Help identifying this experience please. (Spacing out?)

Here is a really good link to look at from WEB MD:

WEB MD Hypoglycemia

From the sound of it, I would guess you are having hypoglycemic episodes. Read the link above, and if any of it applies to you-go get tested.

Have someone drive you to the doctor when you experience the symptoms. Hardcore physical activity and drugs or alcohol are known to induce hypoglycemia. If you notice the symptoms when drinking especially or doing hard physical activity, I would look into the possibility of low blood sugar. You will surely need a doctor's help with it if that's what you have..

reply to post by InFriNiTee


InFri,

Thank you for the information that you have provided for me. I will look through it when I get home from work today and post my thoughts. This is why I like ATS, so many people willing to help. Thank you.

Ive dealt with what you described in your OP for years (absence seizures). I not only space out the A.S. give me vivid day dreams. Once when I was younger I was convinced I was out riding my bike then I snapped back and realized I was siting in class lol. I dont always daydream with an A.S., sometimes its just blank spaces in time which wrecked havoc on my grades in school.

To citizenalpha, with the way school went for me id suggest home schooling your daughter that way she can learn at her own pace. It can become stressful trying to keep up with the class with these Micro seizures.


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Absolutely! I have been helped many times on this website with a host of different problems. I sometimes wonder what I would do without the helpful community here. Please post results in the future, as I am very curious what the cause may be.

I can especially relate to the symptom of not knowing who or where or what you are. That has happened so many times. Sometimes when I get a low blood sugar, I space out. Everything around me seems like it's not even real. Low blood sugar in severe cases can even cause suicidal thoughts. It's downright scary.

Like I say, when you have the symptoms-see if you can get an emergency appointment at a doctor's office (endocrinologist would be your best bet). Try to avoid the hospital AT ALL COST

I was going to say seizures as well, maybe a mild form of epilepsy

I had assumed what you were dealing with probably wasn't what I was posting but I figured I would help you narrow it down by coming up with every possibility. Good luck with your outcome!

Originally posted by InFriNiTee
Here is a really good link to look at from WEB MD:

WEB MD Hypoglycemia

From the sound of it, I would guess you are having hypoglycemic episodes. Read the link above, and if any of it applies to you-go get tested.

Have someone drive you to the doctor when you experience the symptoms. Hardcore physical activity and drugs or alcohol are known to induce hypoglycemia. If you notice the symptoms when drinking especially or doing hard physical activity, I would look into the possibility of low blood sugar. You will surely need a doctor's help with it if that's what you have..

I actually got out early enough and ran this morning to see if it would cause the experience to happen again.

Nothing, but I don't have to drive anywhere

I wonder if it could be my smoking?

Originally posted by strafgod
Ive dealt with what you described in your OP for years (absence seizures). I not only space out the A.S. give me vivid day dreams. Once when I was younger I was convinced I was out riding my bike then I snapped back and realized I was siting in class lol. I dont always daydream with an A.S., sometimes its just blank spaces in time which wrecked havoc on my grades in school.

To citizenalpha, with the way school went for me id suggest home schooling your daughter that way she can learn at her own pace. It can become stressful trying to keep up with the class with these Micro seizures.

 

Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

 

I've never experienced a daydream like the one you describe . I have no headaches either. Wouldn't seizures cause headaches if frequent?

reply to post by broahes


I would try it again, but this time eat a lot of sugar (like drink some sodas, or a few glasses of juice). Wait about an hour and go for a strong run again. After the run, sit down and analyze how you feel. If you feel light-headed, have an unnaturally fast heartbeat, start sweating profusely (more than you would with a normal cardiovascular workout) then it could be symptoms of hypoglycemia. When my blood sugar goes low, the symptoms can vary each time.

The reason I say to eat a lot of sugar an hour before the workout is because that will cause your system to dump out a bunch of insulin. Excess insulin causes hypoglycemia when there's not enough sugar in the blood, and cardiovascular workouts will burn those calories very fast.

Diabetes is quite the opposite of hypoglycemia.

Diabetes is where the pancreas doesn't produce insulin (type 1) or doesn't produce enough insulin (type 2) and both types can have insulin resistance.

Hypoglycemia is the opposite, where your pancreas produces a little too much insulin for the sugar that's there.

If you consume a lot of sugar, wait an hour and go for a heavy workout and you don't get the symptoms-I would say it's probably not hypoglycemia. Remember that you might not always get the symptoms, similar to how I have hypoglycemia unawareness though.

I think it is most likely a medical condition, but as others have mentioned it could be a different type of condition.

If you have medical insurance it wouldn't hurt to look into all the possibilities by going to a few different doctors.

Good luck on your trek to solve this!

reply to post by broahes

I've never experienced a daydream like the one you describe . I have no headaches either. Wouldn't seizures cause headaches if frequent?

ive never had a headache as a result of a seizure and i have them quite frequently.
sorry for taking so long to reply, i don't get a chance to get online much.

Originally posted by broahes
I'm having trouble finding information on an experience I have had in the past, and still experience from time to time. I'm rather positive that I'm not the only one, but I just can't seem to find a term for it to better identify so I can research more.

First, this use to happen much more frequently when I was younger, but I still get it from time to time. I will add here that I did experiment with drugs when I was younger.. you name it, and I've done it.. BUT, this occurred before ever experimenting with drugs as well, and has happened with years of not using any mind altering substances as well.

The best way I can describe it is "spacing out". I will all of the sudden, for lack of a better term, 'snap back'. I'm not sure how long I am not identifying with my thoughts or experience, but the snapping back tells me there is at least some amount of time where I am just staring off at something, but not really realize that I am doing it. When I first snap back, my first thought process goes through questions such as, what is this? where am I? what am I? I can only imagine it is what we would remember when first being born if we were able to hold that memory and recall it. Where everything is new. I can look at my hand, for example and move it, but not be aware that I am moving it. I'm not really confused.. It's more like it doesn't matter. A disconnection I guess.

During the 'waking up', I realize everything slowly, so I guess it's not really snapping back. I rather enjoy this experience, and even as a child, I think I enjoyed it then too. I certainly wasn't scared of it. I find myself now, trying to recreate the experience, but that never works, and it can only come when I am not aware that it is coming if that makes sense.

I believe this is the experience that has brought about my interest in metaphysics over the past several years, but I never connected it to my interest until now.

This may be something very common, I'm just looking for any input as to a term that I could research.

Thank you all in advance for your input.

I have a background in Psychology.

What drugs did you do? How long ago. and how old are you now?

I do it too, and it IS a meditative state.
Because I meditate and it is very much the same.

Did it just 2 days ago when my son was talking and I was sitting on a curb looking at the blacktop. I was even sitting in a meditation pose without thinking about getting in it or being in it. Oh boy I got out there. It only lasted a minute or two but I got pretty doggone high when I settled back to normal mode.

It's akin to a form of self-hypnosis. IMO

ETA I know my brain is fine too. A genetic vascular defect in the loop of henle runs in my family so I had a lot of tests. No problems at all here.

reply to post by badconduct

What drugs did you do? How long ago. and how old are you now?

Thank you, I look forward to your input. To answer your questions:

A lot of heroin.. many experiences on acid/shrooms/extacy (several times mixing the 3 together as well.. along with lots of pot and alcohol. Pills from any bottle. Cocaine.. meth. I think it would have been an easier question.. what have you not done lol.

Seriously, any and everything.

I started out using pot and alcohol at 14. Everything else came soon afterwards. I have been clean since I was 23 I think. From 21-23 all I really did was pot and alcohol. I'm 28 now. Thanks.

I will add here. I experienced all of this both BEFORE and AFTER the time in my life of my drug and alcohol use. I can remember this happening prior to ever having ingested any substances that are considered drugs.

I will say though, that I have experienced it less in the past two years than any time in my life.

I am now 28.

reply to post by strafgod


No worries, thank you for the reply. I actually have an appointment with my general care doctor Wednesday to discuss what route I should go for further testing. I will let everyone know how that goes.

I'm glad to hear it. The doc should be able to help you figure out exactly what it is. I would hope in your case that it is something as simple as hypoglycemia, since that can be controlled with a good diet most times.

If it turns out to be hypoglycemia, I could also tell you of a supplement that might help with that (of course none of those have been approved or recognized by the FDA to cure prevent or treat anything).

I experience the same "zoning out" experience. It was pretty intense in my younger years having to sit behind a desk all day in a school setting. It was downright frightening "coming back to (so called) reality" and feel very confused about where I was and who are all these people, etc.. Very dreamlike. Some of the time I felt physically like I was having an OBE and watching from afar not that I am familar with the term. Now that I have knowledge and feel empowered enough to control when I start zoning too deeply I find it very relaxing and benefit from it as a meditative state.

Here is a great thread about others similar experiences (mine included):

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by itsallmaya


Just an update.. CT scan was negative.. no abnormality in muh brain. I've been set up with an appointment with a shrink (sorry.. that's what I call them.. nothing negative intended though) as it was suggested that it could be a form of psychological blocking of memories associated with some event of my past that my mind has chosen to keep me from remembering. If it turns out to be that, I'll say it's done a pretty goddamn good job, lol.

Update after that appointment.