Foggy brain....what is this?

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:22 pm

I know I'm new to this, still on Prednisone and hopefully on the downside of the latest flare, but I have bouts of feeling 'foggy'--can be at any time of the day or all day. I feel unfocused and usually tired when this happens.

In your experience is this due to ingesting a food that I'm sensitive too? or just fatigue? or part of flaring? I feel like it's a symptom that's trying to tell me something.

Any personal experiences you want to share would be appreciated.

thanks.
Carol

Post by **tex** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:47 pm

Hi Carol,

Brain fog is quite common with MC. It's a symptom of gluten-sensitivity. Gluten can cross the blood/brain barrier to cause neurological issues, such as ataxia, cognizance and memory problems, and even peripheral neuropathy. It can cause permanent damage if it goes on long enough, but normally, when we're able to get our other MC GI symptoms under control, the brain fog will slowly disappear.

I have permanent ataxia and peripheral neuropathy, because I had symptoms for years, before it finally dawned on me that food sensitivities were the cause of my problems. My cognizance is not what it used to be, and I'm having a few memory problems, but so far, they're not too serious. I'm sure that ageing has something to do with it, also.

Most neurologists are unaware that gluten can cause these issues, but the leading researchers, such as Dr. Hadjivassiliou have been reporting it for roughly 10 years or more.

http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/72/5/560.full

Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:50 pm

Carol
quite a few of us have had /(maybe still have) foggy brain

in my case the foggy brain improved dramatically once i removed the main irritants from my diet (gluten, yeast, soy, dairy)
I have not taken predisnone since having MC so i cant comment if that is linked or not.

not sure if it is old age or partly the MC (or both) i changed jobs earlier this year and i did notice that my ability to learn and retain new knowledge was harder and slower.
One of the skills that always made me good at my job was retention and recollection of detail, these days i cant rely on it as much and i have changed my work methods and make sure I take notes in meetings.

I have been gluten free for 99.9% of the past 20 months. I recently had some gluten/yeast to test what would happen, there was minimal BM reaction, it was the joint aches and foggy brain that was the main consequence of ingesting gluten.
(that alone was enough of a reminder of why i don't want to eat gluten)

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 9:00 pm

Carol,

I have never been so 'brain-fogged' as during the week of my MC crisis that led me to find this forum... (actually, that Google search was probably the most coherent thing I accomplished back in that stretch of March!). It took me the better part of a week to finish composing my first post to the group, to introduce myself. I would start conversations with my husband and immediately forget my point; I was a total basket case.

It was incredible - and I find, even now, that if I eat something that doesn't work for me, I'm kind of spacey or dim-witted or befuddled... I sometimes think I'm having trouble hearing, when there's a lot of background noise or things going on - and that got much better when I fixed my diet. BUT - it might not be hearing alone, but mental processing, that's affected.

I'm glad to say, it gets better. Be patient with yourself (and if you need to - under-promise in your working life, till you feel your cognitive strength coming back).

Of course, for all of us, it's possible there's another food we are trusting that's not truly a friend... and if that is the case, you will figure it out.

--Sara

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 9:13 pm

Ah. Then I think it's time for me to start a food log. I'm doing fine learning to be gluten free, double checking labels, etc and I know that will take time before the antibodies are gone. But maybe there's more than gluten and dairy that I need to be avoiding. I'm fairly sure it's not the Prednisone because I had it even when I wasn't on Prednisone. My diet is so narrow I may be able to nail down the culprit. I had eaten a baked potato about 45 minutes before I felt foggy today. I think I'll avoid potatoes for a few days and see what happens.

Gabes, I have to tell you that you are not suffering from 'old age'. Although 40 is a milestone birthday, it is still young. And some of us ALWAYS had to take notes at meetings.

My guess is that you are very sharp, even when you think you are foggy.

thanks to you both for confirming my suspicions (that it's probably a reaction to something).
So glad I found this support group.

Carol

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 10:08 pm

Tex, I read the article and it really takes the urgency for testing to a whole new level... from 'it would be nice to know" to "I NEED to know if I'm sensitive to gluten". The consequences are nothing to fool around with. I'm sorry that you are dealing with ataxia and peripheral neuropathy. This is a well written article too. I read educational research and research on Autism as part of my job but usually those are written for those of us who are not in the medical fields. I had no trouble following the methods or conclusions of the author. Thanks for the link.

Sara, as always I appreciate your perspective. I too was much foggier at the onset of MC than I am now but still when it happened today... well, I'm feeling well enough that now I'm just annoyed when it occurs. Kinda like this -:mad:

Thanks again to each of you.
Carol

Gabby · Post by **Gabby** » Sat Sep 10, 2011 10:57 pm

Hi Carol,
Is there an anti-histamine that you can take that doesn't make you drowsy? For me it is Claritin and it helps me with brain fog. It may be worth a try if you are having a really foggy day.

Joefnh · Post by **Joefnh** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 6:28 am

Hi Carol brain fog is one of the first symptoms that I experienced even before the D started. This was most likely the first indicators that I was reacting to gluten and soy. For me the brain fog was frequently accompanied with fatigue.

I was this way on and off for about 8 years until the D really got going which led to a colonoscopy and the diagnosis of MC and crohns. Like you I have had a course of prednisone which also itself cause some short lived brain fog.

While gluten soy and dairy are the main offenders for most of us, you will most like likely find that you have reactions to some other foods as well. Once things have settled down you should start keeping a food diary and by paying attention to what you are eating you should be able to figure out what the offending food item is.

As Gabby mentioned a anti histamine like Claritin (loratidine) can help if you are dealing with a mast cell issue. For some with MC certain foods can start a mast cell cascade reaction which can cause D, brain fog and fatigue.

Carol you are well on your way in dealing with MC and as you remove the offending foods like gluten soy and dairy you should start to feel better.

Joe

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 9:45 am

Hi Carol! Welcome! I wanted to suggest the use of coconut oil to you. I started using coconut oil (there is a thread around here somewhere about it) to help with thyroid issues, and lo and behold, it started clearing up brain fog as well. I was a drug addict in my teen's and 20's, and thought brain damage from the drugs was showing up until that happened. Then getting away from gluten and soy did its part, too. I would estimate that between being gluten-free and the coconut oil, my brain is operating like it was some 20 or 30 years ago.

I took a three-week trip to visit family and friends around the Midwest this summer (including Dodge City, Great Bend, where we lived for many years, and KC), and did not have any coconut products while I was gone. By the end of the trip, I could tell the difference. When I came home I started using the coconut oil again, and my brain perked right back up.

About testing--I did tne stool testing with Enterolab for everything, and came back sensitive to nothing. However, my fecal fat malabsorption levels showed severe damage in my small intestine, and the gene testing showed I had two gluten-sensitivity genes. We thought that maybe my Immunoglobin A levels were wacky, and maybe they were when I tested at Enterolab, but they were fine when my MD tested them.

All this to say--although I would have preferred to have positive proof in my stool testing that I am intolerant of various things, I know because of the difference in the way I feel and the way my body acts what I am sensitive to and what I am not. (Insert plug for doing a Winning the Poo food journal here). Which, of course, you have already seen the value of doing.

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:17 pm

Gabby, Joe and Marliss,
thanks for the benefit of your experience and the words of encouragement. I now have more to investigate and think about. I am taking Claritin and I generally take 2 Benadryl at night (I think it helps me sleep and it definitely helps my seasonal allergies). Glad this is also a move in the right direction since I have to take them anyway.

And Marliss, You were in my 'neck of the woods' this summer. It's a small world indeed. Are you related to the Bombadiers in Hays? My daughter graduated in Bryant's class.

Carol

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:29 am

Carol,
I'm not sure I've experienced the gluten brain fog that many here describe, but I get similar symptoms related to variations in my blood pressure. My BP is low and I have postural hypotension on good days. When the MC is flaring and I can't stay hydrated, I'm whoozy, lightheaded and foggy most of the time. I am liberal with my salt intake (high quality sea salt like Redmond's), I eat bananas, even drink Gatorade on occasion. If you are taking antihistamines, that further dries you out, so hydration is key.

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:49 am

Carol, no doubt we are related to any Bombardiers in Kansas. I will have to ask my sis-in-law, who lived in Hays for a long time before she moved to Dodge. There were three brothers, Leo, Anton, and Charles. Charles was my husband, Randy's grandfather. Isadore (Izzy) fourth brother(?) cousin (?) was mayor of Concordia for many years. Several years ago some Bombardiers moved up here from Kansas and went to my husband's work to meet him because they were descendants of one of the other brothers. Some years ago I had reason to call a woman in Florida, and when she heard my name she asked about Kansas. She was also a descendant of one of the brothers.

carolm · Post by **carolm** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:56 pm

Zizzle -- I have DEFINITELY had all the same things you describe. I am drinking fluids constantly and still feel like I'm on the edge of dehydration---mostly water, diluted Gatorade, diluted decaf tea. My BP used to always be 120/80 and has dropped once I started have LC, causing me lots of lightheadedness. The last 3 times I've had it taken is was100/60, 100/62, and 98/62. It's a mess to try to function, work an active job, even driving has concerned me at times. Like you said, even on good days, I still battle this. I would imagine dropping 11 pounds in 6 weeks has also contributed to my feeling this way. It has been this dizziness and weakness, along with intense nausea that have been even more problematic for me than any other symptoms. I have started taking potassium along with my vitamin too and adding salt to my food. But I've been concerned about malabsorbtion when I feel like this. Thanks for sharing your experiences with me.

Marliss, I makes me laugh to think that of all of the 930+ people registered on this support group, I meet someone who knows about Hays and central Ks, and even lived years in Great Bend.

So glad you mentioned it.

Take care of yourselves. We'll chat again soon I'm sure -- because I seem to have new questions all the time.
Carol

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:17 pm

Carol,

YES, the sudden weakness when you drop 10+ pounds in short order is a problem! I lost a lot of muscle mass. Keeping up both the fluids, the electrolytes, and adequate protein is an ongoing project. You're not the only one to wonder about driving.

I hope you get specific help with nausea - that has been a transient symptom for me, not a primary one (after the first few weeks). It is pretty devastating, though.

For me, homemade turkey and chicken broth trump Gatorade... hope you find your own magic potion soon.

Hang in there,
Sara