solosater

So marius and I were comparing notes on the evils of florescent lights and migraine headaches but we both felt bad that we were doing it in the forum thread about different cultures. That's just rude! marius suggested a different or new forum and I thought, "I'll bet there are a lot of weird things people go through in there lives and other people just don't get. She's right we do need a forum!" So here it is.



The first thing I'm going to post is my story of my four dry sockets. Then I'll cut and paste the conversation about sensory processing disorders, and the florescent lights, and the interesting info that Dragon posted about them.



I hope you will add your crazy physical and mental weirdnesses to our forum, perhaps you too will find someone who does the crazy thing you do or who has the same weird problem you do. What fun!

solosater

A dry socket is what happens when you have a tooth pulled, and where usually your body would make a "scab" (actually a blood clot) until it is fully healed, you end up with an exposed nerve, the "dry" socket. It is very easily fixed with gauze packing soaked in clove oil but until then it feels like a freight train going through your head with every breath and every word spoken. If you keep your mouth shut it hurts less as the air is not getting to it.

I had all four of my wisdom teeth pulled at the same time and then went to a convention out of town, spent a few days on a road trip with a friend and then went back to work. I was fine until I went to work, in fact I didn't use any of the painkillers and aside from a kind of throbbing pain and not wanting to talk much, we all thought I was fine. The first day back to work (in a call room) I lasted about an hour before I had to leave and go home, the pain was excruciating and I was totally confused. I'd been fine!

So, with threats of being fired and the guilt trip from hell being pulled on me by my boss, I went home and called the dentist. The receptionist laughed when I told her what was happening; she knew exactly what the trouble was, said it was an easy fix and they got me in later that day. The tech pulled out these tiny little strips of gauze soaked them in a not very "medical" looking substance (the clove oil) and packed them into my tooth sockets. The pain was instantaneously gone.

Clove oil is a natural analgaesic and antiseptic used primarily in dentistry for its main ingredient eugenol. It can also be purchased in pharmacies over the counter, as a home remedy for dental pain relief, mainly toothache; it is also often found in the aromatherapy section of health food stores. The oil produced by cloves can be used in many things from flavouring medicine to remedies for bronchitis, the common cold, a cough, fever, sore throat and tending to infections. (Per Wiki)

I know people used it for centuries to freshen breath as well, they would chew on a whole clove then, I believe, stuff the bits down in the side of their cheek. I imagine it is still a common thing in some areas.

To avoid a dry socket, from what I understand now, you would not swish water or mouthwash or anything in your mouth after the tooth was pulled until it was healed (probably a week to ten days, I'm guessing). Swishing washes away the clots, they call it “blowing your clots” .

I was put in a twilight state for the surgery and am very sensitive to anesthetics so I should really have not been left to my own devices. However, as everyone was working and I was mostly going to sleep for the rest of the day, I was left alone. I couldn’t stand the bloody taste in my mouth so I went and swished with warm salt water about a half hour after getting home from the surgeon's office. I thought they had said that was the thing to do, I’m guessing now that I misunderstood them warning me not to.

About a week after the packing went in, it came out and the pain stayed away and it was all good! I still had huge holes in my mouth but that’s normal and they went away over time too. The only thing I can say for certain about a dry socket is that the pain from 1 is only less than the pain from 4 in that the nerves in you’re mouth stop in the middle (probably true for the rest of the body too but most of us have experienced the sensation in our mouths), so 1 only hurts on one side while 4 hurts on both. I really cannot imagine that it hurts less, just over less area.

So that’s my story about my four dry sockets I hope you enjoyed it;-)

solosater

We were talking about the cultural differences as we see it in social gatherings and in particular, weddings.

*Login responded to Mostblessedone’s remark about the loud music at weddings and said: I have acute hearing but have BIG problems with background noise ... it drowns out all conversation ... very frustrating. Tinnitus also ... loud music or noisy rooms set the tinnitus raging.

*solosater responded: Login, I've never heard another person say they heard well but had issues with background noise.

This is a real issue for me.

I can tell you where the back of your earring fell because I heard it hit the ground and bounce but in the mall or the fair or even in the car with the stereo playing I have a real hard time hearing. Then I compensate by speaking louder and it's just a mess!

I don't even realize it's a problem for a while, I frequently have to be told that I'm speaking too loud (do you ever do that?), that's generally when it hits me that I'm not hearing well and if the conversation is very important I'll ask the person to step out into the hall or outside or someplace quieter.

I makes me CRAZY!

I too have (quite minor) tinnitus occasionally; do you know if it's connected? How do you deal with it (I mean when you can't hear someone from the background noise)? Has it always been a problem or has it gotten worse with age (I’ve ALWAYS had this trouble)?

*marius responded to me with: Solosater: Regarding hearing and background noises: I do not have tinnitus but was told 20+ yrs ago I had a learning disability involving hearing. Not sure they use that term anymore but back then it meant background noises interfered with my ability to think and concentrate, and feel calm. That seemed accurate, however it felt like that was not enough of an explanation.

Recently I met a gal who works in OT (occupational therapy) and she said I probably have a "sensory processing disorder." So I googled that and a lot of it fits. An example: sometimes it hurts to hear music, TV, anything. It feels like it hurts mentally, physically and perhaps even in the soul! It's an awful hurt. Like you said - drives me crazy! When spouse and I are on long trip I MUST have periods of time with NO music, NO radio, NO TV. Mercifully spouse also has sensory issues. Wind drives him crazy. Certain fabrics. So he's very understanding about my peculiarities.

*This was a new term for solo so I went and did some research on my own and then responded: Wow, I didn't get to look at a lot of info, just Wiki, but I think you may be right. I don't think I've had as much trouble with it as was described there but I do know several people who have Asperger's and I've often thought I’m just one step off.

I have been diagnosed with ADD and I think it or whatever it is causing the trouble is getting worse, what I read didn't talk about progression but it was aimed at children primarily.

I know a lot of these disorders are very hard to diagnose in adults, apparently we've learned to cope to a degree and so we don't "look" like we have issues, we just get crazy when it gets to be too much and people think we're nuts.

I go nuts if there’s a television on in my house while I’m trying to sleep or read, even if it’s completely muted I can hear the electronic “buzz” and I can’t ignore it.

I’ve been telling my mother that the florescent lights in her house give me migraines but she thinks I just don’t like them and am being silly, I can hear them and the light is shaky like it’s vibrating, even the little squiggly ones.

High def TV gives me migraines too, while everyone else is terribly impressed with the great picture I’m trying not to look.

And I’ve been hypersensitive in my skin for years. I can’t wear sleeves most of the time because I feel like my skin is on fire when fabric touches me. This is probably 75% of the time and mostly effects my arms and hands, sometimes my shoulders, I’ve got a toga (OK, it’s a sheet) that I wear around the house so I don’t have to have anything touch my arms at all on my really bad days.

I have a fabulous neurologist, I'll ask her about it. Thanks for the info, even if it isn't a great fit for me, I love learning about this stuff. Our brains are so fascinating aren't they?

*Login stepped back into it with: Well, I think we could start a whole new thread on noise, tinnitus, flashing lights, etc., so I'll leave that subject for another time and place.

*(See? She thought we needed to move too;-)

*marius responded with one more short story for me: Login - bet you are right with your idea, "we could start a whole new thread on noise, tinnitus, flashing lights, etc.!" But ... one story for Solosater (and more later when I've processed all she said.)

My sister was telling me about her treadmill running routine. If she bangs a knee or hand or something, she "must" immediately bang her other knee or hand on purpose and just as hard as the other was accidentally hit. Recently she was telling her health-nut daughter about this and daughter says, "MOM, I do that TOO! You have to do it to balance things."

Everyone in my family has something odd. : )

*Odd indeed, I thought, and said so: marius, that's funny, they must be OCD!

I then went on to talk about how distracted I get from my ADD and OCD issues…

*marius said: Sorry to break topic - but must thank Solosater for letting me know how fluorescent lighting affects her!

Since I was a little kid and started school I have always wondered why no one else was ever bothered by these wicked, wicked lights! Sorry you suffer from them too Solo, but glad I am NOT the only one.

All that you wrote happens to me too, except my migraines are ocular - get weird vision things, nausea, but no headache.

And to steer us back towards the topic, it feels good that I have FINALLY met ONE person who understands the "language of fluorescent lights" the way I do! (sorry that is so lame ... I couldn't resist.) ; )

*See, we’d been talking about what different languages were spoken in different parts of the world and marius was making a joke about our continued rudeness (so sorry!).

I did think it was kinda’ funny and so I responded: There are no vowels in the Fluorescent tongue except for sometimes Y and sometimes W and your tongue must stay to the right of your 2 front teeth at all times while speaking! That’s your right not mine;-)

marius, I get the whole enchilada with my headaches, the creepy weird squiggly lights and the nausea as well as the light sensitivity and the crazy making pain. I have had what you are describing before mine went full-blown; I have to say it is every bit as irritating and debilitating even without the pain.

Kinda’ like when I had 4 (yes FOUR!) dry sockets at the same time! I cannot imagine that having only 3 or even 1 on either side would have been less painful; it’s an exposed nerve IT HURTS (it is the very definition of pain)! You really can't isolate the pain from one or the other.

*marius responded: Solosater ... should we start a new thread so Polenta can progress with her differences of other cultures. Ideas for title and location?

I need to know what four dry sockets are? Do you have four eyes? (Giggling and very confused.)

*No marius I do not! In fact I have perfect 20/20 vision and so have never even been called “Four Eyes”. But I saw that it was definitely time to move to a new forum and so this forum was born!

*Dragon did post some interesting information about fluorescent lights there though so I’ll post it here as well. She said: I saw a thing on Daily Planet (a science show up here). Someone had done studies on fluorescent lighting and found that while most people aren't affected by them there is a small percentage of the population who are. It seems fluorescent lights do give off something (I can't remember if it's radiation or a chemical or what) most people have no reaction to it whatsoever unless they're are working in extremely close proximity for several hours a day (I'm talking like inches from the light for hours) but some people are more sensitive and have adverse reactions. Sounds like solo and marius fall under those categories. So fluorescents may be better for the environment but not for all the people in it!

*And that’s the conversation so far!

marius

WOW! Solosater, you get an award!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not sure what to call it as ... very late, just got home and (yawn) WAAAY past usual bed time! But for now, hands are clapping! THANK YOU for setting up this new thread. Thank you for telling about dry sockets!
I LOVE learning new things! And LOVE the title of this thread too!!!

ZZzzzzzzzzzzz.............Sweet dreams!

Dragon

I do have a physical weirdness and I've often wondered if I'm unique in this or if others share it too. When I yawn my left hand shakes uncontrollably. The bigger the yawn, the worse the shake. It's not a huge shaking and most times I can keep it pretty minimal but I notice when I'm really tired or if I'm cold it's much worse. I've never been in danger of flinging things across the room or anything and it doesn't always happen, in fact it rarely happens at all in the daytime, usually just at night. I call it my neurological issue jokingly but have often wondered if my wiring is just a little off.

I'm also one of those people who sneezes when I go out in bright sunlight. I dated a guy once who absolutely believed that all people who do this are making it up and I couldn't convince him otherwise. I don't know what causes it but I've done it all my life. Perhaps another wiring issue.

marius

Good morning all! It's a great day to be alive! : )

marius

Dragon...have never heard of the yawn and hand shaking, but have heard about the sneezes and sunlight. Wonder if anyone else in your family does this? Does sound like a wiring issue but I don't know a thing about wiring! Thanks for sharing!

Login

Yesssss, marius. Good morning (afternoon here now).

Login

Dragon, I've searched for an answer to your yawning/shivering query ... 'can't find anything specific to humans but I've found several references to animals yawning/shivering as a means of dispelling stress.

Robindcr8l

Dragon, my left hand doesn't shiver when I yawn, but occasionally I get a whole body shiver, complete with goosebumps when I yawn. What the heck??

I don't sneeze at the sunlight, but think that any person who accuses someone of faking that is a jerk and should be dumped! You could have told him that's not the ONLY thing you need to fake around him! LOL

marius

Robin - you just made me laugh outloud ... I think even the neighbors heard me. I'm still laughing ... maybe tears now. ..... snorting.... oh my

marius

Still laughing .... uncontrollable.... snort... cracking myself up.... oh thank you .... a good belly laugh.....

marius

I WILL be over for that drink of wine tonight .... lol, lol.lol....

marius

Okay - the amusement has subsided but what a great laugh. THANKS Robin. I LOVE to laugh.

Now: here's a weird brain function and/or wiring difficulty, or maybe something else? : )

Many years ago I was trying to describe something to the therapist. I said, "Okay, you start your day. You get up, get dressed, eat. You go to work, drive a few places, do errands ... just think of everything you do doing a normal day! Now try to think of all, and I mean ALL, the things you see, hear, touch, smell, etc. while you are doing your normal day?

You probably can't. Well, I can't either but it seems like my brain does. Yep, it seems to record, and file, EVERY tiny blinking thing it can, each and every day! It's as if the brain is unable to filter out unimportant sensory information.
I mean, even if I can't consciously recall the lawnmower I heard at work, it's like my brain DOES recall it and I feel it, feel that sound ... and all the other sights, sounds, sense, when the day comes to a close. It's too much!!!

Therapist knew what I was talking about. And that led to learning about LLI, low latent inhibition. On the bad end of the LLI spectrum you get psychosis. Example is my brother. He has paranoid schizophrenia and he also takes in way too much sensory information. The difference seems to be that he is unable to know that the Kleenex on the side of the road, the stop sign with dents in it, etc., are NOT important "messages" being sent to him from ???

These days, perhaps it is age (smiling for age), the LLI (or whatever it is), is better. This probably has a lot to do with management: I plan my life around it. Do lots of things to calm - yoga, meditation, etc. Also, I can enjoy parties, concerts, events with greater than normal sensory stimulation, IF I've had enough down time, quiet time, alone time, before I go.

Well, gee whiz ... no wonder fluorescent lights make me feel nuts! They blink, "sing," and generally annoy at a constant rate all day long. Hmmm.

Dragon

Robin, that definitly made me laugh too! Fortunatly I didn't date him long enough to have to fake anything. LOL

marius, I do know that the sub-conscious does in fact record everything all the time but that the conscious (as you said) filters out whats important and what's not. I'd never heard of LLI though, that's really interesting and really does explain a lot of schizophrenic mannerisms. The inability of the brain to decide what's important and what can be ignored just fits the symptoms perfectly doesn't it, also explains why some schizophrenics feel they must put up the tin foil window coverings and what not, perhaps an attempt to control the sensory overload.
Boy this site is so educational!

solosater

This kind of thing, even when we can't put a name on it must run in families, marius mentioned her brother having the same but worse issues.

I think it's the same for me, my brother is at least paranoid, perhaps schizophrenic, OCD, ADD and bypolar, but I've just been diagnosed as OCPD obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (that only means I don’t respond to medication for my OCD) and AADD adult attention deficit disorder.

My mother and my aunt and one uncle are also OCD and AADD but they too have varied degrees and some other issues. My mother is much like me (or vice versa). My uncle (though he has PTSD [Vietnam] in addition to the bypolar, OCD and ADD) is much like my brother but my aunt is off the charts.

There’ve been suicide attempts, at least one murder attempt (we all can understand that, she went after her son’s abuser with a knife) and just generally strange behavior. She’s mostly not dangerous to others and has never succeeded at her suicide attempts mostly because she doesn’t go all the way or she is caught by family (she’s very intelligent and plans everything so I’d say she wants to be caught). This is not all due to OCD, AADD and bipolar; there are other issues too. I find it interesting though that she is so much worse off than I but she responds very well to medication (when she takes it), while I do worse with medication than I do without.

I know that my aunt can hear the lights and I think my brother does, I'm not sure of my uncle, and as for my mother, she wouldn’t admit to it as she’d have to agree that I need to not have them in my house and she can’t get past the idea of the savings from switching to fluorescent.

I do wonder if it is all somehow connected? While I hear an annoying and sometimes painful buzzing in what others hear as “white noise” do they hear voices and commands? While I’m worried that the dishwasher is not loaded properly are they thinking about burning down the house because the dishwasher CANNOT be loaded properly? Do they just go to the extreme while I stay closer to normal? Could it get worse and do I have any control one way or the other?

solosater

Dragon, I always shake when I am over tired and when I read about your hand shaking it seemed completely normal to me.

I wonder, does it happen if you yawn in response to another persons yawn (an empathetic response and not to your own fatigue) or only when you are actually tired or perhaps low on oxygen?

I ask because I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and have really been trying to be aware of my oxygen intake. I think I stop breathing not only when I’m asleep but also when I’m awake (or perhaps breathing slower and shallower than is required). I find myself yawning even when I’m not terribly tired, and sometimes I shake at those times too.

I wonder if your shaking has to do with a lack of oxygen, though I haven’t got a clue as to why it would effect only your left hand.

Normal

Very intersting discussion on "wiring problems." I remember doing the "evening up" thing at about age 10 and noticed my girl friend doing it to. Also counting everything, sort of under your breath Slightly OCD, I guess, but we outgrew it.

I've never had such intense reaction to fluoriescent lighting, but did not have to grow up with it in school. At my job here in my late 50s, I learned to take an outdoor break every single lunch hour. I'd bring my sandwich and fruit and read by the park lake, even in pouring rain or freezing weather. Just knew those lights were poisonous. Work with our clients (a welfare assistance office) was so intense, with great care to legal details and time constraints, that I never noticed whether they were talking. Did hum now and again.

Normal

(Doing it too.)

Dragon

Interesting theory solo, I'll have to pay more attention to my yawning/shaking habits. I wouldn't be surprised to find out I had sleep apnea because I do snore (sometimes so badly my boyfriend needs earplugs!) though I always feel rested after a full nights sleep. The hand shaking sometimes affects the right hand but only rarely. I am left-handed but I don't know if that's relevant. Guess I've never worried too terribly about it 'cause it's been happening for so long but it is weird and I've often wondered if it afflicts others.