[Schatje]

Do too many different noises going on at one time, too much stimulation, and too much confusion sometimes freak any of you out?

For instance if you are in a busy store and there is a baby screaming, someone is on the intercom, someone is talking to you, everyone around you is talking to each other, there is a clanging from carts being bumped together, and you're in the cereal isle staring at the brightly colored boxes all vying for your attention do you get a little freaked out? It almost seems like everything turns to a buzzing and I'm isolated in my own little bubble and all the colors go a bit blurry.

Sometimes it doesn't need to be anything more than just too many loud noises at once. I can't seem to pick any one thing out of the mix of sounds. It is all just a garbled mess and it wasn't like this before. Sometimes it is too many bright colors and it gets me agitated. It also happens when my 5 year old is jumping up and down in front of me talking nonsense and suddenly lunges at me and puts a hand just inches from my face. That sends me for a loop. I can't describe it any better than being freaked out.

I've never mentioned it to anyone before, not even my husband, but I think he has picked up on it. He looks at me a little worried and tries to get me out of the fray or to get our little boy to back off of mommy.

[AAAAA]

Schatje,

First, welcome to PC! I’m really glad you found the site and joined!

Second, I don’t have a problem with stimulation, per say. If I like what is on the TV, radio etc. If it’s something I hate, yea I freak out. I don’t know what it is, but something about Elvis Presley’s voice really irritates me. We went into the cell phone store to get new phones for everyone in the family last Christmas, and they had it BLARRING I was like a caged lion, the clerk asked what was wrong and I had to ask that the music be turned down, I couldn’t take another second. A music group that I like, that level wouldn’t have phased me a bit.

A baby crying in a store, I mean WAILING, that goes right to my spine too. My husband and I worked second shift at the same place and we’d stop at an all night department store or grocery store to do our shopping. It never failed that there was some poor kid so tired that they just screamed, while mom was looking at clothes at 1am! I couldn’t take it, I’d have to leave. Movie theater, restaurant any public place a kid crying (tired crying specifically) just drives me up a wall. A kid can be laughing and screaming while playing and that doesn’t bother me a bit. I can even deal with a whiney kid, but that tired cry, I just can’t take it. This must be an age thing, I’ve got four kids, and they didn’t drive me nuts.

White noise makes me insane as well. I can’t believe that people actual purchase machines to make that noise for them! I’m not kidding I’ll be fine and a radio will go static or something and I’m just… I can’t even describe it.

[Perna]

I don't have bipolar but I've gotten freaked coming out of a shopping center/mall where I was for a goodly length of time into the parking lot with noise and cars moving and too many cars and light reflecting off them, not wanting to think where my car might be, temperature change (from air conditioning to summer day), etc. and just lost it :-) I did at the circus too, the only time I've ever been in my life; too much to see and movement, etc. It wore me out and I ended up just shutting down as my husband didn't understand and really wanted to be there so wouldn't leave.

[trixielou]

i know completely where you are coming from. i hate going to dept stores for this reason. i hate going to mother in laws for this reason. the only way they know how to communicate there is to scream & yell. its good your husband is supportive. i have 3 & half month old i get agitated with very easily cuz shes at that stage where she doesnt want to be on her back but she cant sit up & its the constant bouncing on the knee thing. im not complaining it just gets frustrating cuz i also have a hyper dog in house & husband can get a bit high strung. for the past couple of days ive turned off the tv & surround sound cuz the sounds were just getting to me & i wanted quiet. this morning i had a doc appt & it was one of those get myself ready get baby ready (thankfully my precious baby stayed asleep during all this) get dog & cats taken care of tote bottles diaper bag swing & bouncy seat over to mother in laws go cash check & get money to husband. by the time i got to doc appt when they took my blood pressure it was high. after i sat in that room for awhile i guess i crashed cuz i got so sleepy. just very low stress tolerance.

[Moose72]

I'm right there with you. I don't have it all the time, but frequently- and especially so in the last month. I'll be out at a restaurant and just want to tell everybody to stop talking and to turn the music down. A bad episode happened when I was at my boyfriend's house watching "What Dreams May Come" which is a very "visceral" movie- lots of emotional music, colors, etc. I got up to leave, it was so overwhelming for me! I had to cover my ears and close my eyes! I normally am opposite- I like the emotional aspects of music and such.

[Schatje]

I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone, but then again I wish that none of you experienced this either. Thanks to the meds it doesn't send me into an episode like it used to, but it still isn't pleasant. I swear sometimes my husband and kids are trying to send mommy over the edge.

trixielou - I can very much empathize with you about the new baby. My youngest turned 4 months just 2 days ago. I love this stage, but then again it is a test of patience and I've never been a patient person.

[Peerless]

Sometimes, my eyes begin to hurt as I observe things and I notice just how much detail there is all around me. When this happens it hurts to have my eyes open and to have them closed. Sun glasses usually help, or a hat I can pull down over my eyes.

[TexSinginMom]

My son had these same issues and I took for Sensory Indegration testing. He tested very low and underwent therapy for it. You actually get the therapy thru an occupational therapist and they have specialize in that type of therapy. For instance he would walk into the school cafeteria and start going crazy...we didnt know what was wrong...then he told us that all the smells scared him.

Im not saying this is what you are experiencing but it might be worth looking into. He cant take PE class because of the noise and stimulation...so what does he take instead...BAND...and what instrument...PERCUSSION...lol.

But practicing his bells at home is fine...being in the large group is sometimes really bad for him. One day he was over stimulated in band class...frustrated...then his instrument fell over and the class laughed at him...his first reaction was to throw his mallet. The mallet hit the teacher in the head...it was a bad scene.

No, you're not alone, I hear of lots of BP folks with sensory issues.

[Moose72]

I was getting that way yesterday again. Yuck.

[calculated_delusion]

that one hits REAL close to home for me, too. It's like... every sound and color and movement around me gets to the point where it's like a siren in my ear and most of the time, I end up snapping at whoever is closest to me (which sucks). I hate it. I used to do quick meditation to calm down before I blew up. sometimes it helps, sometimes not. I just repeated little quick quotes in my head for a minute until the feeling went away. that might help with your situation. who knows. At any rate, I hope you get through it somehow.

[Schatje]

Thanks to all of you. I deal with it pretty well. I try to stay out of situations I know will be difficult. I go to the store on off hours to avoid too much stimulation, keep the amount of noises around the house low, and I take a step back to avoid anything flying in my face.

[trippinmickey]

Mp3 Player with head phone & sun glasses.I never go any where with out them !!!! Im just like you .I would freak out from Sound , noises & movements around me . By putting on my mp3 player and glasses I can close my self off from the world . Which has aloud me to deal with those side effect.

My letters and words bounce around (Thank god for spell check)

[Rebound]

Please allow me to chime in with my comments that I get totally freaked out by too much noise. It really gets to me. It's actually caused me to go on short-term disability from work since it's been slow there so when people have nothing to do they yack amongst themselves. It was driving me up the wall.

I really can't handle malls, especially during the holidays.

[sistercrazy]

I've not been diagnosed with anything - I'm here for my sister - but, I can tell you, sometimes I get freaked out to by too much noise. The mother-in-law story....that's one for me. I literally freak out every time I go there because of all of the yelling - it's not angry yelling - it's just loud and I have to leave before I start yelling at the top of my lungs just to make it quiet for even a few seconds... I shut down once, covered my ears with my hands and closed my eyes and everyone thought I was sick and someone asked what was wrong - it's all the yelling. And I was the strange one....go figure.
I get the same way with my kids - or if someone is trying to play with me it becomes too much for me to handle. And I get agitated and then I'm the cranky one....
It's SO frustrating because it's me that is strange or cranky. When i'm not cranky I just cant handle it.