shopping terror

[Gammadel]

Does anyone here find it difficult to shop in large crowded stores? I just realized I have trouble picking out the correct items on the shelves. all the  packages  look the same and it's like my brain cannot sort out all the data. does anyone else have this problem?

[Debz5]

You most likely have a semi-permanent disorder called Vestibular Neuritis. It is a disorder that affects the nerve of the inner ear called the vestibulocochlear nerve. This nerve sends balance and head position information from the inner ear to the brain.

If you notice that your symptoms worsen after a common cold or the flu, it's most likely due to the varicella virus (related to the chickenpox you had as a child) lying dormant deep in your your inner ear. When you get a virus such as a cold or the flu, the varicella in your inner ear WAKES UP within a couple of weeks AFTER your cold or flu is gone. This wreaks havoc with your BALANCE system and causes numerous problems some of which include dizziness, confusion, panic/fear, sensitivity to SOUND, BRIGHT LIGHTS (especially FLUORESCENT LIGHTS), HIGH PITCHED SOUNDS, CROWDS of PEOPLE, A LOT of MOVEMENT (e.g. heavy traffic wizzing by), etc.

There is no cure, and your symptoms will come and go for the rest of your life. You can control your symptoms with MECLIZINE HCI 25 mg daily, and VALTREX (valaciclovir) 500 mg daily to control the varicella in your inner ear when you have a severe bout or feel it coming on. TRUST ME, NO OTHER DRUGS WILL WORK AS WELL AS THESE TWO! I have been dealing with this for more than 25 years, and these two drugs are the only ones (as of January 2016) which will help you tremendously!

[supermum_ms]

I find my self focused on looking at where i'm putting my feet and keeping my self up right, more than whats going on around me, the surface of the floor/ground can easily derail my brain lol I so dont need anyone else in my environment to help me fall over or almost, i do that all on my own but add in a crowd and i'm heading home, shopping is so not the same anymore.

Elevators and escalators are interesting experiences for me, i have the death grip going on the railing and i still go over lol Elivator goes up, JJ goes dowwwwwn ROFL

Cheers..........JJ

[Valkyrie568]

So far I've been able to tolerate the stores, but my family chose a sports bar for lunch with a bunch of different TVs all blaring away on different stations. If was horrible! Like some of you have said, "overwhelming". I had earplugs in the car and tried those, but it was still too much chaos for me to deal with.

We had already ordered food, but I had to leave and have them bring my food out to the car.

[TLC_31]

The large grocery stores or other box stores, particularly on the weekends, can be a jumble of noise and people. If I have to bring along one or more kids, and/or if I’m sent to find a couple particular items that I don’t usually buy, then it can certainly be overstimulating. And once in a while the store will move something to another shelf or stop carrying it, leaving me hanging. In the grocery store, I’ve learned that the wine aisle and cleaning supplies aisle are nice uncrowded rest areas, and I’ve retreated there a couple of times.

In an environment such as a football game, however, the crowd and noise are generally all focused on one thing, and I’m not bothered the same way. That’s not to say a game doesn’t have its own set of problems;  if my seat is in the middle of the aisle and everybody else has arrived already, unfortunately I step on a lot of toes. :-(

[maxthecat43]

Me too!  It's not just in large shopping centers/stores.  For me it's anywhere there are a lot of people and noise.  I shut down.  I even have a hard time understanding speech.  I see people speaking to me, and I know I should understand- but it's sounds like jibberish to me.  It's very disconcerting.

Tammy

[Guitar_grrrl]

I'm in the same boat!  I definitely can't shop without a list.  Late morning is my favorite time, too, DV. ;-D  I get my wall of fatigue at about 8:30 in the morning, it resolves around 10.  Then I get hit with another wall of fatigue around 1:30, and that goes until 4:30 or 5. Grrr...

The sensory input is overwhelming!

[teenyturner]

I can't shop at all.  The crowds of people walking around make me so unbalanced that I fall over or vomit or both.  I don't last long enough to get into the shop!

I do all my shopping online now.  It's very isolating.

Regards

[rendean]

I have same problem. My neuro told me it's just too much sensory input at one time and the processing is culprit of the half empty grocery carts, inability to  to read labels etc.

I usually have some one go with me and read a detailed list before I go to the store so my helper can assist me when I get confused. I have settled on my teenagers (ugh)  but friends as well because then after the task is complete, it's time for lunch at a yummy cafe. :-0

Just my way of keeping my sanity.
Ren

[Sailorsong]

Yes I have this problem also but not quite in the same way.

I find the more crowded a store is the harder it is for me to remember things. Many times I would try to pick up the same item because I forgot that I already got it. Other times I would forget what item I was going to get while heading to that particular aisle in the store. I'll get to the aisle and just stand there with no idea of why I went to that aisle.

Another one is that at times I will get completely turned around and have no idea of where the front of the store is so that I can check out.

Dennis

[doublevision1]

Me too.  Somedays it's a struggle, it can be so overwhelming.  A couple of times I've had to stop, park my half filled cart, leave and go home to lie down.  I try stock up on as much as possible to avoid the next trip for a while.  Last week I ended up getting nearly $500 worth of stuff as i literally hadn't gone in weeks and our cupboards were almost bare.  Well that trip nearly killed me and I had to lay down all afternoon after that.  The bright lighting, the noise, reading labels and doing math to try to figure out the best deal, dodging other shoppers, etc is exhausting.  I live in a small city, a one industry town, and it used to be I couldn't set foot in any business in town and not run into people from work.  As I'm currently off work, I now do grocery shopping in th late morning and manage to keep a low profile.  I dread running into someone and having to make small talk; I'm self conscious of my jumbling up of words and names; don't want to try to explain why I'm off work, etc.

Quick trips to get just what you need at the time would be far less overwheliming, but then I'd have to go out more often and that is energy draining too.

[beema36]

Yes I definitely have this problem. The overstimulation of all the lights, colors,  people and things to look at overwhelm me. I find myself dizzy and somewhat disoriented. I also may get nauseated. Everytime I go am exhausted for hours after. My neurologist tells me this is common in ms. He calls it the Walmart syndrome.
I just try to pace myself and usually don't stay long. I try to figure out how the store is laid out so I can just get in and out quickly. Shopping and browsing is no longer fun.