Why do i feel worse at the mall?

[ramakentesh]

Is it because i get over stimulated - for some reason i can test how my POTS is on any day by walking into a crowded mall under neon lights - if im bad everything is too much and i feel like im going to fall over from dizziness, and it feels like i cant keep up with the rush of people.

My work, also under neon lights and also very fast paced and busy can make me feel this way as well - its like my brain just cant keep up and i start getting spaced out and dizzy - like im in a bubble.

I read on the site that things to avoid include crowded areas - so this must be something others have felt as well????

Can anyone relate?

[corina]

ramakentesh,

yes, you're not alone in this. I can't tolerate neon light and other bright lights as well. It seems to be some kind of light intolerance. I also have that with noises. When I went shopping with a friend some months ago I got very disorientated because of the crowd and the lights in the shops and noises. I often can't walk when the lights are too bright (I'm in a wheelchair, trying to walk at home), I'm getting very unbalanced because of it. I really don't know why this is. So, I know how you feel, this must be POTS.

Corina

[Richland acres]

I am with you on this one too! I know when i read some times its hard for my brain to function when I move my eyes back and forth, I get very nauseated and feel like I am spining. Its not dizzy like the room is moving just feels like it, weird I know. I guess this would be the same as watching all the people in the mal with the weird lighting.i went to a stock car race last year and wont do that again! I was so sick, felt like I was checking out. Guess we all preseve things differnt then normal people now. So...nope not alone, hang in there!

Hugs,

Brenda R.

[briarrose]

I agree with you guys on all of this stuff. I use to have a difficult time going into costco, kind of like Sam's club I believe on the East Coast. What a trippy feeling.

Also reading - when I look down towards my lap, my neck can't take it and I sometimes have vertical bouncing with my eyes.

These experiences wax and wane, thank goodness.

[Guest tearose]

I always feel "racy" at a mall. I have avoided going to malls in recent years. I try to shop in small local stores and I also order through the mail now more. If I go to the mall I get through it on the rare occasions I go by sitting down frequently. I also notice I always will loose 3-4 pounds after a trip to the mall. What is that about? Was I burning that many more calories?

I don't know if it is the lights, or crowds or the mere size and physical strain, but you are not alone in this!

regards, tearose

[DSM3KIDZ]

I also notice when I'm having a POTS day I am very affected at the stores. I feel disconnected from the rets of the people, kinda of like I'm in a zone. I usually feel this instantly so if I get that way I walk right back out and schedule my errands for later or for my husband. I also notice the longer I stay out of stores I have this initial reaction but the next time I go it gets better. I agree it's the neon and the over stimulation.

I brought this up to my doctor and she said it's not related to dysautomia so now I know she is wrong and don't feel like an outcast.

I usually send my mom with money and have her shop for my kids cloths for the seasons because that always keeps me in the stores too long and I can only handle so much.

[Ernie]

When I am at home alone I can control much more my symptoms. When I leave the house I get so much stimulation that I can only handle 2-3 hours per 2 days. Then I have to come back home to calm my system.

Ernie

[Merrill]

I don't know about you all, but I'm planning on trying Tearose's Tips for weight reduction. I didn't know I could lose more than just my money at the mall! I think she's onto something ... I haven't tried cash therapy in a while, but it just could work (as long as I stay away from buying pants). I think I'll stick to wrinkle creams and sunglasses.

[KathyP]

Hi Ramakentesh;

I would think if people didn't feel that way in a mall they wouldn't have POTS/Dysautonomia. This is such a typical symptom. Over STIMULATION!!! OOHHH, and I can't stand the feeling of unreality. It's like my nervous system is on overload and I get that feeling of it shutting down.

When I finally get out of my POTS hole I want to go to the mall with Tearose!!! I have such a hard time losing weight.

I went to the grocery store, yesterday, for the first time since Christmas. I thought I would be daring so I went with my friend. Toward the end of shopping my face was red and my lips were turning blue(?). My heart was racing. But I made it some how. And, I know you will too. Take Care!!!

KathyP

[Miriam Poorman-Knox]

Its like ADHD only for people with dysautonomias!!!!! That is why ritalin is one of the approved drugs for us. I used to be a shop till you drop girl, knowsince I don't "drop". I really only can do early bookstores or mall before people come.

Miriam

[lalalisa]

Wow, this all sounds so familiar!

I also think that for me my mind tries to process all of the items, sales and things that I'm looking at and I just get this overload feeling.....

(or Maybe I'm just so excited to be out of the house or something.)

You guys are great at making me feel "normal" - (whatever that is)!

Lisa

[briarrose]

I think it's a combination of factors. I remember the first time I had this reaction at one of those warehouse stores. I felt alright until I walked in. The high ceiling and lighting threw me off. I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Then the crowd and sound just added to whatever was going on.

Merrill - you are hysterically funny, Cash Therapy Love it!

[dizzygirl]

Hi,

i can realte to you dilema... I have a rought time after I have been at the mall, I think it has alot to do with the fact that there are so many people there, and the mall is usually warm, i think. that compiled with pots, is a recipe for disaster!

I am usually tired out at about 10-15 minutes of walking the mall.

I try to avoid going to often and go on a day where I feel half ways human!!!!

[dizzygirl]

lalalisa...

you are funny. I know what you mean about getting out of the house! Half the time I feel as though I am under house arrest!!!!! I am constantly staring at the same 4 walls... it can drive a person CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!

getting out of the house is a real luxury these days

LOL

Linda

[sally]

Hi, I read that 20% of the popluation have difficulty with flourescent lighting that is used in most all dept stores, malls and employment establishments. and it makes people feel strange. It has to do with the intense flickering of the lighting or something. It can have an effect on the nervous system and cause intense symptoms in some people to the point of not being able to be around them at all. Below is a link for some information on just one disorder that pertains to inability to deal with certain lighting and among other things. From what I've read about it, alot of diseases/disorders seem to be affected by certain lights.

http://www.irlen.com/sss_main.htm

[DancingLight]

ernie,

you sound a lot like me...right now that is why i am so homebound...it is the only way to keep even somewhat of control over the over-stimulation...

i, too, feel like i have to really balance the home time with the 'out' time to balance out...right now though, i'm only at home...when i am doing 'well' i still have to have only one outing in a day and often space them at least every other day throughout the week. otherwise it is too much.

okay, merrill...cash therapy???? that is too funny!!!!! even in your 'hole' you are a riot!

ramankatesh...as for the mall, bright lights, noises, etc...i am like the others have described...like tea, i haven't been to the mall in years and shop mostly through catalog...or by sending out my mom!

often, even the computer or tv is too stimulating for me...

lalalisa...'normal'! yes, that is why i log on here every day i think...b/c i feel more 'normal!'

emily

[yogini]

This was a big problem for me. When I first got sick, I felt really dizzy and spaced out whenever I went to any store or restaurant. I think it was like sensory overload. It really made me want to stay at home all the time. There are a few stores that I like to go to on my block, which were the only places I could walk to for a while. I think by going repeatedly over time, my body adjusted to the overstimulation and this symptom is almost gone.

[funnyfrog]

Hi everyone!!! This is also a problem for me at the mall - I have found a few things that seem to help though - When I start getting the dizzy,fogged out,overload,buzzing feeling I usually look down at the floors and not straight ahead or toward the stores and this seems to work for me until I can sit down on a bench or something and rest for a little while. Also, I found thast going during daylight hours are much better for me because there are not as many lights on and not so much to overstimulate the nervous system. I know this is all related to the POTS because the first time I went to the mall with my husband 3 years ago after being in the hospital for 5 months & in rehab got me so dizzy and disoriented that I started crying and had to sit down for about 45 minutes until I was able to walk to the car - I still go to the mall, as I love shopping and just people watching and being out and this condition is not going to change any of that. Have a great night!! Beth

[ramakentesh]

Thanks for all the replies - its always so comforting to hear that others have this same problem - because i get it quite often at work and its very hard to deal with. I too also get it sometimes from staring at the computer as well for some reason.

I remember one time at the mall i was just sooo out of it that an elderly man with a cane gave up his seat for me and it was like i had become disconnected with reality or something - almost like i was there but my senses were gone.

Now days i only go on good days and im straight in and out!

[ramakentesh]

Irlen sounds interesting.

My dad had a heart problem that reduced blood to his brain and when this started he also had problems dealing with neon lights in malls and supermarkets and like me, felt that crowded malls made him over stimulated or something.

So perhaps there is some connection with this syndrome and reduced blood flow to the brain.

[Frank]

Ramakentish,

My wife also has the over stimulation problem. She can no longer drive safely and sometimes even the TV is too much for her. She has the same experience the others have in stores. She finds it helps when she knows exactly what she wants and where it is so she can try to ignore everything else, like wearing blinders.

She always wears sun glasses when she goes out because the light bothers her eyes and to cut down on stimulation.

She always wears ear plugs because even normal sounds are to loud. Too much noise and she gets sick.

I wish you well.

Frank

[MomtoGiuliana]

Yes, I have this problem too. This was actually one of my earliest symptoms, thinking back over the years. I can manage a mall now, again, but it is not that enjoyable. I also have noticed this problem in crowded, large museums for a long time--I find I have trouble focusing on information and feel a bit fatigued/out of body. For me, it's generally subtle.

Katherine

[dawn]

Love the humor in the posts. I have the same problem, used to be a mall junky, now I seldom go. I had this problem at work with the flouresant lights. My husband said the lights "pulse" he said to put a lamp on my desk with a regular bulb and that would help and it did. I think we are so sensitive to everything. I have some weddings coming up and just dread the noise and stimulation. But I'm becoming so isolated that I am going to make myself go. I have found that otc dramimine seems to help.

Dawn

[sunisshining]

Malls make me like that, too! i feel like if i don't find somewhere to lie down, quickly, i'll pass out. i never have passed out, but malls and those lights...wow, i feel like i'm gonna pass out. maybe that's why i've never been much for shopping!

well, hopefully you'll find a way to not have to be around those lights? wayyyy easier said than done, tho, but i'll be praying for you!

hugs,

sun

[ramakentesh]

It was one of my first symptoms too - i mentioned it to my doctor and he was interested in finding out if others also had this symptom.

I hope you all dont mind me referencing this thread for him to read.