brain fog

[Luckylady1978]

hi everyone

Do you all suffer with brain fog ?my fibromyalgia affects how I remember things and when I ask my kids what they did at school I can’t remember all the details unless they tell me again ,is this normal?

[Dor1]

Alas, this does seem to affect a lot of people. I have it lots. My worst one seems to be is thinking about going to do something then forgetting what it was before I get the chance to do it. I will see or hear something on TV, think "oh I'll look that up", then forget what I was going to look up before I pick up my phone. I also have problems with the finding the correct words or what something is called even although I can see the object in my head. My family have got used to it now, but it can be embarrassing with strangers. Hope this helps

[Lexi39 in reply to Dor1]

hi

I am similar I can never remember what I ate for tea the day before, and forget words. My kids usually finish my sentences for me haha. It gets embarrassing at work I have to write everything down apparently this is very common while going through the menopause.

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer in reply to Dor1]

Me too forget in seconds x

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Dor1]

thanks it definitely does help ,I don’t feel so alone with the problem now !

[Cat00]

I had to phone my husband last night because I'd forgotten what time my evening class was, I've been going for 4 years....

[Meditationlover]

Hi, lucky lady, yes, I get terrible brain fog, very annoying, but also I think the menopause for me plays a part lol. I make a joke of it now as sometimes I do feel a bit stupid

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Meditationlover]

I’ve got the menopause yet to come can’t wait for that !

[Meditationlover in reply to Luckylady1978]

Hrt all the way lol

[Southport-beach]

Unfortunately yes! It's even worse when you add menopause fog to fibro fog. I feel so stupid & end up making a joke out of how an intelligent young woman with an honours degree & high powered job ended up losing the ability to remember names for things/people, what I was going to do etc.....it drives my partner mad sometimes!

[Sun1963]

Yes it effects me bad it causes lots of rows with me and my hubby because he tells me something and I forgot by the time I walk in the kitchen. Then I'll ask him again it happen most of the time. Funny side I find all sorts in my fridge toilet roll,cornflakes ,soap recent ones 😀

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Sun1963]

oh dear lol

[Wobblygirl]

Definitely upsetting losing explicit vocabulary, I pause+then have to insert a word like nice when I was intending to to use exotic or substantial, you know a more appropriate word!I feel I'm losing my intellect as well as my body...

So distressing as I'm not stupid but I appear as a dunce! Where has all my thinking gone?

I used 2b a professional articulate woman...

I hate entering groups now as I've lost my confidence too...

So sorry you're experiencing this aspect of fibro too... Wx

[Blackwitch in reply to Wobblygirl]

Yes, when I forget words I usually insert a 🤬 word. The more explicit, the better. It does nothing to help but makes me feel much better. If I’m really frustrated, multiple 🤬🤬🤬🤬 strung together help the situation immensely (in my opinion). Nic 😂 xx

[Wobblygirl in reply to Blackwitch]

Absolutely terrific!!!Love it...

I swear like a trooper at times but never when trying to find the correct word! Maybe I should try it and loosen my tension???

Wx

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Wobblygirl]

I don’t sweat much not unless I get cross

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Luckylady1978]

swear

[Blackwitch in reply to Luckylady1978]

Try it. It really helps. 😂😂

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

It does seem too affect a lot of us and yes I do get annoyed when I go blank or cannot remember something , my nearest and dearest are used too it now and normally it’s short conversations when I’m out at the checkout etc so I normally get by. How old are your children ? You could get them too write you little notes or a picture if they are primary school age, I think my young grandboys are getting used too me now 6yrs and 9yrs, I tell them nannie has a medical condition and they take it on board and we actually learn too laugh about things sometimes ,take care xx

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Yassytina]

well I say my kids they are young adults now ,but still live with me they have learning disabilities,I normally set myself alarms so o don’t forget things to do but still can’t always remember just simple things it’s very frustrating because I want to remember the simple things and I find myself forgetting.my daughter says to me about something simple to remember the other day but I had forgotten I feel ashamed

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer in reply to Luckylady1978]

Please don’t feel ashamed as I am sure you do your very best , if your young adult children have learning disabilities that’s more for you too deal with on a daily basis , the alarms sound a good idea, please don’t be hard on yourself the fact you wrote this on your post says you care a great deal for your children and trying too do your best ,sending you my best wishes xxy

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Yassytina]

many thanks

[Puddywoods]

yes I suffer from brain fog, it is awful. I have to write everything down as it happens if I feel I'll need the information later and have alarms set te remind me to do things.

I had the best memory in my family at one time now I'm the worst and I must admit I do get worried about it from time to time.

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Puddywoods]

it’s funny I do alarms too great minds think alike !

[2hot]

Yes I have this too. It got so bad I had to give up work. Hopefully you have good days too. Your children and family will understand if you remind them. Children are very resilient and quite supportive to differences. (I was a Primary School teacher). Take care.

[Tiggerlostherbounce]

hi

I used to be the main memory for the family and definitely my husband as his memory was shocking. Now we’re both on the same level and it can be quite comical really. The family are understanding now too and I actually feel a weight has been lifted . I’m no longer the one who needs to organise, to remember, feel guilty if I forget.

The mantel has been taken up by others and it’s been nice to see them take on responsibility for things I used to do, makes me quite proud. It’s was difficult at first, realising I’m not the person I used to be, but then I’ve gone through lots of changes in my life, so this is the next one. Cbt helped me think differently about things too and I let go of a lot of guilt for forgetting things by explaining to everyone what was happening

Sometimes now when I can’t remember a word, my family sense of humour means they will add a very different word to the one I was trying to think of and it’s really quite funny.

It takes time and support and definitely acceptance. I feel calmer now too, probably because I can’t remember what I was stressing about 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve rambled on now, what was I saying? 🙄😂 I hope you feel better knowing you’re not alone and having this group is lovely to help you feel understood. Take care 🤗

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Tiggerlostherbounce]

thanks so much it’s good to not feel alone and I have met some people recently who also have fibromyalgia so it’s good to relate .I am going to cbt next week so hoping it helps !

[1whitestar]

I forget to it makes me worry because I forget names everything even medication so now I have my alexa to help and I write down now in my diary.

[Lillylilac]

Hi luckyladyThis is now my biggest problem with Fibro, that and cognitive disfunction. My daughter gets a bit cross with me when I forget something she has told me. My husband gets very annoyed which doesn't help. I keep having to tell him that I didn't used to be like this. He doesn't get it. My sons and grandsons laugh with me which is great to me. I use my phone alot but then forget to look at it. I 🙄 Hopefully after reading everyone's post it will help you to realise you are not alone.

Love and hugs

Lily x

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Lillylilac]

it does thanks

[LaurieLee]

you should show him these replies. You need support not anger. If they had it for just one day, they would understand. They should be more kind.

[Latics1989-90]

HiI have terrible brain fog 👎 I've learnt to laugh at it . My family and friends are fab. Two of my friends also has fibro. I have many conditions which cause me pain and so I only have one hour or less sleep per day due to pain. This makes my brain fog worse. I put reminders on my phone which helps. It does get frustrating but I try to keep smiling because moping around won't change anything!! I do hope you see some improvement very soon.. Anyone who gets annoyed with someone should be in our shoes for a day!! I have a lot of other things going on but I will leave that for another day

Lots of love and hugs Lynne xxxx 💜🫂💟🫂

[Luckylady1978 in reply to Latics1989-90]

you’re right I try to keep smiling too and make sure I go out every day even if it’s just for a short walk up the road .body gets so stiff exercise is good I find .,I love to go out out with my parents and my kids when they are not at college /school ,it’s my son’s birthday soon so I’m looking forward to celebrating that with him ,even also takes my mind off the pain .

[MrsSwing]

Hi, I suffer from this & covid fog which can be extremely frustrating. Many people think that they’re boring you when you can’t remember what they’ve said but it’s not our fault. I use a diary, have reminders on my phone & 3 calendars in my flat where I’ll write info down immediately. I also have a massive note on my front door reminding me to make sure I have my keys & phone, check that taps & electrics are turned off before I leave the house. What I did find that helps was to buy a used mobile & record calls(both personal & professional) on the voice memo whilst on my actual phone. This might give you all a laugh, one day I was reheating food in the microwave and getting very frustrated at how long it was taking. Unbeknownst to me the microwave door was open & I was standing right in front of it🙈

[CheetieCat]

Yes, I think it is, our normal anyway. I feel like I blag my way through every day at work.

I use my phone for everything, reminder alarms, notes, calendar, wouldn't be anywhere I'm supposed to be without it.

Write everything down straight away while I'm on the phone or it's gone! Bullet points to keep me on track if I'm calling someone at work.

But everything went to pot the other week though! Calling to speak to a Lawyer. Lawyer not available, will call back.

Ok, don't panic, got all my bullet points in place. Had to drive so of course that's when the call came in. 😩

Total panic!🥴 Could hardly remember my own name nevermind all my lovely pre prepared bullet points. 😔

I must've came across like a total Muppet without a single brain cell. Every time I think about it I feel so embarrassed. 🫣

Really dreading having to speak to her again! 😳

[iluvsloths26]

Hi. I've been suffering with Fibromyalgia for 24yrs now. Brain fog and memory issues have been a challenge for me. There have been days I can't remember how to spell simple three-letter words and I was great at maths when i was young but when I tried to go back to school as an adult they made me take remedial math and i couldn't even do that. I would learn how to do a problem and then immediately forget how to do it. The hardest for me is not being able to remember details about my daughter when she was a baby. My family will say, "remember when she did this or that" and I don't remember at all, even though I was there. She is my only daughter and I was a stay-at-home mom, so I raised her. I was there, but some things are like they never happened. I just wanted to let everyone know that avoiding gluten has helped me tremendously with brain fog. If I eat gluten three days in a row, the fog comes back....it never fails. I avoid it as much as possible and it has helped so much and I'm not the only one.