M.E./CFS: 🚨 BRAIN FOG symptoms EXPLAINED (Shortened)

[@fight4me747]

Full version here: th-cam.com/video/Iy4OPxnL_Y8/w-d-xo.html

[@happiness6177]

😊😊😊

[@maxwassermann3171]

I can definitely relate. One thing I would add is that it feels you still have all the knowledge and memories you've gathered and made over your entire life, but due to Brain Fog you can access them anymore. It's like they are being locked away in some part of your brain that you can't open anymore.

[@jackiecauthron-schafer9554]

I know they are there because they pop up randomly sometimes on good days. It's how I realized I didn't have dementia when I still didn't know what was going on.

[@chinookvalley]

34 years of brain fog. Sigh. Half of my life. Sigh. Thanks for recognizing me.

[@happiness6177]

OMG..😢😢😢😢This has brought me to tears.I have ALL those symptoms ALL the time, Identical.NEVER have I heard all those symptoms explained,if any only general,"Cognitive" You've described me EXACTLY.Im still sobbing,cant believe it.💐Thank you so much💐 I'm not alone thank God for that😊

[@PlayingDownUnder]

🤗

[@KidCity1985]

A real estate to channel I watch , the guy has a traumatic brain injury. It appears to be exactly the same as my brain fog. My depth perception went to 0 when i was having a bad vertigo attack. It went back to normal when the vertigo was gone. I just happened to have an eye appointment and a 3 month recheck. I haven't been depressed since I was 13.

[@ravensdotter6843]

So relatable. At my worst, I play games on my phone and try to will myself to 'connect'. That doesn't help, but I keep hoping it will.

[@BobbysWorld_of_Art]

I’m so glad you make these videos. I feel like I’m understood. The spatial perception is spot on! The introversion and the staring at things until I remember what I was doing are also spot on!!

[@premadimauro2691]

Thank you so much for putting into words how we suffer through this condition

[@Teresa-L.2024]

Brain fog can be so infuriating. Mine has gotten better over the years, I think mostly because I've learned to work with it. I work my brain a lot...reading, puzzles, crosswords, hobbies. I use a password manager on my phone. I Keep an address book with the same info, use my phone's calendar for appointments and reminders etc. There are times when I don't drive because my brain gets overwhelmed. My brain will interpret traffic lights wrong. Many times I've gone shopping and driven around until I figure out why I'm driving. Large crowds and lots of noise is overwhelming. I "lose" words. I can see the word in my head, hear it even, and yet I can't verbalize it. My hubby has become very adept at filling in the missing words for me. The worst is when your head feels like a swamp of thick mud. Everything feels like struggling through mud...thoughts, speech, physical movement, alertness...even if in reality you appear normal.
So I try and keep my brain active. The old saying of "use it or lose it" is true. Some days focusing on one thing for more than a few minutes is difficult, so I just flit from one thing to another. Some days you just need to rest. Go lie down, even if you don't sleep. Try not to think about anything complicated or that stirs you up. A good time to focus on meditating.

[@PlayingDownUnder]

😂

[@fight4me747]

@@PlayingDownUnder Whats funny about this? Are you so bored that you troll TH-cam Channels?

[@PlayingDownUnder]

@@fight4me747 Yes I'm extremely bored....
C'mon man this comment is shit! Doing puzzles when you have brain fog! It's fucking retarded!

[@deborahchapman222]

ME/CFS since 1995, I have brain fog and depression among the many other symptoms of ME/CFS. I have recently been put on low dose Ritalin by a psychiatrist. It is fantastic! I can now think more clearly. I don’t have side effects. My depression also lifted!
I like it also because I don’t taper it off and it works immediately. I take twice a day as needed. If I have to pay bills or go to a social event, I definitely take it. I initially had to retire because of ME disability but if I was working, I would definitely take it.
Low dose Ritalin is the first medication I have tried that really has helped with these particular symptoms of ME/CFS. I am pleased that I am not experiencing any noticeable side effects.
FYI, I take 5mg twice a day. This is an extremely low dose. Some days I take one tablet and other days I take none at all. It’s a short acting meditation so it doesn’t need to be
tapered.
Deborah Chapman,
BS BSN MSN

[@kbear2478]

🥀Lost for words other than,Spot on for me too,exactly same.Thank you so very much🥀

[@santipolo1963]

I think the short version matches better with how I get. When I'm trying to make videos for my own channel the prep is huge because I know I'll forget everything I was going to say. I've managed single takes so far but only be leaving imperfections in.
I'm currently in Philippines, I'm married to a Filipino guy. They don't accept ME at all. They ask why I'm using a cane today for I want yesterday, why did I not remember this or that we spoke about? Look, I might remember it I wrote it down. Yesterday I may have been able, but because of yesterday, today I'm not.
Do you just forget to walk? I'm walking along really slowly as it always is now and I stop for a rest. Then I'm still there wondering why I stopped?
How about driving? I have to choose when it's safe to drive or not. Legally I can drive but I have to make that choice. Sometimes I start a journey and it all changes, I got to stop and nap to keep going. On bad days every 5 minutes!
Trying to type this on a phone makes me feel like I don't get tech at all. I am usually a whizz but right now, nothing seems to what I'm thinking it should be.

[@AlbaLynxQueen]

I don't have forgetfulness, instead I have no concentration at all. I can't read or watch anything, especially if it's something new. I have this feeling that I don't remember last morning or yesterday, but if I talk about it, I remember everything automatically. It's like I am drunk a little all the time, disconnected, sometimes it feels like derealization and everything seems darker in color etc. I can't learn or remember new complex information. It's like my cognitive abilities have been reduced by 80%.

[@tawnisboxtalk]

I also have ADHD. So being stuck in my brain and a body that can't release my energy feels like I'm stuck in my own purgatory.

[@carissafisher7514]

Yes!! I keep telling them I have dementia! They tested me and some parts of the memory tests, I failed, other parts I aced. They said, “We don’t see this.” I said, “You see it right now with me!” My brain has some old age spots and I am only 47. ❤ I also forget words.

[@Lynn.Panadero4242]

It can be very aggravating when professionals can’t see what is going on. Most every time I’m evaluated for something, the results come out normal. That’s the Bain of having an invisible illness.
This video and everyone’s comments are helping me articulate better what is happening. Unfortunately, my brain fog doesn’t help me express myself clearly. There aren’t any metrics for brain fog that I have come across yet.
Gentle hugs ❤

[@nickdriver8337]

Hey Johnny, I just wanted to leave you a comment to let you know I really appreciate your channel. I am fairly new to ME and largely bedridden, and your videos have been a real comfort. Watching them feels like hanging out with an awesome, kind and intelligent friend. Thank you very much for your videos, wishing you and everyone here some better, less symptom-y days ahead!

[@fight4me747]

Hey Nick! Sorry that you are bedridden a lot. I know how that goes. Its tough. I hope better days are ahead.

[@IncognitoGypsy]

Thank you for continuing to educate others. This is very close to how I would describe my forgetfulness at times.

[@zimpon]

After 5 years now, and it's getting worse, I've started getting rid of stuff, I don't have much anyway, but it's still too much for my brain to cope with, my intention is to literally have the bare minimum, to try and give my brain some space to cope, I also intend to sell my two bedroom apartment for something even smaller, ideally a one bedroom with a big garden, I can't go anywhere these days and thought that might be a good solution, just to have access to outdoor green space without having to drive anywhere and close to my bed.
Getting rid of things I think is helping, I can find things better, easier to make choices, I'm less overwhelmed.
ME has been a pairing back of everything, physically, emotionally, cos apart from the physical aspects, my brain just can't cope with simple stuff and any kind of stress or worry is debilitating, it's crazy, I'm not even a quarter of the person I was before, but I'm trying to prepare for who I am now and who I'll probably be in the next few years.

[@RaidenB]

2:30 I did not know this was a symptom - I literally just thought this was a "me" thing unrelated to my CFS (I have a very light case of ADD, thought it was that)

[@Truerealism747]

Add is linked CFS check out Dr lenz I have add autism CFS fybromyalgia

[@MrsHjort]

The way I used to describe brain fog/fatigue:
What's the longest flight you've taken? The longest trip? Imagine flying from Paris to Tokyo. You don't get any sleep on the planes, and you have to wait at airports for hours and hours for connecting flights, struggle with your luggage, stand in line, sit in uncomfortable airport chairs that you can't lie down in, eat shitty air port food, be in crowds of people and noisy areas, and run around in tax free stores just to have something to do. Imagine being awake like that for 24 hours, on planes and airports, and then finally arriving to your destination for the first time and not knowing where to go, because it's your first time there. Imagine how tired you are, how confused you get by simple things and how disoriented you get from sleep deprivation. You just want to rest in a quiet place. That's what ME feels like. I used to fly from France to Japan every night. I used to wake up every morning and feel like I just arrived in Tokyo. That's what having ME feels like, also joint pain and feeling like you had the flu... Thankfully I'm better now since I got access to medication. I still have ME but I am in a much better place. I'm thankful for every day.

[@zimpon]

What medications?? I'm curious

[@MrsHjort]

@@zimpon Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN). I've been on it for 1 1/2 years. It was no instant wonder - it took 8 months to get where I am now - but I feel so much better on it.

[@MrsHjort]

@@zimpon Also, some supplements that make a huge difference for me, maca in particular, but I also take curcumin and vitamins D and E.

[@Shetooktothewoods]

Yes! That buzzy slow motion feeling! It brings to mind movie scenes where the character is standing in a busy train station or airport and everyone else is in fast motion and the focal person is slowly turning around trying to get their bearings.

[@MrsHjort]

@@Shetooktothewoods Right! Well put! That's exactly it! You just stand there and struggle to continue with your day. Can hardly concentrate on reading at all and forget the things you manage to take in as soon as something else grabs your attention. I once looked all over my house for my phone. All that time I was holding it in my hand! Omg, the fog is real.

[@RachelsCCIpath]

Good example of brain fog. Being woken out of deep sleep when exhausted prior. I relate a lot to that and all examples.

[@rykerthetiny7881]

I wish people could understand just how bad brain fog can be. I washed my hair twice in the shower the other day. I had lathered it up and then did it a second time thinking I hadn’t done it yet.

[@deborahholden2825]

I agree it’s a scary side of ME/CFS it scares me that I might have some sort of dementia 😢

[@dancingpianofairy]

My brain fog has been especially bad this evening. I watched a movie with my wife and I basically have no clue what happened, lol. I'm a former gifted kid® and had a full neurocognitive exam last month. Based on records from my childhood, the doc estimates that my cognition has fallen by 2 or 3 standard deviations. It feels like taking mind altering drugs. Word recall is a big issue for me, but I rarely, if ever, experience spatial trouble. It feels like looking at something behind some glass: I can see the clear brain, the potential, what I used to have, but I can't access it.

[@shepherd4406]

I have my phone number and address and PIN number in the contacts on my phone.

[@tawnisboxtalk]

I can only remember a handful of days from all of last year. Honestly horrifying.

[@andeebee2530]

Yes brain fog is awful. I am intelligent and used to have an amazing memory, now I can’t even remember the simplest of things. I have trouble finding the words I want to use, and do what I would’ve considered dumb stuff like making silly mistakes.
The thing that has helped me get a little of normality back is LDN. I’ve also learned ways to compensate and use lots of notes and reminders. It’s still tough though.

[@kyriestrange]

You know like when you go to the supermarket and you you have a whole list because you know if you don't you won't remember all the things you needed...because all the lights and music and colours are just too much.... then you go to the checkout and stare blankly because you don't know what you are supposed to do next! You need to pay but you are just blank staring at the machine! Don't even know how to human! The simple thing... forget what to do! So embarrassing!

[@Lynn.Panadero4242]

I took down some notes and recorded 20 different ways to describe brain fog from the video and another 28 from the comments. One of the challenges of helping our medical professionals understand brain fog is being articulate enough to describe it; explaining is not our forte.
One way I communicate best is by writing things down as I have the thoughts. Later I can combine everything and make it sound coherent. I will use these comments to help me write a description of how brain fog affects me. There isn’t much said that won’t apply.
Additionally, I have a sense of familiarity that will turn off and on. Some days I’m fine, other days I don’t recognize anybody in town. I just tell people that I can meet new people everyday.
However, other days I can be visiting places I’ve never been and everyone seems familiar. It’s like I know everyone in the store and just can’t put a name to the face. It’s just weird. There has to be a part of the brain that activates when we see people that we know.

[@flumpyflumpy3515]

Oh my the brain fog is immense and so annoying! I’ve had to stop uni cos I can’t concentrate long enough

[@BhaktiRosin108]

Who did you see / how do I find someone who can take me seriously & help me figure out if this isn't just depression & anxiety?

[@fight4me747]

ME/CFS has some exclusive symptoms like PEM. Check these symptoms out th-cam.com/video/iiFCRWcDfGA/w-d-xo.html

[@akcharly]

😊😊😊

[@nixipaeninjah1654]

how to get cure??

[@nixipaeninjah1654]

how to get heal of it??

[@PlayingDownUnder]

The irony of this title...

[@Anchor7]

What's ironic about it?

[@fight4me747]

Care to elaborate?

[@PlayingDownUnder]

Ok first of all I'm a weirdo. Secondly, I have bipolar. Thirdly, I thought it was funny saying brain fog explained.

[@Lynn.Panadero4242]

When you put it that way, I see the irony. It is humorous, but kinda sad. We could explain it perfectly if we didn’t have the brain fog.

[@PlayingDownUnder]

@@Lynn.Panadero4242 Spot on. 👍