Fibro fog

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Justamom

Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
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26
Reason
Undiagnosed
Diagnosis
01/2008
Country
US
State
Nv
Hi everyone. Hope your day is going well. I was wondering what level of fibro fog you go through? I am lately seeing that I have to write a lot down and set many reminders to make it through my day.
What are your experiences?
 
For me fibro fog means making notes to remind me of the extra errands and chores I have too do. I also write dates on the calendars around my home to avoid missing doctor visits. Otherwise unless I am extremely tired I have limited fibro fog. But get me having to do to much for other people then my brain is mush. lol :)
 
Honestly, I'm not really sure. If you were to ask me I'd probably say that the Fibro Fog is something I don't get. However, there are days when I simply cannot concentrate. I don't ever attribute it to Fibro, at the time, but thinking about it afterwards I am sure it's Fibro related. I have a great ability to procrastinate, as well; I mean right down to the last minute I put things off, sometimes to the extent I run out of time.
 
I can never remember where i put the darn notes. Lol
 
hi
I think that "fibro fog" is a result of the discomfit we experience, not a symptom of the disease.
Fortunately I don't experience it too often as I am a single senior and am basically totally self reliant ( no family & my neighbors never follow thru on their offers to let me know when they're grocery shopping! )
don't own a vehicle, do rent during spring & summer to get to the high country to catch my trout dinners!
Honestly I think my mind is in better condition than my body!
Pain is a horrible distraction
 
I get fibro fog some days. For me the most noticeable thing is that I can't think of the most basic words, and then while I'm struggling to remember the word, I totally forget what the question was or what I was saying. My conversations go something like:

"Paper or plastic?"
"Neither. I brought my own . . . my own . . . um . . . um . . . I'm sorry, what did you say?"
 
id have to say that for me ..... wait what was i going to say?
 
Yes. Fibro fog is constant for me. I also have a neurological disability that affects the frontal lobe and left parietal lobe. That also causes problems with concentration, forgetfulness, and some confusion. When I spoke to my neurologist this past month she explained to me that fibro fog is real. The "fog" from both of my conditions add to each other. Twice as bad as only one alone. Here is what I try. If my husband asks me to do something, ex, call a business, he has to write it on the white board on the fridge. If it is not there, I am not responsible for doing it. I have "to do" lists everywhere. As far as forgetting words, I talk around it and either the listener will figure it out or it will come to me. Example, I need to go and look at the rectangle thing in the office. I also am constantly misspelling words...I have spent a lot of time correcting spelling in this email.
 
Hello,
I was just starting of level of Fibro fog and i am bit more curing from this...
 
I have an awful memory. I don't know if that is considered fibro fog or if I really have that bad of a memory. I've always had it. I remember telling my mom that I was concerned with my memory when I was a senior in high school. It was awful! Mom just told me it was because I was too busy with school. That was her reasoning throughout college as well. I'm not in college any more and it's still there lol! So I guess I do have fibro fog. Mine is mild to moderate I think..
 
For me it seems like it comes and goes in intensity. One day I'm fine, the next day I can't do simple math. I've been in the habit of leaving myself notes for years, and I set alarms on my phone to remind me of things I need to remember to do. The worst is going all the way to the other side of the house for something only to forget what I went there for - but I think that's how I get a lot of my exercise during the day - constantly going up and down the stairs!
 
I have a few different issues, not sure if any of it is "Fibro Fog", but very annoying, and at times scary.

I have horrible short term memory. If I'm in the shower and realize I need to write shampoo on the list the chances of it ending up on the list are slim to none. I even try to make up songs to sing to remember things and end up forgetting the song as soon as I get distracted for .0005 seconds. And lists are a must. I live my entire life off of a list. My husband hates my list, but I really need them. I'm also amazing at walking across the house to completely forget why. Sometimes I never remember. Also, alarms on my phone for everything imaginable, even things that should be pretty obvious.

Lately I've been very out of it, no concentration at all, no attention span to speak of, and I've noticed stupid things like super basic spelling errors, and not being able to do simple basic math. I won the spelling bees in school and had perfect scores in math. I also forget words in a sentence, and not even the big ones. I get stuck on a word and it just will not come to me. I feel like an idiot talking sometimes. I think I'm getting stupider every day. LOL

The last one, the one I don't normally talk about, I've had since I was a teenager. I have a HORRIBLE long term memory. When I was 18 I was told by a psychologist that I was 'blocking it out' because it wasn't 'happy', but then why is all the happy stuff going away too? LOL It's so bad that I don't talk about anything in my past because my memory is so bad I'm not sure I'm even telling the truth any more. I'm not sure what's real, what's something someone else told me, what's a dream, and what I'm completely making up to fill in the gaps. I feel like a liar every time I open my mouth. I hate it when people want to talk about the past. I can remember things clearly for about 6 months then it's all foggy.

An example of why this is so crazy. I'm afraid of water. I remember that once I had a story about how I almost drown as a kid, but now I don't remember the story. So, was there ever a story? Why am I still afraid of water? Am I crazy?! LOL

Thanks for letting me vent. These are very sensitive subjects for me that I don't talk about ever, so it's nice to just get it out there. :)
 
@l3itch
You aren't crazy! I've often felt the same myself - the feeling I'm lying when trying to tell a story of something that happened in my past. I came across some studies about this, and it gave me some reassurance. Try googling "how memories change when retold".

Here's a quote from one article I came across:
“A memory is not simply an image produced by time traveling back to the original event — it can be an image that is somewhat distorted because of the prior times you remembered it,” explained lead author Donna Bridge, a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in a prepared statement. “Your memory of an event can grow less precise even to the point of being totally false with each retrieval.”
 
I have to take notes, too. If I say I have to do "this" on Saturday, on Sunday, well, shoot, I forgot. I forget to call people back or call at all. You can ask me to pick something up from the store and I will forget by the time I get there unless I write it down on a list 90% of the time. Sometimes I can totally forget what happened 5 minutes ago. I've even searched the house apart for papers I knew I had, but I actually got the info in a voicemail. Just not me, but I deal with it the best I can. Usually it just makes me scared because I know normally that shouldn't be happening. I think it's scary. I don't like it. But I do it all day, every day.
 
I have a few different issues, not sure if any of it is "Fibro Fog", but very annoying, and at times scary.

I have horrible short term memory. If I'm in the shower and realize I need to write shampoo on the list the chances of it ending up on the list are slim to none. I even try to make up songs to sing to remember things and end up forgetting the song as soon as I get distracted for .0005 seconds. And lists are a must. I live my entire life off of a list. My husband hates my list, but I really need them. I'm also amazing at walking across the house to completely forget why. Sometimes I never remember. Also, alarms on my phone for everything imaginable, even things that should be pretty obvious.

Lately I've been very out of it, no concentration at all, no attention span to speak of, and I've noticed stupid things like super basic spelling errors, and not being able to do simple basic math. I won the spelling bees in school and had perfect scores in math. I also forget words in a sentence, and not even the big ones. I get stuck on a word and it just will not come to me. I feel like an idiot talking sometimes. I think I'm getting stupider every day. LOL

The last one, the one I don't normally talk about, I've had since I was a teenager. I have a HORRIBLE long term memory. When I was 18 I was told by a psychologist that I was 'blocking it out' because it wasn't 'happy', but then why is all the happy stuff going away too? LOL It's so bad that I don't talk about anything in my past because my memory is so bad I'm not sure I'm even telling the truth any more. I'm not sure what's real, what's something someone else told me, what's a dream, and what I'm completely making up to fill in the gaps. I feel like a liar every time I open my mouth. I hate it when people want to talk about the past. I can remember things clearly for about 6 months then it's all foggy.

An example of why this is so crazy. I'm afraid of water. I remember that once I had a story about how I almost drown as a kid, but now I don't remember the story. So, was there ever a story? Why am I still afraid of water? Am I crazy?! LOL

Thanks for letting me vent. These are very sensitive subjects for me that I don't talk about ever, so it's nice to just get it out there. :)

I understand your pain. I had to quit my job as a legal editor for the Supreme Court of my State for many of the reason that you mention. At first I was diagnosed with MS, but a wonderful specialist at KU Med found that I have some atrophy of the frontal lobe where control of executive function resides. This was diagnosed by MRI, and a battery of exams asking me questions and recording my answers. I mention this because you could find some relief by seeing a neurologist.
Today I am making good sense and I am not misspelling words as usual. Tomorrow that may change and I will say the wrong thing without know it, loose words, spell incorrectly, go to an appointment at a wrong time.
I suggest that you are under great stress trying to hide your problems from everyone and this can make your symptoms worse. I personally found talking to a therapist helped because I knew what I said would be confidential. My husband had problems understanding until I shared a diagnosis with him. I also tell him when I am having a bad day so he knows I really can't handle my usual day.
Maybe I wrote this for me. I am 66 and am still finding ways to cope. Love, Ginger
 
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