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Altered Consciousness/impaired awareness?
Thu, 05/14/2009 - 22:16Could someone explain what this may actually mean?
For example, after my aura of a very distinctive smell - I'll open my eyes suddenly and be staring at the sky, ceiling, or wall (after having been standing, walking, or sitting straight up watching TV, etc.) and be completely confused, bewildered, and groggy minded as to what happened with loss of actual time between what I was doing and where I'm at in that moment - not knowing or remembering anything in between
or
as in recently I had 2 seizures over 2 days back to back.
1) I was sitting in my recliner talking to my daughter & neice about what to have for dinner. I had the "smell", then my daughter & neice were talking to me but they were at the end of a very long tunnel & I couldn't answer them (they said later that my eyes were closed & they thought I had fallen asleep sitting up).
Then I kinda opened my eyes and my niece was gone. I got panicky cause I didn't know where she was. My daughter said my sis came and picked her up. I never saw my sister. My sister later told me that she spoke to me, I only grunted never spoke, and she left.
Somewhere I lost time and I felt groggy, bewildered, drained, and sleepy for a while afterward.
2) I had the "smell", took a header face first towards the curbing in the parking lot at a local Wal Mart (my Dad's quick thinking saved me cause he apparently caught me in mid-fall). My dad said I never said a word, was looking straight ahead, took a few steps, and then just dropped.
While sitting on the curbing, I saw the other cars rolling through the parking lot but they weren't real in that they were wavy and weird looking and seemed to be close and far off at the same time. My Dad spoke to me but he too was at the end of a long tunnel for a moment, maybe 2.
After both of these, I kinda "woke up" in that no one was in a tunnel and nothing was waving back and forth but was left drained, tired, bewildered, groggy, and sleepy for quite a while afterward.
In fact, I had my Dad take me home the day of the parking lot incident. We never even entered the Wal Mart. I laid the seat back in the car and then went to bed as soon as I got home.
Pardon me if I may seem stupid about this but in all sincerity, when I read about altered consciousness or impaired awareness, I'm just not sure what it's talking about or if what I have is what this is.
Comments
Re: Altered Consciousness/impaired awareness?
Submitted by wichitarick1 on Fri, 2009-05-15 - 15:06
peace R.C.
Hi
consciousness and impaired awareness is the same thing. If you would look both phrases up, an altered state of consciousness is where one loses the sense of identity with one's body or with one's perceptions. Impaired awareness is a reduction in awareness.To put it simply, when you have this type of seizure, you're not unconscious however, your level of awareness is reduced."
I agree with this. Please search here for the threads of people describing their "auras"
An "aura" or partial s. is hard to describe to someone else .I am actually glad I have done Hallucinogenic drugs because even what your descibing is so close to the "aura" feeling these drugs have .
Altered consiousness is a perfect way to describe this, it is not a really a question it is the state of mind your in . I have been like this for several weeks now, WHEW exhausted,plus the full long gmal sz to go with it wrecking my back and muscles.
I used to have the szs and feeling you descibe a lot and during the day like you .That is scary and dangerous I feel now .Actually I have been hurt quite a bit probably just not admitting it yet.lol I feel so lucky though compared to some and have never taken this to seriously ? just more in stride . But it has shown pretty clearly over a yr. or so .
I call it a fluculating I.Q. But for real my mind hurts bad ?It takes over a week to regain basic stuff like spelling , forgetting, balance ,vision,etc. Please be careful and try to let the family know what may happen so they are prepared. Rick
peace R.C.
Hi
consciousness and impaired awareness is the same thing. If you would look both phrases up, an altered state of consciousness is where one loses the sense of identity with one's body or with one's perceptions. Impaired awareness is a reduction in awareness.To put it simply, when you have this type of seizure, you're not unconscious however, your level of awareness is reduced."
I agree with this. Please search here for the threads of people describing their "auras"
An "aura" or partial s. is hard to describe to someone else .I am actually glad I have done Hallucinogenic drugs because even what your descibing is so close to the "aura" feeling these drugs have .
Altered consiousness is a perfect way to describe this, it is not a really a question it is the state of mind your in . I have been like this for several weeks now, WHEW exhausted,plus the full long gmal sz to go with it wrecking my back and muscles.
I used to have the szs and feeling you descibe a lot and during the day like you .That is scary and dangerous I feel now .Actually I have been hurt quite a bit probably just not admitting it yet.lol I feel so lucky though compared to some and have never taken this to seriously ? just more in stride . But it has shown pretty clearly over a yr. or so .
I call it a fluculating I.Q. But for real my mind hurts bad ?It takes over a week to regain basic stuff like spelling , forgetting, balance ,vision,etc. Please be careful and try to let the family know what may happen so they are prepared. Rick
Re: Altered Consciousness/impaired awareness?
Submitted by Nerak95 on Fri, 2009-05-15 - 00:16
From what you're describing, it sound like you've experienced a complex partial seizure. Basically altered consciousness and impaired awareness is the same thing. If you would look both phrases up, an altered state of consciousness is where one loses the sense of identity with one's body or with one's perceptions. Impaired awareness is a reduction in awareness.
To put it simply, when you have this type of seizure, you're not unconscious however, your level of awareness is reduced.
Last but not least nobody, I mean NOBODY is considered stupid when they are merely trying to learn.
~Karen
From what you're describing, it sound like you've experienced a complex partial seizure. Basically altered consciousness and impaired awareness is the same thing. If you would look both phrases up, an altered state of consciousness is where one loses the sense of identity with one's body or with one's perceptions. Impaired awareness is a reduction in awareness.
To put it simply, when you have this type of seizure, you're not unconscious however, your level of awareness is reduced.
Last but not least nobody, I mean NOBODY is considered stupid when they are merely trying to learn.
~Karen
Re: Altered Consciousness/impaired awareness?
Submitted by new_vessel on Thu, 2009-05-14 - 23:55
I've just begun to have little "episodes" myself but haven't been diagnosed with epilepsy. I've been out driving for instance, gotten a wierd smell and then it's all I can do to focus and pull the car over till I feel better. Went to the dr and they did an eeg but said that they couldn't diagnose because nothing showed up.
First happened December '08 - was driving to a friends to celebrate Christmas, on the way I suddenly smelled burnt pumpkins and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Looked around the car, checked the air vents, looked back up, the lights turned green and just as I pulled forward, I had no idea where I was. I had to drive a bit, pull over on a side street and try to figure out how to get back home. I knew my address, could read the signs, but it was like I had suddenly been transported to a foreign land. Hard to even figure north, south etc.
Since then, its happened once more while out driving, and a couple wierd deja-vu's other times. Haven't lost consciousness, can't figure out if its just low blood sugar or what. I'm in my mid 40's, have a job across town, have a family to raise (single parent) and if they "diagnos" me with epilepsy - there goes my job! So now I'm trying to make sure I don't skip meals, or over-indulge in anything.
would appreciate any tips on keeping the old brain steady. Want to search all possiblilities before any over-zealot dr. slaps a label on me and ruins my life.
I've just begun to have little "episodes" myself but haven't been diagnosed with epilepsy. I've been out driving for instance, gotten a wierd smell and then it's all I can do to focus and pull the car over till I feel better. Went to the dr and they did an eeg but said that they couldn't diagnose because nothing showed up.
First happened December '08 - was driving to a friends to celebrate Christmas, on the way I suddenly smelled burnt pumpkins and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Looked around the car, checked the air vents, looked back up, the lights turned green and just as I pulled forward, I had no idea where I was. I had to drive a bit, pull over on a side street and try to figure out how to get back home. I knew my address, could read the signs, but it was like I had suddenly been transported to a foreign land. Hard to even figure north, south etc.
Since then, its happened once more while out driving, and a couple wierd deja-vu's other times. Haven't lost consciousness, can't figure out if its just low blood sugar or what. I'm in my mid 40's, have a job across town, have a family to raise (single parent) and if they "diagnos" me with epilepsy - there goes my job! So now I'm trying to make sure I don't skip meals, or over-indulge in anything.
would appreciate any tips on keeping the old brain steady. Want to search all possiblilities before any over-zealot dr. slaps a label on me and ruins my life.