[grandmaof3]

Hi. I ve been bipolar diagnosed since I was in my twenties. I had the usual mood swings and such that bipolar people experience. Meds helped quite a lot. But now I have a new problem. I've begun losing time. Sometimes its a few hours and sometimes its a few days. Last week I woke up and found myself in a hotel room 200 miles from home with no idea why I was there and no idea how I got there. At first I didn't even know where I was but then I checked the gps on my cell phone. I called my husband and he told me he had been worried sick because he didnt know where I was. I had been gone 3 days. I have know Idea what I did those days, who I saw or anything. My husband said that he came home from work and I was just gone. I didn't leave a note or anything. Of course this got me in trouble at work because 1 of those days I was supposed to work. I had a hard time explaining myself to my boss. I didn't want to tell him I had no clue why I didn't show up for work that day. I told him that I had a family emergency and I took a leave of absence so I can try to figure things out. How common is it for people to have problems like this. How do you handle it. When Ive lost a few hours I can usually piece togerther what happened. My friends and family have said that at times I haven't been acting like myself and have been doing things totally out of character> I don't know why all of a sudden I would start dissociating. ANy help here ?

[Claritytoo]

Originally Posted by grandmaof3

Hi. I ve been bipolar diagnosed since I was in my twenties. I had the usual mood swings and such that bipolar people experience. Meds helped quite a lot. But now I have a new problem. I've begun losing time. Sometimes its a few hours and sometimes its a few days. Last week I woke up and found myself in a hotel room 200 miles from home with no idea why I was there and no idea how I got there. At first I didn't even know where I was but then I checked the gps on my cell phone. I called my husband and he told me he had been worried sick because he didnt know where I was. I had been gone 3 days. I have know Idea what I did those days, who I saw or anything. My husband said that he came home from work and I was just gone. I didn't leave a note or anything. Of course this got me in trouble at work because 1 of those days I was supposed to work. I had a hard time explaining myself to my boss. I didn't want to tell him I had no clue why I didn't show up for work that day. I told him that I had a family emergency and I took a leave of absence so I can try to figure things out. How common is it for people to have problems like this. How do you handle it. When Ive lost a few hours I can usually piece togerther what happened. My friends and family have said that at times I haven't been acting like myself and have been doing things totally out of character> I don't know why all of a sudden I would start dissociating. ANy help here ?

Have you gone to your medical Dr for a complete check up. It is important to rule out anything that may be happening with your physical health.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by grandmaof3

Hi. I ve been bipolar diagnosed since I was in my twenties. I had the usual mood swings and such that bipolar people experience. Meds helped quite a lot. But now I have a new problem. I've begun losing time. Sometimes its a few hours and sometimes its a few days. Last week I woke up and found myself in a hotel room 200 miles from home with no idea why I was there and no idea how I got there. At first I didn't even know where I was but then I checked the gps on my cell phone. I called my husband and he told me he had been worried sick because he didnt know where I was. I had been gone 3 days. I have know Idea what I did those days, who I saw or anything. My husband said that he came home from work and I was just gone. I didn't leave a note or anything. Of course this got me in trouble at work because 1 of those days I was supposed to work. I had a hard time explaining myself to my boss. I didn't want to tell him I had no clue why I didn't show up for work that day. I told him that I had a family emergency and I took a leave of absence so I can try to figure things out. How common is it for people to have problems like this. How do you handle it. When Ive lost a few hours I can usually piece togerther what happened. My friends and family have said that at times I haven't been acting like myself and have been doing things totally out of character> I don't know why all of a sudden I would start dissociating. ANy help here ?

one thing that jumps out at me in your post is your statement that you have just begun to lose track of time....

with dissociation most times if not always the time loss runs through out the persons whole life....you see dissociation is a normal reaction to stress, trauma, depression what ever a person is having trouble handling. it doesnt just start happening one day out of the blue. usually if people look back on their life they can see times when they have been dissociated (feeling numb, feeling spacey, feeling disconnected, feeling like an observer rather than a participant times when they have slipped into daydreaming at school work home in the car what have you....these are all normal forms of dissociation. what makes them fall into disordered categories is how much deviated from their own normal levels to affecting their work, social life, home life, school life...and much more.

when someone suddenly out of the blue one day starts losing time it is most times if not always a sign of something physical....a medication side effect, a physical illness like getting the flu, caught a cold, or any number of physical ailments that share a symptom of losing time. it can also be age related...women between the ages of 35- 65 go through a phase of life called peri menopause, menopause and post menopausal symptoms. when exactly they go through this depends on their own body, genetics environmental factors...

with me I suddenly started losing track of time when I was not eating correctly. its amazing what symptoms a person can end up with simply by accidentally skipping meals, going off their routines, stress and many other normal things.

so on this I would suggest contacting your treatment providers they can assess you for things like whether your meds for your bipolar need adjustiing, menopause phases or other physical health issues that share the symptom of losing track of time.

there is a dissociative disorder where a person can suddenly lose track of time...dissociative amnesia. thats where something so traumatic /major happens in the persons life that their mind blocks it out...example I witnessed someone getting shot while I was on the job. that event was so traumatic to me that I lost track of time for whole days including the actual traumatic event that caused my dissociative amnesia. the memory came back to me slowly through therapy and medications. things lost through dissociative amnesia are never totally lost. the memory is there just walled off until the mind is ready to handle what ever traumatic event happened to cause the dissociative amnesia.

so again my suggestion is if this continues to bother you contact your treatment providers, if this is a dissociative issue they can work with you so that you will be able to recall what ever traumatic event that led up to dissociating. should this turn out to be a dissociative amnesia event, They can help you to learn news ways to handle your life so that sudden dissociative amnesia events wont happen with you again.

[grandmaof3]

I saw my psychiatrist today. He has referred me to a neurologist. I go in 2 weeks. Hopefully I can hold it together that long.

[Claritytoo]

Originally Posted by grandmaof3

I saw my psychiatrist today. He has referred me to a neurologist. I go in 2 weeks. Hopefully I can hold it together that long.

It is good to hear you have a supportive psychiatrist. Just take your time and let the doctors do their checking. It might be something simple. You never know. Let us know how you are doing. Take care.

[grandmaof3]

Originally Posted by Claritytoo

It is good to hear you have a supportive psychiatrist. Just take your time and let the doctors do their checking. It might be something simple. You never know. Let us know how you are doing. Take care.

Thanks. Today I found myself at work. Its my day off and I don't know how I got there or why. Fortunately they were shorthanded and glad to see me. The last thing I remember was taking my grandson to preschool. Now Im fearful that Im not safe to take care of him. He's only 2 and he's quite a handful. Im worried that I might do something crazy when Ive got him with me. How does anyone handle taking care of their kids when you've got a problem like this. I've dealt with being bipolar and my kids have suffered for it, but at least I always knew where I was and why I was there.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by grandmaof3

Thanks. Today I found myself at work. Its my day off and I don't know how I got there or why. Fortunately they were shorthanded and glad to see me. The last thing I remember was taking my grandson to preschool. Now Im fearful that Im not safe to take care of him. He's only 2 and he's quite a handful. Im worried that I might do something crazy when Ive got him with me. How does anyone handle taking care of their kids when you've got a problem like this. I've dealt with being bipolar and my kids have suffered for it, but at least I always knew where I was and why I was there.

when I dont feel like Im in the frame of mind and can negatively impact my children I let my wife know and she takes over the child care responsibilities or we get a baby sitter to be with them when they are not in daycare. we even have a couple sitters lined up that can be with me and the children at a moments notice so that should I be having a dissociative day the sitter can be here taking the primary care point so that my dissociation problems do not negatively affect the children.

as parents, grandparents, family members of children its the adult responsibility to put the children ahead of the adults needs so thats what my wife and I do when addressing my mental and physical health challenges.

[Fuzzybear]

[grandmaof3]

I went to the neurologist today. He said my meds could be causing my problems or maybe it might be early onset Alzheimer s. He said there was a slim possibility that I am dissociating but he is leaning towards Alzheimer s. Im getting a second opinion in 2 weeks. In the meantime I am stopping my meds to see if my cognition improves. I don't know what else to do. My husband is against me stopping my meds but I agreed that if he thinks my behavior is getting manic or even depression I will start my meds again.

[Claritytoo]

I would wait for the second opinion before stopping meds. Also I wouldn't stop or change meds without the psychiatrist involvement. Some medications are dangerous to abruptly stop. It could cause you great harm. Also I agree with amandalouise, if you are blacking out for periods of time it is not safe for your 2yr old grandchild. I think, until you know what is happening with you, you should have someone with you when you are caring for your grandchild.