Crippling! Brain Fog

[iLoveSugar]

The beat goes on for me. Life is so hard. I hate even being awake. I can't go into stores. I cant go to schools and sit in stands. I can't even sit in the car at a red light. My nerves are so terribly bad, that I just cant. My brain fog is horrid. Memory going wack. I just constantly feel like I am going to faint or pass out. This is so abnormal and no answers are in sight!! Ugh. Sorry for the rant.

 

[tara]

Sorry you are still struggling.

Are you still drinking lots of milk?
I can't remember all the things you've tried - i know it's a lot.

For me, brain fog is one of the most debilitating effects of milk (in all it's forms). If I've got lost in that fog, 2-3 days without any and I usually surface again.
For me, I think leafy greens are one of the things that help.

 

[PhilParma]

Are you able to work?

I have brain fog, but I'm able to control it by keeping saturated fat under 15g per day. But eating this way makes me underweight. It's tough.

 

[tara]

More possible threads to pull, brainstorm-wise:

Have you been to anyone local with a good reputation for identifying individual food (or environmental) allergies and intolerances?
When I described my brain fog symptoms years ago to a naturopath, she immediately thought it indicated allergy, and proceeded to try to identify what to.

You're not living somewhere with black mould or low level leaking carbon monoxide or something? Sometimes cars can have exhaust leaks that contaminate the air in the car? I know of individuals who've been affected by these.

Eating off crockery that's leaching lead from the glaze? (I know of one of these second hand.)

 

[iLoveSugar]

Are you able to work?

I have brain fog, but I'm able to control it by keeping saturated fat under 15g per day. But eating this way makes me underweight. It's tough.

No way. I can't even go in public for 2 min, let alone work a job. I try and design some websites from home for what little income I do have, but even that's all but impossible anymore.

 

[iLoveSugar]

Sorry you are still struggling.

Are you still drinking lots of milk?
I can't remember all the things you've tried - i know it's a lot.

For me, brain fog is one of the most debilitating effects of milk (in all it's forms). If I've got lost in that fog, 2-3 days without any and I usually surface again.
For me, I think leafy greens are one of the things that help.

Not lots. Hardly any really. Maybe a glass or 2 a day. And only because of how much my diet lacks, mostly due to suppressed appetite.

 

[iLoveSugar]

More possible threads to pull, brainstorm-wise:

Have you been to anyone local with a good reputation for identifying individual food (or environmental) allergies and intolerances?
When I described my brain fog symptoms years ago to a naturopath, she immediately thought it indicated allergy, and proceeded to try to identify what to.

You're not living somewhere with black mould or low level leaking carbon monoxide or something? Sometimes cars can have exhaust leaks that contaminate the air in the car? I know of individuals who've been affected by these.

Eating off crockery that's leaching lead from the glaze? (I know of one of these second hand.)

I dont think its mold. Simply because I've lived in about 5 different home since this all began. From the east coast of the U.S., out to Colorado.

 

[tara]

Not lots. Hardly any really. Maybe a glass or 2 a day. And only because of how much my diet lacks, mostly due to suppressed appetite.

This may not be your issue, but for me, one glass of milk a day can be enough to keep me getting sicker and foggier, when I'm on a downward path.

 

[Dhair]

I dont think its mold. Simply because I've lived in about 5 different home since this all began. From the east coast of the U.S., out to Colorado.

Do all of your labs still look okay? Androgens and thyroid? I forgot if you tried antibiotics. If so, which ones and did they help?

 

[michael94]

do you have any sort of stabbing pain/discomfort in or behind your eyeballs

 

[MrThyroid]

try to take liposomal glutathion,lecitithin , aspirin or ginseng( high in salicylacid) ... the only things which helped me with brainfog everything else is hocus pocus

 

[sladerunner69]

No way. I can't even go in public for 2 min, let alone work a job. I try and design some websites from home for what little income I do have, but even that's all but impossible anymore.

Any idea how this may have started for you?

 

[Tenacity]

do you have any sort of stabbing pain/discomfort in or behind your eyeballs

I've had this symptom, along with the OPs symptoms. What does it mean?

@iLoveSugar - I experience all these symptoms, although to a much lesser degree, due to my postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. How are your vital signs? No unusual heart activity?

 

[chrismturner89]

I had solid brain fog for 2+ years, it felt like insanity. The only thing that resolved it was sorting my diet out. I'd say 95% of times, brain fog is related to endotoxin in the gut, gastritis/gut inflammation or some kind of hormonal or electrolyte imbalance. I'd get rid of the milk. In my experience grass-fed butter is very cooling on any stomach inflammation I get. Take out the usual suspects - conventional dairy (apart from good butter), grains, legumes, eggs etc. and also nightshades. Nightshades cause me awful gastritis as does smoking cigarettes. But do not lower your carb/sugar intake - keep this on the higher end, even if you have to drink coke. I don't know your background, but experiment with your diet if you aren't already. Take it down to a very limited basic selection of foods that cover most of your nutritional needs. Give it a week. If the brain fog persists, look to the remaining foods and re-evaluate.

 

[Atman]

The beat goes on for me. Life is so hard. I hate even being awake. I can't go into stores. I cant go to schools and sit in stands. I can't even sit in the car at a red light. My nerves are so terribly bad, that I just cant. My brain fog is horrid. Memory going wack. I just constantly feel like I am going to faint or pass out. This is so abnormal and no answers are in sight!! Ugh. Sorry for the rant.

If you are not working or going outside that much, what are you doing all day?
How much time are you spending on the internet (pc and phone) and what exactly are you doing while on it?
I might consider psychosomatics.

For the diet angle:
You can clean your bowels with laxatives and fast for a few days afterwards. If your symptoms were originating from food intolerances, SIBO or something related you should experience a significant relieve which should continue even for some days after stopping the fast.

 

[EIRE24]

If you are not working or going outside that much, what are you doing all day?
How much time are you spending on the internet (pc and phone) and what exactly are you doing while on it?
I might consider psychosomatics.

For the diet angle:
You can clean your bowels with laxatives and fast for a few days afterwards. If your symptoms were originating from food intolerances, SIBO or something related you should experience a significant relieve which should continue even for some days after stopping the fast.

What laxatives would you suggest apart from cascara? I find cascara can induce cramps etc. I agree, a laxative may help the OP or even an antibiotic?

 

[Atman]

What laxatives would you suggest apart from cascara? I find cascara can induce cramps etc. I agree, a laxative may help the OP or even an antibiotic?

I'm not talking about laxatives to help with daily bowel movements, I am talking about laxatives just to clean the guts completely before doing a short fast for experimenting.
For that purpose it's not that important what specific laxative you use. It just has to get the job done. 20-30g of sodium sulfate for example.

 

[tara]

... the only things which helped me with brainfog everything else is hocus pocus ...

... everything else you tried was apparently not exactly what you personally happened to need at that time ...

 

[EIRE24]

I'm not talking about laxatives to help with daily bowel movements, I am talking about laxatives just to clean the guts completely before doing a short fast for experimenting.
For that purpose it's not that important what specific laxative you use. It just has to get the job done. 20-30g of sodium sulfate for example.

I have used mag citrate before. Never heard of sodium sulfate.

 

[Lilac]

From "Thyroid, insomnia, and the insanities: Commonalities in disease," by Ray Peat:

For the present, it’s best to think first in the most general terms possible, such as a “brain stress syndrome,” which will include brain aging, stroke, altitude sickness, seizures, malnutrition, poisoning, the despair brought on by inescapable stress, and insomnia, which are relatively free of culturally arbitrary definitions. Difficulty in learning, remembering, and analyzing are objective enough that it could be useful to see what they have to do with a “brain stress syndrome.”
...
Therapies that have been successful in treating “schizophrenia” include penicillin, sleep therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, carbon dioxide therapy, thyroid, acetazolamide, lithium and vitamins. These all make fundamental contributions to the restoration of biological energy. Antibiotics, for example, lower endotoxin formation in the intestine, protect against the induction by endotoxin of serotonin, histamine, estrogen, and cortisol. Acetazolamide causes the tissues to retain carbon dioxide, and increased carbon dioxide acidifies cells, preventing serotonin secretion.​

When my mother was suffering from migraine/hallucinations/insomnia--a whole ball of wax of low brain energy--Ray suggested large doses of progesterone. It was the best advice we got.