To me they seem just like heightened sensory awareness. Not hallucinations. But certainly something is effecting my sensory data.
First I noticed sights becoming extremely well defined with detail and brighter colors. I could take a deep breath and it was like the spotlight had been turned on - no matter what I was looking at. OK, I said to myself, this is just my brain receiving a bit more oxygen. (I talk about my brain and it's oxygen levels a lot.)
Then I went out for pizza the other day, and people walking by me had scents. They were not right next to me, but maybe 5 feet away. And I could smell that one of them was a smoker. Actually that happened with 3-4 of the people there. The waitress wore deodorant which I could smell as she rushed around. Then there was someone who had stepped in dog poo, or maybe they themselves weren't all that clean. That was the bathroom person, I decided. I never turned to look (the door was at my back) but I could tell when they left. (And of course I discretely checked my own shoes.) I don't know that the food tasted better, or even how it smelled. A pizza and salad seemed normal fare. I have had delicious food sometimes that I exclaimed was the best tasting something I'd ever had. But that hasn't happened lately.
I've also noticed when my brain functions at less than normal. I play solitaire. I don't ever try to win the game...just see how long it takes me to get to the point where a win is inevitable. Then I start another game. But I often have to do a "do over" when I miss putting a card in the correct place. The game I play on my phone has a "re-do" button. If I notice I've missed and had to re-do several times in a game, I figure my mind and eyes aren't up to par.
![Quick Play [02]: Solitaire - YouTube](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FeoPUgrik8Bo%2Fhqdefault.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
If I miss a lot, I don't let myself drive. I'm serious. If I can't see the Jack on Queen combination, how can I expect to see the car coming across my lane of traffic. I have had that happen to me while driving, and blamed myself for not having good vision. But I think I just didn't have good attention. I don't want to be the old lady driver who causes an accident, and someone else might get hurt. This is my excuse for playing solitaire about 3 hours a day for the last 4 years or more.
Haven't noticed any hearing changes yet. When I start hearing voices I'll get hold of my doctor fast.
Or maybe I'll have to chisel some new laws into clay tablets. If I see a burning bush, I'm most likely to toss a pan of water on it. (Check out Moses in the Bible if you didn't get my references.)
I've shared these episodes with my physical therapist as well as my doc. They couldn't say a thing that had any physical cause. One said I'm getting close to a spiritual connection to the universe. Obviously not his area of expertise...or maybe it is, and I"m not giving him credit. I've become pretty skeptical.
Oh, there are also hot flashes! At 77? I look to the second cup of coffee for that experience. And I'm cutting back. But I still think breathing and mental acuity have a connection...and maybe that's part of my feeling light-headed at times.
And then yesterday as I drove through Wendy's, I had an awful painful experience. I reached with my right hand to pull my coat up on my left shoulder, when under my left arm and all across my back and ribs shot one of those breath taking pains. Oh no, I thought, a heart attack at the drive through. Do I call 911 now? Well, I was holding my arms and thinking this as the pain gradually receded, so I thought maybe I overdid it with my PT exercises earlier in the day. So I gingerly reached my left arm across to my right shoulder...and bam! The same awful pain radiating across my back and ribs. Yep, it was the exercise. So I paid for my baked potato, with a sweaty brow and breathing hard, as I drove up to the window...and went home to make a cup of tea to go with it.
Another occasion which reminds me how grateful I am just to be alive and able to do any of the things I do.
That is quite a sense of smell. Sue has a much better sense of that than I do. In summer, we must keep the trash can way in the backyard, and it is quite a trip around the next townhouse to take it to the curb.
ReplyDeleteAs far as games, as you know, I play Sudoku daily, or almost. Some days I can't seem to see the obvious and make silly mistakes. On other days, I breeze through with clarity. Yet the two puzzles are supposedly at the same level of difficulty.
Hi AC...I usually have a very low sense of smell...which was why this was such an unusual experience for me. I do react to chemicals and scents in the air, usually by losing my voice. But these days I seldom even know what the scent is.
DeleteHello, I seem to have allergies to certain scents and smells. Perfume and cigarette odors are the worst. Even grass cutting smells bad to me. I used to play solitaire all the time on the computer, but I have to cut back computer time. I like that the new cars will let you know if you are crossing the lines. Enjoy your day, have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI think allergies are what have numbed my sense of smell most of the time. I also am trying to cut back computer time. My car is old and without much brain power.
ReplyDeleteOh, I have had pain after exercising a lot lately. It is frustrating because I want to exercise a little more, but pain can lay you low for a day or two. Like Eileen, I am sensitive to many smells. Perfume and tobacco are repellent to me.
ReplyDeleteI've always had an underdeveloped sense of smell... and overdeveloped hearing.
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