Hi does anyone have memory blocks when they are talking to someone. It is embarrassing for me, as I seem to not get my words out. Sometimes when I am talking to a person, I find I have pauses as the words that I want to say just don't come into my head.
Also my sense of direction and concentration seems to be going out the window. Do you know I have resorted to a note book, which I carry in my bag, for help. It may sound very silly, but I have things like turn left at one shop then straight down to find another.
My concentration is poor too. I can be sitting having my breakfast, then think of something I need to do. Leaving my breakfast I would go and do this then return to eat my breakfast.
Hope this makes sense to you all, as I have had not much sleep last night.
Am I going mad altogether
Please help
Karen xxx
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karran12
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Don't worry Karen you're not going mad, its that nasty fibro. My speech/memory has got a lot worse over the last year or so and now I often say words jumbled up or forget what things are called. I used to be mortified any time I had a problem but life's a lot easier now that I try to relax more about it.
One day it took me 5 minutes to remember the word coathanger. I knew that I knew what it was but for the life of me couldn't remember what it was - stubborness prevailed and eventually I remembered what it was called. Bedtime stories with my little one are always entertaining as the words sometimes leap around the page and get themselves in the wrong order
I used to hide this part of fibro from everyone, but since I've become more open with family and close friends they allow me to take the time to finish the sentence, or remind me of what I was just saying when the words disappeared. It isn't nice but I have learned to love with it.
Thank you for that. I did once phone my partner up, to ask him to get something out of the car for me. Nothing wrong with that, but I had the car out with me.
Lucyhobbit your reply is like I have written it myself...... I can so relate to the memory blocks, lack of concentration, words bouncing around the page, forgetting simple words. Attending and participating in daily and weekly meetings and writing reports have been a big part of my job for 30+ years, so forgetting simple words and loosing train of thought mid conversation has been a major cause of embarrassment for me. Any self confidence I had has hit rock bottom, so much so I try and avoid meetings like a plague but if I can't I hide myself away at the back or avoid eye contact so I am not asked for my opinion. I am also a lot slower reading documents and writing reports. I find I have to read things over and over again not just because the words bounce around the page but also before I understand the content. Composing documents seems to take forever, thank goodness for computers, thesaurus, being able to add to the documents when I remember what I want to say, and cut and paste.
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2010, PBC and osteoarthritis in Jan 2011. I have not been diagnosed with fibromyalgia but have wondered if I may have it because some of my symptoms are the same as I have read on here....mind fog, back, joint, bone and muscle pain, burning and stiffness in hands and feet, legs and arms feel like lead, constant aches and pains all over the body etc.etc.
Thats interesting. I too have osteoarthritis. Also again because of memory loss, sensitivity to noise and cold, not forgetting all over pain I too think I may have fibromyalgia too.
The pain as you know is awful, I can type better than I can write because of pain in my fingers. My lower back hurts, along with shoulders, legs and you know the rest.
I once had to look on the computer, to find out what somebody who I knew was called, as I could not remember their name.
Think I may ring up today to ask to see my doctor, to have a talk about painkillers. Also trying to sleep well I may have to hit myself over the head with a hammer to, knock me out.
PS The clangers are on tv. The noise for my ears is tremendous!
Hi If you are going Mad then we all are. You describe things that happen to most of us ;0 I do think your note book is an excellent idea , I actually carry one but for notes about funny things I see or places I want to learn more about.
Yes I have to write everything down and put reminders on my phone or I don't remember. I also get words mixed up or forget words for things. I was talking to my boss and called his book shelf "a seat for books to sit on". He thought it was hilarious.
This would be the "fibrofog"....... when I say the wrong words, I just laugh at myself now, just treat it like a joke!! My daughter and I are often laughing at my "unusual" word choices... it takes the stress out of the situation and stops me from feeling so embarrassed.
I have a large calendar pinned on my kitchen wall which I write everything on.... and check it all the time so I don't forget things.
I keep "post it" notes and pen by the phone, so that I can write down anything important when people ring me up.
I also make daily lists of things to do each day... if I don't achieve all of them I put them on the list for the following day. If something important comes up, then I substitute one of the less important thing s on the list .... that way I don't overdo things in a day.
I often get distracted .... the postman will ring the door bell and after I have answered the door, I will have completely forgotten what I was doing previously!!!
So you are definitely not alone... Don't feel guilty about using lists, notebooks, to help you remember.... just remember where you have put the list xxx
Unfortunately Fibro fog does seem to affect the majority of us. Some days it takes me 5 minutes to get one sentence out! In the end I start trying to describe the word I want My daughter (15) is extremely patient with me and when I get two words in the wrong place she smiles at me and says did you mean ...
I do find it embarrassing sometimes when I'm out, but I just say I have a migraine (I do suffer from them) rather than try to explain Fibro fog.
If I need to remember something important I put a bright pink post it on one of my kitchen cupboard doors and/or put a reminder on my mobile.
The upshot is that as everyone else has already said no! you are definitely not going mad.
You will by now be aware that you are in good company, this morning I went two steps from worktop to fridge no idea in that nanosecond what I wanted from the fridge, it came to me a while later, I too keep post it notes everywhere they have taken the place of my foggy brain. Lou xx
I have to go up and downstairs if I want something. As I cannot remember the first time what I went upstairs for
Thank you xx
Karen
I have Post it notes and note books everywhere. Trouble is I forget where the post it notes are sometimes and I can never find a pen. I have just been assessed by memory clinic and was told it isnt dementia but stress and anxiety. I asked if it was fibromyalgia and he didnt seem to know but I am sure it is by reading what everyone says on here. Nice to know we are all going crazy together. Suppose we always have an excuse for forgetting birthdays etc. Gentle hugs Joolz.x
I too have a large kitchen calendar which everything important is written on, birthdays and anniversary's are coloured in blue felt tip so they jump out at me. my work hours, sons exams, apts, bill payments.......everything so I can quickly go back and check if need be. ive done it for years.
I also forget words and say things back to front; faves are "chrunkle chups" for crinkle cut chips! and hop and mover for mop and hoover! ive said some beauties in my time. please don't worry xx
I too forget words, when it happens at work I just tell them I can't remember the word and they all chip in until someone says the word I wanted, makes it quite fun to deal with and they all understand.
It seems there are common ways in which we have memory lapses. I usually forget common nouns and try to describe the word or say Erm whilst making some hand gesture. I also talk back wards, so that the last word in a sentence within my thoughts is the first that I speak. However, I'm not sure if my language deterioration isn't due to the poor English I encounter most everywhere. There is a part of me that feels my own language has seized up in frustration.
The other thing is memory blanks. Whilst before things might slip my mind, I knew they were there. Now its like an utter void, and I constantly feel I've forgotten something important.
I am so genuinely sorry to read this and I want to sincerely wish you all the best of luck. I experience this quite a lot and it is rather annoying and embarrassing.
Hi no your not alone i forget what we are talking about and have a "pregnant pause" if that's the right term? or can't remember name/item etc so there fishing around in my brain! to try to remember could be something i'd know really easily as common to me.
Plus words come out wrong or sort of jumbled!
It does get quite embarrassing when it happens and unpleasant as used to have a fantastic memory as could put things like if someone was looking for say an item to buy at the drop of a hat etc.
Also make a cup of tea and forget to drink it then think i'l make a cup of tea then find have one that's stone cold!
Put things in the wrong place like milk in coffee jar sugar in the fridge etc or yesterday had a large pot of yogurt which had used most of put some muesli type gear in it then Der! as making tea poured milk in to it!
Passwords/user names etc if not used for a while forget so these days have a more methodical way of working so remember them plus typing is a joke as end up with the wrong words coming out or wrong keys pressed or in wrong sequence so then have to go back and correct it all!
But am sort of starting to get a bit worried as having some long term memory loss as find having more blank periods and can't remember where placed things while back etc which could go to things not used for years even and find i have to work harder to work things out.
But also forgetting people has have people coming up to me and saying hello and must look odd as thinking who the hell are they! even one was from shop next door to my friends one i was in and had spoken to him while earlier as there refitting there shop they'd just taken over as knew old owner.
But i am also dealing with a pituitary tumor and constant painful headaches.
But hey ho back to Endo's this week as they think something else could be going on now as when was on Tgel it made me worse pressure points couldn't touch like on forearms/round ribs where as tried a little of my friends Egel and things improved a lot! pains came right down and headaches have decreased along with muscle tightness!
We all have a lot to put up with. And yes we are special. To suffer so much pain just going along our every day life takes some doing. As well as the lack of sleep and memory loss, sensitivity to the cold and noise too. Do you honestly thing anyone but our special gang could put up with that. So yes we must be all very special
Thank you so much for this post, some of the replies have made me giggle but mostly I don't feel alone. You read about fibro fog and think 'ah yes that's it' when it happens, I've done and been in similar situations to most people forgetting words, using lots of descriptive words for a daft thing like a saucepan or a cushion, forgotten where I've put things so often and driving-ekkk, am in process of banning myself at the moment-I know when these things happen that it's FM not me per say but it still has the ability to chip away at my confidence or sometimes reduce me to tears.
Like I said at the start of my reply, I don't feel so alone now-thank you everyone and especially Karen for starting this thread. What a wonderful community of people are here online. With my spirits now lifted I'll get on and make the tough phone calls I have been postponing for days & days.
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Fibro fog
