Hi all,
Hope you are having a lovely weekend? What does everyone do or take to deal with brain fog?
Mine has been so bad today , can’t concentrate ? Can’t do simple task with out forgetting?
I had a nap earlier in the hope that would help , but just a muzzy as before ?
TIA
xAx
Hi, Annabal82! I can't take many of the drugs neurologists offer for MS - they make me feel like I'm drunk! Have you changed any meds lately? Hope you have a better day tomorrow!
Hi Sue , no I’m actually coming off them Monday to start ocrevus ( spelt wrong) . I had a relapse at beginning of year, only came off steroids at start of week. they took me of tecfidera as I was meant to start malvaclan but at the last minute they changed there mind.
Have a horrible feeling that in the 3 weeks I was off meds it took an opportunity.
Hoping tomorrow is better as today has been a write off. It maybe the steroids working itself out of system as this time they really kicked my butt , they however are a necessary evil to get the feeling back in my legs .
Only positive I quit smoking as I couldn’t get out to get any .. lol lol
xAx
Possibly good move to try and stop smoking in any case as I read on another MS info site that smoking might increase the possibility of relapse. Hope your cog fog improves soon. 
Smoking does cause relapse. I hear the nicotine (and other chemicals) cause an immune response as it enters the lungs -- this happens even in healthy people. But with MS, the body is already inflamed and the immune system already overactive, so we're trying to keep the immune response down so the immune system doesn't go haywire and start attacking the brain, spine, etc. So w should avoid nicotine, smoke, pesticides, harsh cleaners, etc -- avoid anything that can cause an immune response in humans. I even avoid tomatoes, potatoes and eggplant, because "Nightshade" vegetables can cause an immune response in the body when ingested. In non-MS people, this slight immune response is nothing, but for people with MS, it can cause problems.
I have found a little bit of an energy boost in a supplement I take called MitoMax2 or Mito2Max. It's from DoTerra. It's an Energy/Stamina blend. Anyway, when I took it to my Neurologist and showed it to her, I commented that it might be the Ginseng in it that was helping. She looked at the ingredients and said no, it was more likely the Acetyl L-Camitine HCL and the Alpha Lipoic Acid. She explained that her research is in Supplements (she's a research doctor) and that both have been shown to increase energy in patients with MS. (Helps with the Mitochondrial Energy or something.) Anyway, so that's what I take and it works. -- If you decide to buy it from DoTerra, you might need a "seller advocate" number. (You're suppose to go through a rep to buy things.) You can use mine: 5461888. I buy so much off of that website that I now have a sellers account so I can get stuff at wholesale prices. (lol) If not, you might be able to find these ingredients in other supplements at GNC or wherever. However, be sure to check with your doctor before taking those -- just in case.
Thanks .. will check it out .. I’m in the UK so sure somewhere will do it . What sort of strength do you take ? I am already taking so many supplements and vitamins , one more to list won’t matter lol lol xAx
Here is a link, Annabal82:
doterra.com/US/en/p/supplem...
I believe you can order it online, even in the UK. In the event they require a "rep number" or whatever, you can use mine. I buy so much from that site, I have a sales account. -- 5461888 -- I might even get credit toward my next purchase. I usually buy the Mito2Max, but have a friend with MS who swears by the DDR Prime supplement. I guess check both out, and talk to your doctor, and see if one is better for you than the other.
doterra.com/US/en/p/ddr-pri...
Oh! I haven't done this yet, but I might try the Alpha CRS and see if that works. Maybe on my next order. If I do, I'll come back on here and let you know how it went.
Having a relapse and taking the steroids can do a number on your cognition. I hope that time and starting the Ocrevus will help you.
My cognitive fog waxes and wanes. Some days, I just have to give up trying to do something that requires any thought or accuracy. Fortunately, it doesn't stay at the same level. I do take Alpha Lipoic Acid to prevent brain atrophy, 600 mg twice a day. I did start at a much lower dose to avoid stomach upset. Even the small dose caused a little upset, but it quickly went away as I built up the dosage.
Let us know how the Ocrevus infusion goes. We wish you the best!
Keto and caffeine
Annabal82 Please, consult your Neurologist before taking ANY medications. Even if they are off-the-counter drugs, please.
Have you been getting enough sleep? Steroids can interfere with your sleep. When I don’t get enough sleep at night, myncognition is worse.
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Bacopa Leaf, 500mg. Okay, that is my one and only herbal supplement that I started using years ago, in the depths of brain fog so bad I called it my comatose years. Back when I couldn't even veg out watching a light program, because for the life of me, I couldn't follow what was going on after a bit of a half hour program. This went on for years. The Bacopa Leaf snake oil, came from a suggestion/topic from one Dr. Oz had done on TV. I was desperate. I had, or about the same time, had given up eating to break thru the brain fog. Yeah, that sounds really bad....But I found that the brain fog set in everyday after I ate my first meal. Even a single egg breakfast, with nothing else, just a lonely egg, sent me into la-la land for the day. So I stopped eating till "comatose time" everyday, which I declared would be at the end of the day. I was still working, running 1 or 2 companies at the time. Had to. Couldn't run a company, or 2, comatose? Then I started a couple years of juicing fruits and vegetables for nutrition, followed by a year of vita-mixing to get more than just juice, ... then finally healthy unprocessed foods (the Wahl's diet). To today, healthy eating modeled on the Wahl's diet + dairy! The 12 days of Cheese from whole foods, really opened up my love of cheese. ...yep, okay on the diet if you tolerate....I can do it without lactaid pills.....I can leave the room from time to time.....!
Bacopa, stuck with me. It seemed to help back in my dark ages. It's cheap. My neuro's yes more than one......another story. Okay, you suffer. I was running my own companies, I bought the best health insurance I could for the company (and myself), paid for by the company in whole. I saw Chicagoland's best I could find. And more than just one at a time. It was really good insurance! So, that wasn't that bad! Just don't ask me.... ! Both neuro's told me it didn't hurt anything. Told me hundreds of years of "Chinese Medicine" didn't really mean anything, but go for it. It stuck, till today. I still take it. It's pennies. Not $20K -$30K a fill as what my insurance company paid for so many years, for my DMT's. I could afford the couple bucks a month.
The only other leafy thing I take, WAS recommended by one of my Neurologists, before it was available, but for which I had completely exhausted their arsenol of drugs trying to fight my M.S. burning feet. They had been hearing for years how it worked while nothing on their lists of script options did......high CBD from cannabis, not hemp, got me euphoric when the pain went away immediately after (2) tokes from a vaping tool, "as prescribed",... after years and years of do I cut them (my feet) off tonight, or just pass out on a couple of shots of brandy as I've done so many times before........yeah, my SGOT and SGPT, which I graphed for years because it was many times normal due to the DMT's, were normal, post DMT's and get bombed on 2 shots of brandy to get to sleep.... So, it wasn't that bad, my liver told me....
Bacopa, a juicing diet, then after detoxing, a vita-mixing diet, then real food, without all the stuff you can't pronounce, more less understand what it is that you are eating. That is the L O N G story of how to cut through brain fog, when your life depends on it!
Tia, to keep my brain functioning at as high a level as I can and to keep brother brainfall good day I continually play all the Mind Games core strengthening games that I can. On my notebook I have a dozen or so games downloaded that makes me solve puzzles, solve word puzzles, play cards with partners, think and play strategy type games, play Scrabble, excetera excetera excetera. Just Google mine strengthening exercises and daily routines on the internet and you will find dozens to pick from.. that way you can pick the ones that interest you the most and by doing so you will stick with it. Hope this helps. All I can say is I know it's helped to keep my brain active and functioning I have relatively high state. Till we speak again please take care and remember together we are stronger! Fancy.
Will try that!
I read a ton, do crossword puzzles, and take aricept (Alzheimer’s med). It helps me a ton despite studies claiming it doesn’t help MS.
Thanks all ... I do play challenge games on my phone and my normally job defo keeps my Brain going ( I work in health and safety , don’t hold that against me ). Just on some days I can stare at the same thing for hours and not get very far . On other days I can have it sorted in 15mins, just curious really As the bad days seem to outweighing the good more and more . xAx
I had that brain fog when it was hot outside or really cold outside. If I did anything that exerted energy the fog would set in. Your fog could be a combination of things. Going off Tecfidera made my fog bad for about a month. Coming down off the steroids would give me brain fog. Good news now is I have had my first 2 treatments of Ocrevus. NO BRAIN FOG! I go for my 1st full dose at the end of March. It has done wonders for me. I have been able to get off a couple of meds because I no longer have the problems I was taking them for. Good luck to you on Ocrevus.
Thank you so much for posting that . I think it’s been a combination of things which hasn’t been helpful. Glad Ocrevus is working for you, I’m sort of nervous and excited about it . The only thing I am dreading is having to sit for so long as I get bored and want to move around .. drove the nurses mad when I had to stay in hospital , I was like a child “ can I go now , can I go out now “ lol lol xAx
Where I get my infusion we can get up and move around, I just have to take the IV machine with me. It is hard to sit there for 3+ hours without getting up and walking around.
My biggest pet peeve with all this is the brain fog. I feel so stupid because I can't remember things. My husband has gotten good at trying to figure out what I'm trying to say when I lose my words. Just yesterday I was going to tell him something and before I could get a word out, the entire thought was out of my head. Hate it.
I know that feeling . I some times say things backwards, especially at work. I normally tell people it’s there problem not mine I know what I mean.. lol lol xAx
((hugs)) I feel you. Just had to see a Neurophycologist and take a cognitive test last week. (It's a 4 to 5 hour test.) Memory is hard for me, so I didn't do well. So, the phycologist recommended that I do occupational therapy-- that occupational therapy is more than just concentrating physical elements like getting in and out of a shower, but that the therapist will work on memory, etc. as well.
I had that testing two years ago. With only two bathroom breaks mine was 6 1/2 hours. It's quite the testing, isn't it? He told me I wasn't stupid (even tho' I felt like I was) but my brain was "buffering" like a computer when it has the little circle that spins. He didn't recommend therapy for me. I wish he had. I've gotten worse but now he's out of my insurance network and it would cost over $1,000 to go back. So I have my notebook in my purse that I write things down on. What a pain. It's embarrassing when I can't remember the words. That's the worst.
Honestly, I'd be lost without my phone that works as my brain. It keep track of everything for me -- appointments, notes, etc.
If I could figure out mine phone I'm sure it would do the same. I'm not terribly tech savvy.
I have been doing out patient rehabilitation and 1 of my session is speech therapy. I have remember things n repeat it back in 15min after we do other things or they read me a story n I have 2 answer various questions about the story
I will dm u a list of somethings I was told 2 do at home
Increased brain fog, but no MRI changes
Living in a fog
