How I Deal With RA Brain Fog
Brain fog. It’s a common symptom for many who have chronic illness and chronic pain. But exactly what is it and how the heck do you deal with in mind that all of a sudden doesn’t function the way it used to? In my new column for HealthCentral, I share my own experience with brain fog and some pro tips and workarounds so you can get back to your life:
“My mind is full of fog as thick as pea soup, my thoughts unintelligible slippery shapes only barely visible. Finding the right word takes effort and a concentration I don’t have as I fumble in the mist for something with the right texture and sound. Where once I had a memory like a steel trap, capable of remembering conversations verbatim, now it’s more like a sieve, filtering out the topic of a chat, sometimes even the fact that the conversation occurred.
I have brain fog, and it’s one of my least-favorite symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I’m not alone. According to the Arthritis Foundation, brain fog is a fairly common symptom of RA affecting between 30% and 70% of people living with the condition. It is also part of many other types of chronic illness, including fibromyalgia, migraine, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain conditions. Even perfectly healthy people can experience moments of brain fog, usually related to sleep problems, burnout, or hormones changes during pregnancy and menopause. This might make it sound almost normal and merely inconvenient, but it can be debilitating and life-changing, demonstrated by the medical word for the problem: cognitive impairment. It’s characterized by memory problems and issues with mental clarity, focus, and sharpness, all of which make it harder to retain/earn new info, solve problems, and sometimes even just follow a conversation with a friend.
I’ve had autoimmune arthritis since childhood, but my brain fog didn’t reach Olympic-sport level until I developed fibromyalgia about 15 years ago. It was one of most terrifying symptoms I have experienced in five decades with chronic illness—I thought I was losing my mind. Having watched my father deteriorate under the onslaught of vascular dementia, it was much too close to home.”
Read my column on brainfog and coping tips on HealthCentral.
Tag: brainfog, chronic illness, chronic pain, memory problems, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid disease
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I never have brain fog. I know this because Sheryl says I do not. What she says goes, because, well because she is Sheyrl of course 🙂 She says lots of things I can recall a few of them, but because of my not brain fog, I do not recall what they are.
Oh wait, she said I cannot have a log, not brain fog, oh well, I seem a little off. Maybe it is brain frog, i mean fog.
Never mind !!
Hey what was I typing about ?