Migraine Fog, Brain Fog, Fibro fog....

By Nancy Harris Bonk Tuesday, July 31, 2007

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I've been experiencing some "fog" issues lately. Mad Migraine Fog, Fibro Fog, Brain Fog, Lupus Fog, call it whatever you want - it stinks! Having your husband and children tell you the same thing over and over again has been a problem for me lately. I can't seem to remember what I've been asked and haven't been! And I certainly don't remember the answers.

It feels like I can't find the correct words during a converstaion. After finding the words, formulating them in a sentence feels almost impossible. Listening to a conversation seems to take a great deal of effort of late, asking people to repeat things more than once. Of course I get frustrated and stressed out which makes my communicating skills go down the tubes even further. Are you following me??? I wonder if the folks I am talking with think I am an idiot, or just not paying attention? The harder I try to pay attention to what is being said, the worse it gets and a cycle begins....

I know this will pass, my fog seems to come and go, usually under periods of stress. So I will try to reduce my stressors and see if I can communicate more effectively.

This link is from Karen Lee Richards, Expert on the Chronic Pain site here at HealthCentral. Give it a read and see what you think.

Dealing with Migraine Fog

Here's to clearing out the fog!

I was given marinol for Migraine .

Comments (6) | Add comment

Jamie

8/ 2/07 6:22pm

It's like a thick blanket over your brain that only you know is actually there...

Again, it's an invisible symptom, so when you have people having expectations of you, they can't see that you're spending about 200% of your energy on focusing on what their words mean in a sentence...

And forget about replying if you actually listened well all that time, 'cause that was the time you would have used to come up with the right words.

Cognitive stuff is the pits. Having people have to repeat things that they had just finished telling you is kinda well... just draining, IMO. Sort of like "Oh, how much of an idiot must you think I am?"

And until the fog lifts, it just makes me self-conscious, so I'm definitely not myself... So, it's either talk like a complete stammering fool, and know that I'm doing so, or hibernate until the fog lifts. Unfortunately, fog manages to take time in being "burned off," I fear.

Hang in there! It's hard to think past the fog- but there's got to be a sunny day out there for you soon!

Chris Holabaugh

8/ 4/07 12:01am

Jamie, I would check out and see if you have any problems with anxiety or depression. I have both and it was brought own by the migrianes. The chance of getting this is high because they are related to each other. You can be told things and when you are asked to repeat them you can't and you in a fog. But somewhat later the person will tell you a list of items and you will be alble to pick out the ones were told to you. This could be what you are talking about, and I would also check a site on depression and see if any of the items listed there you fall under.

I hope this will be of some help and if it isn't you have eliminated some items. I wish the best for you, for I have suffered with migraines since I was nineteen and I am almost sixty and on disabilty now because of them.

Jamie

8/ 4/07 12:16am

Well, as a double depressive and migraineur, I find that there are definite times where I catch myself questioning if the dysthymic action is recurring... and realize that it's not. I think the depression beast is regulated (for now, knock on wood!) and it's migraine fog that's getting me.

With dysthymia, I just don't care. With migraine fog, I care, I just lack the words (aphasia!) or skills to convey what i want to say. To retreat is a coping mechanism learned to keep others from hearing me at my most "challenged"- I will let people close to me in... which is something that I seriously thought about when deciding if this is a depression problem or a learned behavior which has allowed me to keep my job. I have decided that it's the latter...

I constantly check myself on the depression issue. Yeah, it's easy to get depressed with pain. And as for anxiety, nope. Not me. Just self-awareness, and a tendency to question things, especially my own behavior when I suspect that it may be seen as abnormal to others.

But the brainfog with the migraine is both a prodrome thing... AND a postdrome thing for a bad migraine- and in one that I do wind up with all of the "fun" of the migraine.

Thanks for the message, it's always good to have that self-awareness, and to see if something which I thought was okay is really getting out of hand.

Cheers,

Jamie

Anonymous

8/ 4/07 8:50pm

I have a roller coaster ride of pain in my head that most of my energy goes into that.It is more than a fog with me,it has changed my personality.I was Always talkative.Sometimes if my pain is lower,it's almost like I'm hyper.

I want to fit everything while my pain is lower,so whoever I'm talking to,I'm on fast forward.Forget about listening.

Most of the time I just get quiet.Then the people talking to me think I'm not listening.I'm fighting the pain and trying to focus on what they're saying.But I don't want to respond.

A couple of reasons for that,the energy and the sound of my voice in my head adds more pain.

One benefit with my husband working at home,he's on the phone alot.I have watched hgtv for a long time because of that,because you can follow without sound.Now with my head the way it is, I watch it.I really do enjoy it anyway.

It's funny,because the times he does want to talk to me,I don't or can't.And when I want to talk to him or am up to maybe going for a quick dinner,he can't.

Then my dr has me going for counseling because I'm on klonopin(for panic attacks that started w/thyroid problems).There I am having to talk,which is hard.Hearing my voice which is harder.

I'm exhausted when I leave there.Between emotions and the talking I'm fried.

I do find a few exceptions.There are a few shows that my husband knows I love.They're series on the movie channels.I get into them so much,that I'm either laughing like an idiot or excited at what's going on and warning them like they can hear me.(never used to do that).

Fortunately for me if I'm up to seeing them when they first air(which I try to because I look forward to them)I can catch them at another time on on demand.

But I am not who I was.Maybe I will be one day again.But I'm not now.It's not from depression.It's the pain.And the pain does make my brain foggy.Because so much goes into dealing with pain.

For me,I try to remain positive.But like other diseases,this has changed my life.I do go online and play some mindgames.It's interesting on some days I suck,on others I surprise myself at how well I'll do.

I miss me.I wasn't perfect,but I was me.

Marge

Mary

8/ 9/07 11:14am

I also suffer from migranes and have several other ailments causing pain. I got a kick out of your HGTV comment. I too get real involved in watching it when am unable to do other things.

I find it depressing not to be the person I was as well. We entertained, were active, now I find it hard to fix a meal most evenings. I am taking several anti depresessants, fioricet for headaches, and not my liver functions are out of control. Do you know anything about fioricet's control over the liver. I know it has a lot of Tylenol.

Well good luck to you. Mary

12/ 7/07 9:57pm

Your fog is likely from a damaged hippocampus. Stress and steroids (corticosteroids, not anabolic) cause it. Look up any of Stanford physiologist Robert Sapolsky's lectures on the topic of stress and memory.

If it were me, I'd do yoga and hypnosis for stress/anxiety, and take grape seed extract and fish oil supplements.

Migraine Fog, Brain Fog, Fibro fog....

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