Blurry vision and spacey feeling the last few days - Feeling terrified and sick

[MikeG]

Hi there,

this is only my 3rd post on this site. I am a 30 year old male expat living in New York. Since towards the end of last year I started to get real bad chest pains which I found out this year turned out to be acid reflux which totally went away once I took medication for it. Ever since then I have found myself obsessing about things that could be wrong with me. I recently badly sprained my ankle playing soccer and have been getting some symptoms and bruising which I have been obsessing over and going to the doctor in work for. They would take my blood pressure first which would always be high as I would be nervous about just being there so I went as far as buying a blood pressure cuff and have been taking blood pressure readings regularly which have turned out fine. I got these bruises under both of my big toenails recently which are most likely from my sprained ankle and trying to walk again properly. I searched on the net about these and I started reading stories of cancer etc which terrified me and I went to the docs again last Thursday. They confirmed they looked like just bruises.

So I should say last week I have been smoking an e-cig pretty frequently. I used to "vape" in previous months but the ones I was smoking last week were double the strength of what I am used to so sometimes I would feel myself get very light headed and dizzy when I took too much. On Saturday afternoon I was cleaning the house and vaping the e-cig while drinking coffee and all of a sudden I felt myself getting very light headed and dizzy again with a spaced out feeling. The problem is that this time it didn't totally go away and I have had a spaced out feeling ever since and my vision is blurry when walking around and sensitive to bright lights. I find if I sit in the same position for a while I can eventually focus on things and feel a bit better but if I get up and walk around the things around me start to be a bit shakey and I start to get that spacey feeling again. I have recently read about denationalization and this sounds like exactly what I am going through but I don't understand how it could be brought on by an e-cig. It would make sense that I have tired my mind out with worrying constantly over the past few months.

During the course of the day I will sometimes get terrified and want to bust into tears and feel like it is never going to go away and I am going to feel like this forever. I am totally coherent and I am mostly fully aware of what is going on around me and I can do my job properly. Has anyone any advice? It would be greatly appreciated. I am afraid to go to the work doc again as they are probably sick looking at me and I have a feeling they will just refer me to a physicist. i am probably going to wait until the weekend and if I feel the same way I am going to go to my own doctor. I should add I threw the e-cig away right after this happened to me on Saturday and haven't vaped since.

[OCDandME]

doesn't sound like depersonalization which is good.. I had that for 6 months. it doesn't make u dizzy or feel like ur gonna pass out, its makes your head disconnected feeling from ur body like u don't know who u are and you don't seem real and cant comprehend things.u feel like ur head is floating above ur body. anyways it sound like it could have been from the e cigg, just like when smoking it depletes oxygen to the brain which can make u dizzy, also could be a side effect of the caffeine in the coffee making u super anxious..sounds like a panic attack. that's the feeling u get when u have one.. could have been brought on by the mixture of the ecigg and the caffeine along with cleaning it depleted ur oxygen making u nervous.. Id lay off the affeine for a little bit see if that helps.

[MikeG]

doesn't sound like depersonalization which is good.. I had that for 6 months. it doesn't make u dizzy or feel like ur gonna pass out, its makes your head disconnected feeling from ur body like u don't know who u are and you don't seem real and cant comprehend things.u feel like ur head is floating above ur body. anyways it sound like it could have been from the e cigg, just like when smoking it depletes oxygen to the brain which can make u dizzy, also could be a side effect of the caffeine in the coffee making u super anxious..sounds like a panic attack. that's the feeling u get when u have one.. could have been brought on by the mixture of the ecigg and the caffeine along with cleaning it depleted ur oxygen making u nervous.. Id lay off the affeine for a little bit see if that helps.

Thanks for this. This is like the scariest thing that has ever happened to me like living in some sort of nightmare. I would take the panic attacks and chest pains over this feeling any day. That is correct, when i walk around i feel like I am disconnected from what is happening around me although I am aware of my surroundings, noises etc. I don't feel like I am in a dream like I did initially when I had the ecig, that was really intense like i was floating above my body which faded to how I feel now. Now I feel like everything is fine apart from my vision which is causing this spacey feeling in return. I have been speaking to people in work today and I feel myself trying to watch how I talk and I cant make eye contact and I can just feel my eyes getting really heavy and blurry when walking around the office. If I am at my desk and busy, I sometimes forget there is anything wrong until I start to look around me and see it get blurry again. Yesterday I had some sinus pressure behind my eyes but I dont know if this is related because I took some nasal decongestant and it went away but I can feel it building up again right now. I am so terrified right now. I just want it to go away.

[Goomba]

Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say your vision is blurry? What actually happens?

[MikeG]

I would kind of walk around and everything looks like it is shaking slightly and hazy and it makes me have this feeling of being kind of spaced out like I am on drugs but I do not take drugs. If I sit and talk to someone I calm down and my vision becomes a bit better and I don't feel as bad. I was busy all morning in work today and didn't think about it much and when on my lunch I started to really think about it and I went into a panic attack so i went straight to the doctor in work but the doc didn't have a clue and just gave me some printouts on how to deal with anxiety and a leaflet of eye doctors in New York. I feel whatever is wrong with me is being caused by or made worse by my anxiety and I am walking around feeling worthless and not myself. It's like I cant even remember how reality feels anymore, that stone cold sober reality where you can hear and see everything correctly. I don't know what to do. All I am looking forward to is going home and seeing my wife. That's the only place I feel safe

[OCDandME]

what meds are you on? i was on a few certains meds that gave me the depersonalization. i took 6 months to go away.. it was the scariest thing ever. i had a delayed reaction i felt like my head wasn't attached, like it was floating above my body and i was in a day dream. i couldn't comprehend certain things. i tried to play it off but it was so scary, it sucked, that was the worst side effect i ever had and hope i never have it again... talk to ur dr and let them know what is going on, it may the meds ur on, or lack of and ur under too much stress so its happening and maybe u need to b on something.

[OCDandME]

no problem

[MikeG]

what meds are you on? i was on a few certains meds that gave me the depersonalization. i took 6 months to go away.. it was the scariest thing ever. i had a delayed reaction i felt like my head wasn't attached, like it was floating above my body and i was in a day dream. i couldn't comprehend certain things. i tried to play it off but it was so scary, it sucked, that was the worst side effect i ever had and hope i never have it again... talk to ur dr and let them know what is going on, it may the meds ur on, or lack of and ur under too much stress so its happening and maybe u need to b on something.

Yes thats how I feel, out of touch with reality - not quite "There" I do not take any medications, I have just been taking the odd NSAID pill like Ibuprofen for a sprained ankle but I usually only take 1 - 2 per day. When i calm down and im sitting at my desk talking I eventually cheer up and say to myself "this is just a phase, it will go away" But then out of nowhere i get the feelings in my head like "this is permanent" and "it will never be like it was before" I am driving myself up the **** wall. When I was on the bus travelling home yesterday and with my wife it would feel "almost" as if nothing were wrong with me, so that is what is making me think it HAS to be anxiety if it can be nearly ok one minute and really bad and out of touch when I start to think about my symptoms. Anxiety seems to be the off / on switch. The thought of 6 months of feeling like this is terrifying, I have barely made it through 3 days so far and it has taken so much out of me. My parents back in my home Ireland are worried sick about me too.

[OCDandME]

hmm yeah if it comes and goes its prob anxiety maybe a mix of both.. i go to the drs see about getting an anti anxiety med or something before it gets worse, no shame in getting help...have u ever been on meds or diagnosed with a disorder?

[MikeG]

hmm yeah if it comes and goes its prob anxiety maybe a mix of both.. i go to the drs see about getting an anti anxiety med or something before it gets worse, no shame in getting help...have u ever been on meds or diagnosed with a disorder?

No never been diagnosed with any illness and I just had my annual physical which came back all good, no issues with vision or anything, just a vitamin D deficiency. What do you mean a mix of both, stress and anxiety?

[OCDandME]

its either just anxiety or a mix of both anxiety and depersonalization. id go to a physiatrist cuz its not normal to feel that way. disorders come out of no where and u want to be prepared if its something serious ya know... stop it before it gets worse

[OCDandME]

a mix of anxiety and or depersonalization, either way its not normal to feel that way and you should see a physiatrist to make sure if not a underlying disorder because disorders come out of nowhere and you want to be prepared and take control before it gets out of control. u may need to be on something to control anxiety if it doesn't go away. its obviously upsetting to you a stressful since ur on here looking for help ya know

[MikeG]

I'm still having the same issues, I find my vision is better in low light, but i get like brain fog and can't shake it off. In work people come up and talk to me and I can communicate fine and I find this helps me feel more "normal" but it isn't long before I am back on negative thinking again that it will never go away. I went to the docs today and he said it seems that the light head and foggy feeling the e-cig gave me has set off Anxiety and is prolonging it and he said it will go gradually day by day. He subscribed me Xanax and referred me to a psychiatrist. It's the worst thing I have ever experienced. I would give all my money right now just to make it go away. I am fighting in my head trying to keep positive or I will spiral into another panic attack.

[Confusedpanic]

I really don't think it's related to vaping. Plenty of people have vaped without those symptoms. It sounds like in those moments where you feel dizzy, confused, or you want to cry and are spaced out are panic attacks. I was seriously int he same place as you with those feelings and I know how frightening and horrible it is to never know if it's going to go away.

All of these I've had, and it was actually a sign that things were only going to get worse. First was the headaches, then the acid reflux, then the dizzy and worse headaches, then panic attacks and heart racing feelings. I was too afraid to even leave my room. Here is what I will say, and I've said it to others before. I'm a firm believer in that if there is something wrong with us physically or mentally, while there is a chance it's a real mental ilness, there is also a good chance it is from a vitamin/mineral deficiency. I was extremely low on vitamin D. I didn't know that this was the problem, and even when coming to the doctor with depressive feelings and murmurs in my chest, she didn't think it was due to vitamin D, she just said I should work on getting it up with a multivitamin. I did that, nothing wasn happening, things only ended up getting worse and worse to the point where I had to go to another doctor to get zoloft and xanax. It didn't make any sense to me at all. But I eventually came across people who had their anxiety and panic attacks, and phyiscal ailments cured with vitamin D. And that's when I knew this would be my ticket out of this hell hole. The previous doctor had recommended that I just take a general multivitamin. Unfortunately I learned that that dosage is usually not enough to cure deficiency. I started taking 10,000 Iu vitamin +300 mg magnesium for 3 months, and after a month I was already feeling the difference. I HIGHLY recommend you ask a doctor to do a vitamin D test. I have a good feeling yours is pretty low, and it's crazy that doctors nowadays don't consider the importance of vitamins and minerals and would rather just push pills on you that they get paid from big pharma to. Get that checked immediately and if it's determined to be low, I recommend exactly doing what I said everyday for 3 months. b12 deficiency is also something to make sure they check for as well. If you have brainfog, molybdenum(combats brainfog and side effects from candida infections) and iron (increased energy) really help.


He subscribed me Xanax and referred me to a psychiatrist

This makes me want to bang my head against a wall. They get PAID to push these pills on you, instead of looking to treat your underlying conditions. These will be a temporary help, but they won't cure you if your body is actually lacking some vitamin/mineral.

[needtogetwell]

If the e-cigs have nicotine in them and they are stronger than you are used to then definitely they can cause some light headed feelings and a bit of blurry eyes.

This recently happened to me when I took up e-cigs in order to wean myself off the cigarettes.

Good luck

[MikeG]

I really don't think it's related to vaping. Plenty of people have vaped without those symptoms. It sounds like in those moments where you feel dizzy, confused, or you want to cry and are spaced out are panic attacks. I was seriously int he same place as you with those feelings and I know how frightening and horrible it is to never know if it's going to go away.

All of these I've had, and it was actually a sign that things were only going to get worse. First was the headaches, then the acid reflux, then the dizzy and worse headaches, then panic attacks and heart racing feelings. I was too afraid to even leave my room. Here is what I will say, and I've said it to others before. I'm a firm believer in that if there is something wrong with us physically or mentally, while there is a chance it's a real mental ilness, there is also a good chance it is from a vitamin/mineral deficiency. I was extremely low on vitamin D. I didn't know that this was the problem, and even when coming to the doctor with depressive feelings and murmurs in my chest, she didn't think it was due to vitamin D, she just said I should work on getting it up with a multivitamin. I did that, nothing wasn happening, things only ended up getting worse and worse to the point where I had to go to another doctor to get zoloft and xanax. It didn't make any sense to me at all. But I eventually came across people who had their anxiety and panic attacks, and phyiscal ailments cured with vitamin D. And that's when I knew this would be my ticket out of this hell hole. The previous doctor had recommended that I just take a general multivitamin. Unfortunately I learned that that dosage is usually not enough to cure deficiency. I started taking 10,000 Iu vitamin +300 mg magnesium for 3 months, and after a month I was already feeling the difference. I HIGHLY recommend you ask a doctor to do a vitamin D test. I have a good feeling yours is pretty low, and it's crazy that doctors nowadays don't consider the importance of vitamins and minerals and would rather just push pills on you that they get paid from big pharma to. Get that checked immediately and if it's determined to be low, I recommend exactly doing what I said everyday for 3 months. b12 deficiency is also something to make sure they check for as well. If you have brainfog, molybdenum(combats brainfog and side effects from candida infections) and iron (increased energy) really help.



This makes me want to bang my head against a wall. They get PAID to push these pills on you, instead of looking to treat your underlying conditions. These will be a temporary help, but they won't cure you if your body is actually lacking some vitamin/mineral.


Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. As a matter of fact I had my annual physical a couple of months ago and sure enough, everything was totally fine with 1 exception, I had a vitamin D deficiency. I have taken your advice and have purchased Vitamin D over the weekend however I wasn't sure how much I should be taking so I have only been 2000 IU, is it safe to take 10,000 IU per day?

Over the past week there have been good days and bad, but more bad. I find if I am at home chilled out and not thinking about it, my vision returns to normal and I (almost) feel like there is nothing wrong with me, it comes back instantly when I think about it, even if only for a second. I will start to get a pressure behind my eyes building up and pulsating like heart beat but if I take a few deep breaths and try to forget about it, that soon goes away. I find that if I have like 1 or 2 beers, I immediately feel good and I notice a massive improvement in my vision, this is leading me to think even the smallest bit of stress is making my symptoms flare up because beer is obviously calming me down.

On Saturday I was walking through Chinatown in Manhattan with my wife and I got so stressed with all the people and I found my vision almost went to double vision and I felt like I was walking through the twilight zone and I started to feel very very confused and irritable. After I calmed down a bit, the confusion still stayed with me for a couple of hours while I was riding on the subway etc, it was a nightmare. It only went away once I got home and had a couple of beers. I feel, or maybe I hope that my symptoms seem to be getting less and less with each day, the tricky part is trying not to think about it. This morning I felt pretty good and clear headed on my way to work, the sun was shining and I was ready for the week but as soon as I got into the office, I started to think about it then started to look around and I get that blurry, foggy feeling again. I would not go as far as to say that everything is "normal" when I am calm, I still feel in the back of my head that something is not right and after what seems like it has been the longest week ever since I started dealing with the symptoms, I forget what "normal" feels like, so find myself questioning if I feel normal when I am relatively calm. When I get the foggy head, I will be walking down the street and daydreaming a lot, then I will get like a jolt through my body and will come back to reality then I will be confused, and be like why am I walking down this street. I always thought I was very headstrong, but i just haven't been the same since last week.

[Confusedpanic]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. As a matter of fact I had my annual physical a couple of months ago and sure enough, everything was totally fine with 1 exception, I had a vitamin D deficiency. I have taken your advice and have purchased Vitamin D over the weekend however I wasn't sure how much I should be taking so I have only been 2000 IU, is it safe to take 10,000 IU per day?


Yes, 10,000IU a day along with 200-300 mg magnesium a day is perfectly fine!! If you check any health website they will say there have been no reported studies of toxicity over long periods of time with people who took 10,000 IU a day or below. 2,000 Is WAiYYYY too low to correct a deficiency. That is like maintenance dose for when your levels are fine and you actually get outside enough. I've read many people saying this that you at least want to go 6,000 to correct a defiency. In case you didn't know. Many people also get vitamin D shots that are like 300,000 IU as a mega dose and they do that once in a month. Where if you calculate 10,000 x 30 days in a month. That's about right. Just depends on whether you want to orally supplement everyday or get a big shot from a doctor or naturopath. This is taken from one study "The results of the study revealed that first, the correction of vitamin D deficiency improved the depression state, and second, a single injection dose of 300,000 IU of vitamin D was safe and more effective than a 150,000-IU dose." (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23609390)

I know exactly how you feel. I had good and bad days too. Sometimes I'd be able to get out of bed and function. Sometimes I'd literally feel confined to the bed unable to get up. I had moments where I felt very confused about everything disoriented, and wondering if I was losing my mind. It's very scary.The beer isn;t going to be the soultion I can tell you! But whatever you find to temporarily relieve your ailments while you recover I recommend doing. Just not glugging the beers. Try camomile tea. Even if you don't think about it. I find it comes back, unexpectedly, and I would doctors will say oh you just were thinking about being anxious or whatever, I'm like no... But you may be making excuses to why certain things are happening. We tend to like to believe we can control ourselves and trigger ourselves but with panic/anxiety attacks it's not quite. I had that too...that something wasn't right. I had long talks with my grandma about it as she suffered from what I did as well. She said she would walk into a store and things just didn't "feel right" she felt like she'd hit the floor or something.

It would be good to know what your levels were for that vitamin D deficiency. No doubt if you haven't gotten it checked in awhile, and you haven't changed any of your habits, it has gone down even more leading to worse symptoms. You will need to do 10,000 Iu + 300 mg (no oxide) magnesium for 3 months and within the 1st month you should already feel an improvement. You want your vitamin D level on the blood test to be above 50 but below like 120. It took 3 months of like I said 10,000 IU EVERYDAY to get my level to 56 (I was at 17 before). You will also probably want to add in vitamin K2 as I hear that is helpful when taking large doses of vitamin D. I keep telling people about the vitamin D therapy but they don't believe me lol. I think it's because we have been so coerced into believing that we need pills for ailments. Yet I'm the one walking around 99% anxiety and panic attack free. I see people with these same symptoms over and over again, and a common factor I often hear back is that they do have low vitamin D, or when they decide to listen to me and get a bloodtest, they find it is low. And I'm literally still banging my head against a wall because people with SAAD, doctors give zoloft too, instead of vitamin D, when the clear obvious cause is lack of sun/vitamin D in the winter months. Drives me mad and no doubt they are keeping people depressed or even spiraling worse into it like panic attacks and anxiety because they won't give people what they really need. I'd even go off on a limb and say many people in mental institutions are actually very very deficient in something...I certainly felt a bit crazy and looney at times when I was having this problem. But what do they do? Lock em up, keep them away from windows and fresh sunlight, and they wonder why no one really gets healed. Good thing I'm planning on being a social worker, maybe I can change all of this, but I doubt it if money is going to be involved.

Crazy also but I can sense and have heard from doctors that our society is in general staying more and more inside, so likely I will only see more and more of this problem. I might just make care packs of vitamin D and magnesium to give people if I see them suffering from this. I saw a girl just last year go into a panic attack, though this was right before I started getting mine and wasn't quite sure what was going on at the time. I live on a campus....full of nerds who stay inside to play league of legends and only leave for class and food, so most likely I'll see more.