What could this be?

[bankgirl05]

At 17 I passed out, while driving, from what could only be described as low blood sugar/and heat exhaustion (July 20th 101 degrees out, car with no AC, hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch)

I hit a telephone pole.

I almost died. I spent 3 months in the hospital/rehab and still have a life time of future surgeries and complications to deal with. I am lucky to be a live, and lucky that no one else was involved.

It all happened in less than 30 seconds. From where I remember passing out, coming to, and jerking the wheel to hard.

Do you see where this is going? It is not something to take lightly at all, see your Dr. hopefully at best, it is something easily correctable/preventable like me.

Take care of YOU!!!!

 

[sam_gordon]

No. Never. You should not be on the road if you do this. I pay attention 100% of the time. If everyone did there would be far fewer collisions. I don't say "accidents" because true accidents are extremely rare.

I think the roads would be a LOT emptier if everyone who had their mind "drift" (not what the OP's describing) stopped driving.

 

[castmemberb4]

An accident cause by these circumstances uncovered my sisters heart arythmia fortunately for her a pacemaker has worked. A week after hers a local professional basketball player died from the same problem. Go to the doctor .

 

[SAT]

Since you're not looking for advice I won't suggest you go see a doctor about getting dizzy and mixing up the accelerator and brake causing you to be going 25 mph over the speed limit.

But you do say you're curious about what it could be. So, I'd say it could be an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Jennasis]

Haven't you ever been driving and get somewhere and don't remember the drive there, Why get her all excited and upset over it??

First, NO. And second, because SHE COULD HAVE KILLED HERSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE and because whatever it is could still kill her.

I don't play games with my life. When my body does something it isn't supposed to I go have it checked out immediately.

And if this person is on the road she is a danger to the rest of us.

 

[Planogirl]

I would go to the doctor just in case. Fatigue and stress can cause something like this too but better safe than sorry.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Haven't you ever been driving and get somewhere and don't remember the drive there, Why get her all excited and upset over it??

Have you That question raises so many flags, I am really glad I don't live near you if this has happened to you. I do not want you behind the wheel if you have driven somewhere and don't remember the drive.

 

[keypooh90]

OK, let me ask you a few direct questions from MY experience.

You say your eyes didn't close, or so you think - but you don't know?

If you aren't sure if your eyes were open or closed, you DID lose that part of your consciousness.

Did you lose an passage of time? You say you WERE going one speed then all of a sudden you were going a much faster speed. Do you know how you got there? If not, that's another kind of a loss of consciousness.

You don't have to "pass out" to lose awareness of your surroundings/what you are doing. That is what a Partial Seizure is. you just "aren't there" for a time. During that time, you may continue doing what you were doing before - like an automaton - but you don't have mental control over how you do it. Walk into walls, drive strangely, go to put a glass on the counter and drop it because you have no awareness of where the counter is, etc.

I speak from experience, so I am just letting you know what it feels like when this happens to me - it isn't the stereotypical seizure or "passing out".

And BTW I ALWAYS feel dizzy and confused after I regain awareness of my surroundings again. My brain has to readjust itself.

Now that I've read your reply it does make me a bit more concerned and wonder if maybe something more serious happened. The route I was driving is the commute to school and one I make 2-3 times a week and have done for 2 years now. I was coming up to the top of a hill before the "episode" and then was at the intersection at the bottom of the hill afterwards.

I guess I was just taken aback by other poster's suggestions for going to the ER. I mean by the time I posted this it had been several hours after this happened and aside from a lingering headache, I feel fine. Since it's never happened before, isn't it safe to assume it was just some isolated thing?

 

[Jennasis]

Now that I've read your reply it does make me a bit more concerned and wonder if maybe something more serious happened. The route I was driving is the commute to school and one I make 2-3 times a week and have done for 2 years now. I was coming up to the top of a hill before the "episode" and then was at the intersection at the bottom of the hill afterwards.

I guess I was just taken aback by other poster's suggestions for going to the ER. I mean by the time I posted this it had been several hours after this happened and aside from a lingering headache, I feel fine. Since it's never happened before, isn't it safe to assume it was just some isolated thing?

No. I wish we had a headdesk smiley.

A "lingering headache" makes it sound even worse. Go to the ER. At best they'll tell you it was no big deal...and at worst they'll find something horribly wrong but treatable if caught early. I've known two people who had aneurysms. One died within hours of ignoring minor symptoms and the other was fixed surgically after noticing some similar symptoms to yours and seeking immediate help.

I don't know you but I'm worried about you. Is there someone who could take you to the ER so you don't have to drive or go alone? You really shouldn't get behind the wheel until you've sorted this out. Could you forgive yourself if you had another episode while driving and hurt someone?

 

[BadgerGirl84]

No, if you blacked out while driving, it's not "safe to assume it's an isolated thing." Every serious medical symptom starts out as an isolated incident. Other people's lives are at risk. Please have a friend or family member drive you to the ER.

 

[Baliezer]

Haven't you ever been driving and get somewhere and don't remember the drive there, Why get her all excited and upset over it??

You cannot be serious. Did you read what the op wrote?

Have you That question raises so many flags, I am really glad I don't live near you if this has happened to you. I do not want you behind the wheel if you have driven somewhere and don't remember the drive.

Ditto!

 

[clarkshel]

Oh great, another medical question here instead of actually seeking out a doctor or hospital. What's wrong with people?? :confused

 

[Keira1387]

I had seizures as a child and your episode sounds exactly like what I experienced. I would be talking, and suddenly stop for a few seconds. Couldn't move, walk or talk. I would black out. After I would have no memory of that time.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Haven't you ever been driving and get somewhere and don't remember the drive there, Why get her all excited and upset over it??

No. I have never been driving and suddenly come to the realization that I was doing more than double the speed limit.

We are getting her "all excited and upset over it" because she could have killed herself or one or more innocent people. And she needs to see a doctor immediately before she does.

 

[beaucoup]

OP, where do you live? I don't want be driving any where near you. Please for the sake of others on the road, get this checked out asap.

 

[Iforgetmypassword]

Haven't you ever been driving and get somewhere and don't remember the drive there, Why get her all excited and upset over it??

This explains a lot. If this is common for you, now I know why you're so...happy.

 

[Liberty Belle]

That's a definite possibility! I have been very busy lately!

Were there no other symptoms? Before, during, and after?

You say you've been very busy. Are you under a lot of stress or anxious? If so, I'd say there's a good chance that is the culprit. Regardless, you need to get yourself checked out, pronto.

 

[Liberty Belle]

Haven't you ever been driving and get somewhere and don't remember the drive there, Why get her all excited and upset over it??

I don't think this is what she's talking about - that auto pilot mode we go into sometimes when we're driving somewhere familiar. OP said she got dizzy and confused - entirely different.

 

[mimmi]

I have to say that half a minute is an awful long time, people are dying in accidents because they fell asleep on the wheel for a few seconds.
Speed limits are much lower in the US, but if I drive 50km per hour (which is the speed limits for towns over here) this would be 420 meters or 459 yards in half a minute if I calculated correctly, it's extremely dangerous to go such a long distance without having control of the car .

 

[Liberty Belle]

Now that I've read your reply it does make me a bit more concerned and wonder if maybe something more serious happened. The route I was driving is the commute to school and one I make 2-3 times a week and have done for 2 years now. I was coming up to the top of a hill before the "episode" and then was at the intersection at the bottom of the hill afterwards.

I guess I was just taken aback by other poster's suggestions for going to the ER. I mean by the time I posted this it had been several hours after this happened and aside from a lingering headache, I feel fine. Since it's never happened before, isn't it safe to assume it was just some isolated thing?

No! It's not safe to assume that! Doesn't everything have to happen a first time?! Don't wait for the second time. Call your doctor now and describe what happened and make an appointment! That is what a responsible adult would do.