Moment of disorientation?
 

Hi, all. I'm not entirely sure what happened to me last night, but it scared me enough to get me asking. Yesterday wasn't an entirely bad day -- that is, until night time. Legs, arms, and the bottoms of my feet got pretty bad around 5-6pm. But that wasn't the worst of it.

I was sitting right here reading something around 11:45pm, and all of a sudden it felt like... well, the most I can relate it to is this -- think of when there's a huge storm outside, and it only knocks your power out for a couple of seconds, so the lights flicker off and then back on. That's pretty much what my brain did, and for a few seconds, I had NO idea where I was.

Once I realized that I was still in my chair, in my home, I panicked a little bit. Made my way into the bedroom and sat down for a while, and once I tried to get up, I was dizzy -- like, drunk swaying-when-you-walk kind of dizzy. I needed help getting back to the bed and I was awake for a long time afterwards - I guess I was scared to go to sleep after that.

Any ideas?

I would really get retested for Lyme. There is a new test as of 2012, discussed on this thread:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post1018647-10.html

Advanced lab may be more accurate and clear up false negatives that are typically given as a first test for Lyme.
NeuroLyme has all sorts of weird symptoms.

Did you use the magnesium lotion, earlier before the "incident"?
If so use "less" next application. The mag lotion typically relaxes people and improves sleep.

Log this into your journal.

Other possibilities are a-fib... this is a momentary arrhythmia of the atrium of the heart, and can cause dizziness, loss of consciousness (briefly). A-fib is pretty common, but typically not in younger people. But if you have lupus, it is possible.

Epilepsy is also a possibility.

An episode of middle age? :D

Don't wish to alarm/frighten anyone, but is transient ischemic attack a possibility?

Doc

There is a stroke potential with lupus if certain antibodies are elevated...they can clump up and thicken the blood and cause strokes or TIAs.

http://www.healthcentral.com/encyclopedia/408/553.html

This could have just been a tired fluke too. I certainly can't stay up that late anymore ... ;)

Dr. Smith
I had a similar episode, I will suggest seeing a doctor to have a stroke work up.
With me, it turned up I had had a very small stroke.
One has to be sure to have MRI

Awfully sorry for my late response, but I just worked a miserable 10 hour shift.

@mrsD -- I hadn't used the lotion. I'm going to talk to my doctor about the advanced lab for Lyme. I'm really starting to get nervous that it could be that.

I should be getting an MRI done in the very near future. I guess that's pretty convenient.

I spent my entire day in another world at my desk. Between being dizzy and feeling like my head was on fire for the entire shift (took my temperature once I got home... 97.7 -- seriously?), I'm honestly not sure how I even made it through.

And yet, minimal leg pain today. Imagine that. :confused:

Keep an eye out for a possible virus as well. I get 'dreamy-headed' (been watching too many Gunsmoke re-runs :D) with them quite often.

Doc

I had a couple of episodes that sounded similar a few months ago when I started a new medication (Symbicort). It did seem like the 'power went out' for a few seconds. I thought it might have been a TIA too but my pulmonologist said it was more likely lack of blood supply from cardiac issues and they sent me for cardiac stress testing and an overnight Holter Monitor reading. I cut the med dose and I'm fine. My heart is also fine.

You might want to run it by your doctor and see what he thinks. I'm about a thousand years older than you are and I have COPD so don't know if there is any possibility the symptoms could be for the same reason.

judi

I have an appointment tomorrow night for results from the Western Blot, so I will absolutely run that incident by my doctor. It normally takes a lot any more to make me panic, but that certainly did it.

From a totally different angle: I used to have similar "episodes". I even had them while falling asleep, and they made me jolt fully awake.

In my case it turned out I was chronically hyperventilating (which is mostly harmless). Not saying that's what you are having; just something to keep in mind if the MRI and tests don't provide a clear cause. Stress & hyperventilation can provoke the weirdest sensations, and contrary to the comic strip depiction of it, it can be very subtle.