Brain fog

[Nicki24110]

Today at work I kept having brain fog, lapses of concentration and so tired. I checked my BP (I'm a HCA) and it was 135/85, I've always had normal BP readings until today

[Maribee]

135 sound good to me...bottom is a bit high THO....everybody is different, I wouldn't worry if it was me.

[AmandaPK in reply to Maribee]

I used to suffer from brain fog. I gave up gluten and I no longer suffer... I can't account for the raised blood pressure though! Maybe you were a bit stressed?

[Maribee]

I get brain fog...a lot...and tiredness...do you have hair loss ? Aching joints ? Any pain under the right ribcage or stomach problems ?

If you do you may suffer from genetically Inherited ?Heamachromatosis (GH) ..Iron overload where the body cannot get rid of excess iron but stores it in the body...it us easily treated....you need to ask fir a Ferritin blood test..it is important they test the stored Ferritin level too as that is what can damage the vital organs.

Because mine was flagged up but not treated I now have early cirrhosis ...

It's just a simple blood test.

Another thing which causes your symptoms is Nuerofibralgia.

My niece has it.

Good luck..feel better soon.

[Daisy813 in reply to Maribee]

My ferritin is 217 normal is 15-150 I have some hair loss & tiredness, some achiness & have for a few years now. I have spoken with doctor about this but she doesn't seem too concerned. I have been tested for hemochromatosis which came negative but I am a carrier. Should I be concerned about this reading?

[Maribee in reply to Daisy813]

You might be a carrier but you are showing symptoms of GH. Safe level for a female is 150. You don't say how old you are, but if you still get periods the ferritin level will fluctuate a lot, if you are post menopausal I would get checked out again in six months, if it has risen, you might need a venesection...if your not happy, get another opinion.

My doctor said I didn't need venesections and as a result IVE ended up with early cirrhosis of the liver ! My level was 700 but after treatment has gone down to 35.

I hope your family have all been tested as it is inherited.

My parents were both carriers but all 5 children have GH.

Hopefully your level will come down SOON.

THYROID CAN ALSO GIVE YOU THE SYMPTOMS YOU ARE EXPERIENCING.

[Daisy813 in reply to Maribee]

By venesection you must mean have them take a certain amount of blood out? I am 60

[Maribee in reply to Daisy813]

Yes, it's just like a blood test but they take half a pint at a time...some people give a pint, but I'm difficult to bleed, my veins are small, so I give half a pint. It's OK and no worse than a blood test. And they make a fuss of you, tea and biscuits and chat which Is nice.

When I started to get more like a normal reading my aching stopped in my knees and my hair is a lot better.

Most doctors know nothing about the condition, mine had to ring the hospital to find out about it.

When my reading was 700 he told me that I didn't need venesections, just an annual chevk-up !!! Exeter hospital told him after doing the stored ferritin level that I DID need some.

I would get another opinion.

Did you have the genetic test ?

[Nicki24110 in reply to Maribee]

I'm 44 Maribee

[Aggieski in reply to Maribee]

Wow this sounds so much like me

[Nicki24110 in reply to Aggieski]

It's a relief to know that I'm not going crazy

[veecaa]

I have found that the 'brain fog' days are at their worst when I have gluten. Have you ever tried excluding gluten from your diet?

[Nicki24110 in reply to veecaa]

I'm going to try it and see if it helps

[veecaa in reply to Nicki24110]

Good idea. It's worth doing some investigation on the Internet into what foods contain gluten. We tend to think of bread but it's a hidden ingredient in things like soy sauce. If you are sensitive to gluten then even a small amount can affect you. It takes a while to get 'clean' from gluten so it's worth checking how long you need to be gluten free before you feel a difference. Hope you do feel a benefit. I know I did.

[elwins]

Could be vitamin D deficiency I have been suffering with acky muscles, brain fog at times and stomach problems, plus extreme tiredness even after a good nights sleep. turns out I have very low vitamin D reading. You need to have a full blood test done then post results on this site for comments from other knowledgeable members. Best of luck

[dtate2016]

I too have recently experienced a spike in blood pressure - all of a sudden out of nowhere . I'm horrible with acronyms and I don't know what HCA means . But I've been fighting Hashimoto's for over 20 years here in the US . I take NatureThroid. I'm going to look into the possibility that I've somehow developed a resistance to NatureThroid. My blood pressure spikes at 225/115 all the time - and yes there's no way the brain can think with that kind of stuff going on . I was finally able to get a doctor to prescribe blood pressure medicine and it looks like I'm going to be on blood pressure medicine now . They're starting me on a very low-dose. ( calcium channel blocker's - 10 mg) It seems to be having some effect butI still don't feel good . BP is down to 159/93. I do believe there is a connection between gluten and dairy and when my blood pressure spikes . I just recently have begun to get really serious about removing those things from my diet and I do feel better but it's so hard . I'm going to go ahead and remove all grains from my diet . The worst that I have to remove is beer ! Ha! I've read so many articles that say it has gluten and then others that say beer has very little gluten. And with this brain fog it gets to be a bit tiring . But the people here have wonderful advice . And I do believe Isabella Wentz has some wonderful advice. I'm taking advantage of her free things and I bought one book which I know primarily she's trying to sell things . But let's face it there is a market for information when the doctors either don't know and I truly think they don't - they have not a clue . And yes there's a fair handful of them that really just do not care . So there is a market for this kind of information I'm glad it's free here . I'm so grateful for all those willing to take the time to share what they learned . Right now I'm also increasing magnesium zinc and selenium . By that I mean I'm adding it to my daily regimen of vitamins . On this forum and many other places I've heard that these three affect the conversion of T3 . I recently read a scientific paper supplied here, that low T3 can cause heart problems . I Do think I feel better with the selenium and magnesium . I'm also going to add Folic Acid. With no grains and no beer there won't be a very good source in my diet - folic acid is needed for good heart and brain health. I wish you well - high blood pressure is a very dangerous thing and you just won't feel well until it gets under control .

[fornels1 in reply to dtate2016]

I am reading this book and it has some interesting points.

wilsonssyndrome.com/ebook/w...

[Nicki24110 in reply to fornels1]

I'll have a read of it. Thanks x

[Nicki24110 in reply to dtate2016]

HCA is Health Care Assistant. I'm on folic acid because Dr said my folate levels were very low. Checked my BP again today and it's 144/90, I have had a headache most of the day and pain in the left hand side of my neck where your artery is. I think I'm dropping to bits lol

[Maribee in reply to Nicki24110]

I hope your Dr is going to monitor your folate levels on a regular basis.

[Nicki24110 in reply to Maribee]

Yes, I have to go back in 2 months for another test

[mauschen in reply to Nicki24110]

Perhaps anxiety?

[Nicki24110 in reply to mauschen]

I'm a fairly laid back person and don't suffer from stress or anxiety but you never know, it may be

[mauschen in reply to Nicki24110]

Blood pressure can vary so much and quickly. Perhaps if you check it the same time every morning and evening for at least a week it would give you a better indication? Make sure you are sitting quietly for at least 10 minutes before taking the recording.

[bonnyaus in reply to dtate2016]

In Australia you can get gluten free beer so maybe it is available in US too. The gluten is in the malt. Fined a coeliac society and maybe they list sellers. We have a country wide coeliac association which has a chapter in each state so has information relative to each state.

[Mazzahk]

Like several others here, I used to suffer from brain fog but cutting out gluten cleared it. Only took a few days of 100% gluten free for the fog to lift for me. Definitely worth a try. Good luck and hope you feel better soon

[Nicki24110 in reply to Mazzahk]

Thank you x