Oh, Jack, I have the same condition but not from age. I've always had it. I have to drive the same routes all the time - no shortcuts, no detours or I will be horribly lost - in my city, only a short distance from home. I thought I was a freak (maybe, I am) but did a Google search not long ago and found out I'm not alone. In fact, this "condition" is unofficially labeled "directional dyslexia" - yep, that's it.

Although iI've always had directional dyslexia, it's worsened with age or at least my reaction to it has. I panic - I mean, really, really panic to the point of once hitting a tree in a state of terror because I didn't know where I was, although I was on a road I'd traveled many, many times before. When I was younger, I didn't panic. I got annoyed and sometimes, nervous.

Now, I have anxiety attacks just thinking about driving outside my routine routes. My friend Gina has driven us to Jacksonville twice for appointments Ben had because I was a total basketcase just thinking about driving there. FYI, Ben doesn't drive at all due to one of his medications.

In my city, I mostly drive in the northwest. Rarely do I go outside of this quadrant. But, I've had to due to Ben's illness and fall this year. Each time I was in a state of panic, especially the night he was transported to the ER at the hospital across town. I had to drive in the dark, locate the correct building on a huge hospital campus and find parking. I got lost leaving at 2 am and wandered up and down streets on the hospital grounds. My daughter happened to call from up north to see how Ben was and she, from 900 miles away, got me on the right street to go home. No one understands my inability to find places, to recognize places, to figure out directions, and to get from point A to point B. And, they definitely don't understand my panic attacks. Yeah, I guess I am a freak after all.