#49-BRAIN FOG
BRAIN FOG
Hey everyone!
Brain fog is like the brain getting stuck in the middle of a download. It spins in the void.
It is difficult to find an exhaustive definition of what is called brain fog, or mental fog. Many describe these symptoms of a foggy brain, unable to clearly analyze reality. We do not feel in our normal state, we are unable to think and memory plays tricks on us.
From the onset of pericarditis from a viral infection in 2018, I had dizziness and headaches, a thick haze suddenly covered my thoughts. The brain fog is manifested by difficulties in memorization and concentration, immense and interminable fatigue, flashes in the head when falling asleep and waking up, incessant tinnitus, etc. The list of symptoms is endless.
The fatigue that accompanies brain fog is as if the body had become a faulty battery that no longer recharges.
I had already discussed the subject in the article “SUNGLASSES” where I explained that daylight forced me to wear sunglasses, which seems to me to be another symptom of brain fog precisely.
It took 3 and a half years for a doctor to tell me about brain fog and for me to understand what was happening to me. I think I was so affected that I didn't realize. Or I was just in denial about my condition.
I ended up getting an MRI of the brain, but the neurologist didn't look any further and just checked to see if there was a tumor. And for the rest, he unsurprisingly prescribed me anxiolytics, which I did not take, as usual...
I slowly recover my neurological functions, but the concentration difficulties are still very present. Reading remains a very difficult exercise. So I prefer audio books.
It is especially the short-term memory that is affected and worries me. Will I recover? It is even the immediate memory that fails. For example, during a conversation, I forget what my interlocutor has just said to me within 30 to 60 seconds. My brain is completely buggy. And if I ask the person to repeat, they have the impression that I am not listening to them, which is unfortunately wrong! It's very fast: I hear the information, but my brain skips and doesn't memorize it. The most striking are the places or the dates. Simple but precise elements that escape me completely.
What I am doing can also fade from my memory. I am constantly trying to remember what I am doing or what I need to do. It is really the immediate memory that is the problem.
I, who was super multitasking, can only do one thing at a time, and again, with an effort of concentration. It's scary, to put it mildly!!!
I don't know if this can help anyone, but here's what seems to have a positive effect in countering brain fog for me:
• Glutathione: since taking it, I have seen a reduction in my symptoms. But they come back as soon as I stop. You can check out the GLUTATHIONE blogpost to learn more.
• Exercises to activate the VAGUS NERVE (I refer you to my previous blogpost on this subject).
• Writing: this is less of a problem for me than reading. I guess it's not the same part of the brain that works. But it always requires an abnormal effort of concentration. From the start, I have considered writing my blog posts as a re-education exercise for my brain. I try to stick to it once a week. I will also try NANOWRIMO 2022 next November. It is a challenge that aims to write 50,000 words in one month. This is equivalent to 2,000 words per day, or at least 2 hours of work. For me, given my condition, it's huge. But it is also a good test to see if I am capable of it and if my condition is changing.
• In terms of food: I would say that less sugar and more animal protein seems to help.
The gaps in medicine are immense on this subject. Of course, everyone who suffers from brain fog feels concerned. How long will it last? Is there a risk of keeping sequelae? Does it increase the risk of diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's?
While waiting for science to progress, I take the option of rehabilitation. I think what counts are the neural connections and that you have to train them to maintain them, as you do sports to maintain your muscles and joints.
2024 UPDATE : read blogposts #67-PREGNENOLONE - PART 1 and #68-PREGNENOLONE - PART 2
SETTING CHALLENGES, BIG OR SMALL, IS A GOOD WAY TO PROGRESS.
Pericordially yours,
Vali