DS (5) frightened because 'everything looks far away'

[FusionChefGeoff]

Twice now, DS (5) has been very frightened and upset at bedtime. Shaking and looking panicked around the room. He has night terrors so I thought it was that - but he is definitely awake and can remember in the morning.

Last night he was trying to explain that 'I'm really frightened because everything looks far away' so I gently questioned and it seems he knows where he is etc but everything looks small and as if it's far away. Not blurry or fuzzy but small. He was able to talk to me very clearly but was obviously terrified.

The 1st time I dismissed it as being an overtired dream like thing - but now it's twice I'm a bit freaked out.

Anyone had experience of this either themselves or with DC?

Is it worth booking an eye test to reassure him, or do you think that might make him even more worried?

I think he wouldn't link the 2 things so an eye test is definitely an option.

But it's not all the time - just these 2 recent episodes so far so I don't know if I should be worried or not!

Can someone so small suffer migraine? Sounds similar to what I experience - often no pain just visual disturbance.

Definitely get him an eye test, even if it's just for reassurance.

Well the floodgates have opened - he's had another 1 tonight and apparently it's been going on for a while!

He says he normally will just look at one of his picture books until it goes away. He says it doesn't happen every night but it is at night or 1st thing in the morning.

Migraine is an interesting thought.

Mmmmm - GP or optician??

I'd go to the optician first. I went temporarily blind, like for a couple of minutes, some years ago. Went to the GP who sent me straight to the optician who diagnosed migraines. The optician will probably send you to the GP though

What you have described sounds like it could be Alice in Wonderland Syndrome which apparently can be associated with migraines

www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/alice-wonderland-syndrome

When I was the same age, i remember having strong dreams that sound similar to this. I'd be in bed in a pitch black room with a very high ceiling (my actual bedroom was in a low cottage), and high up there was a window with a moon shining through. And the window was going further away but the detail was increasing, until I was almost inside the grain of the wooden window frame... Hard to describe, but I'd wake up screaming. Could never explain properly how it felt, but it was absolutely terrifying.

And I've had migraines since a head injury aged 4. Hadn't thought it might be connected!

I used to experience this as a very young child and would get very distressed, sometimes things seemed really close and other times things felt really far away. I also suffered with migraines, and it was only as an adult when I read about Alice in Wonderland Syndrome that I put the two together.

The visual disturbances just stopped, although I can't remember when. And the headaches petered off in my early twenties.

Thanks Cobs it's so good to hear of a similar and benign story - I'd started to convince myself he had a brain tumour or epilepsy.

I'm keeping a log of when it happens and will visit GP when we get back - we're on holiday which can't be helping as his routine is completely shot!

Hi I had a sensation like this when I was a child. I would describe it as people and things seeming very far away or very fat but it really was a sensation rather than a visual. It's a really unpleasant sensation and it would always happen whilst in bed awake. I have no long term conditions. Maybe worth taking him to a GP just for a bit of closure. X