctor about this and he said it was for a few reasons - one because the blood pools in the lower extremeties from the POTS and not enough is getting back up to the heart and thus the brain, where it should be and this effects cognitive thinking, also a little is from the low blood pressure from POTS being so unstable at times, its hard for the brain to function correctly and also some of the medications have side effects and do strange things - I volunteer at a local hospital on oncology floor and it is a standing joke between myself and my friend that I volunteer with that I should be on the Altzheimers wing instead if there was one because I would fit right in. Of course we are only kidding, but since we are humor volunteers and are supposed to make the patients laugh on our wing, we try to make each other laugh too. The memory loss is so bad sometimes from POTS that I will take my meds and not remember if I took them a few minutes later - I've started taking them in the a.m.when my husband is home before he leaves for work so he can watch when I take them so I can ask him if I took them if I need to. Ah, life with this syndrome. ..Seeing as I am only in my mid 30's, I hope this gets better in time. Have a great night everybody!!!!

[MomtoGiuliana]

First, Corina, I am glad you got out and were able to do some things you enjoy. So important to your health!

I have always had some mild issues with disorientation--it is easy for me to get lost in a new place. Also, I can get sensations of feeling a bit overwhelmed in a busy urban area. When my POTS was at its worst, I experienced "brain fog" I suppose--I felt like I wasn't completely connected to my surroundings. I had to work hard to THINK some days.

Jessica--that is so funny how you describe yourself, only b/c it is so totally like me. I also don't know if that is my personality or the condition. It drives my husband in particular, crazy at times, because he is so organized and self-disciplined.

Corina, I wonder if your experience of disorientation was also caused by being inside so much recently. Kind of like a form of culture shock.

[corina]

Thanks for answering all of you! I think it may have been a combination of different things, I may have been overwhelmed after a long period at home (you made me think this over Katherine), getting tired (yes, even in a wheelchair you get tired ) and maybe I needed very much fluid that day. But it certainly is not my normal me (what's normal anyway ). Maybe the combination with my memory loss is that it's making me worried, the short time memory is getting worse (Funnyfrog: I have a little pillbox which I fill every evening so I can check whether I took my meds or not) and I seem to loose some of the things I should know as well (that's what my husband says, in fact I don't know). Anyway, Katherine, a shock it was, but a very NICE one: I spent too much money on buying new clothes and I LOVED it.

Corina