posted
Well, I have Lyme. Only took me 3 months after I first became ill to get a diagnosis (positive WB from Igenix).
Anyway, my main symptom is Brain Fog (that's the short description) basically all the time. I was curious to see if it's the same feeling other Lyme sufferers are experiencing. This is the best description I can come up with:
Mostly, I feel like I am slightly out of phase with the world and the world seems slightly foreign. Sometimes my head feels big...if that makes any sense at all. All this is often accompanied by a strange dizzy feeling unlike any I have experienced before I became infected. Other times my brain feels like it is being short circuited or like it is being fried...again, if that makes any sense. My higher brain functions seem to be intact...memory, comprehension, analytical skills, etc...
Anyone else ever feel like that? Did it get better with treatment? I start IV Rocephin tomorrow.
Thanks to everyone out there for your help. Posts: 17 | From Ventura, CA | Registered: May 2006
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I'm sorry you have Lyme. Yes, you described Brain Fog very well.
It does get better with treatment, I wish you lots of luck with the IV Rocephin.
I am mostly recovered using Dr. J's protocol (alternative medicine) and what helped me most with my brain fog was removing the Ammonia with a product he makes. I don't know if I am allowed to name the product.
To my knowledge and experience, anyone that has lyme bacteria also has lots of ammonia in their brain and liver. Detox baths are very helpful too.
Have you heard of Milk Thistle? It helps keeping the liver enzymes down when taking conventional antibiotics.
Hope you feel better, Denise
Posts: 15 | From New York, USA | Registered: May 2006
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AZURE WISH
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 804
posted
Last month I was have days where my head was all swishy feeling.... I kept callin git swishy brain.
I swear my IQ fell 30-50 points. Thats alot. It was really awful those days.
Normally for me... * always misspell alot of words * occasionally change the order of nouns in sentenses * always misplace everything * often forget what I am doing probaly a few other small things too
Having said that if my head isnt swishy my comprehension isnt effected...
I could research something and probaly write a paper on it ...but dont ask me where I left the keys or my slippers. Yet I can remember what I paid for something last week.
I find it fasicnating how lyme has scrambled some areas of my brain and left others fundtioning well. fasicnating and annoying.
Andie333
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7370
posted
First, welcome to Lymenet. If you need to be here, it's really good news that you figured out what was wrong so quickly and you're going to start treatment!
For me, brain fog at its worst has been a horrible symptom.
My short-term memory is severely compromised. It's hard for me to hold a conversation, because I can't seem to remember what we're all talking about.
Forget trying to sing along with music any more; the lyrics just don't stay with me.
I must have a black hole in my house, because so many things have disappeared since being diagnosed. I know I had them, but they're simply gone.
Again at my worst, my reasoning capacities were also shot. Trying to read through something scientific completely overwhelmed and confused me.
My writing was one of the first things to be diminished. I would leave words out of sentences or confuse words, often substituting something nonsensical. And forget about spelling...
Since I'm a writer by profession, you can imagine how maddening this has been.
I was undiagnosed for at least nine years before starting treatment, so the little spirokete buggers had awhile to burrow into my brain.
Actually, some of this has improved in the 11 months I've been on antibiotics. But I'm still far from being up to par.
The other day, though, I was listening to a new song in my car. I was actually able to remember the lyrics by about the 3rd time I heard it. I think that's a new Lymey record for me!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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Nal
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6801
posted
I have always described my brain fog as a feeling of being "buzzed" without the thrill of drinking in the first place!
I get spacey, disoriented. Talk about short term memory loss!! I also have severe problems multi-tasking when it flares up bad.
I often get the sensation of looking through "clouds". Every thing just looks a little out of place to me.
Its a horrible feeling. Fortunately I do not have it all the time, but enough times to where I find it very frustrating.
Nancy
-------------------- Life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you respond to it!
-Chuck Swindoll Posts: 1594 | From Colorado | Registered: Jan 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Welcome to both G-mon and Denise!
Brain fog, I've been misdx for 35 yrs. before the correct chronic lyme 7-04 almost 2 yrs. ago.
These buggers have bothered me: short term memory; forgetting names of folks; misspellings & leaving part of a word from a sentence & I typed for a living for almost 31 years!
I start out knowing where I'm headed to in the house, and darn if I can remember what I was going for. Last year I pointed a lot to hubby since I couldn't remember the words.
I was trying to read stock proxy materials last night & NONE of them made any sense to me this time. Normally I can make out enough to know which way I CHOSE to vote vs. mgmt!
I'll copy/paste some newbie links for you to get started on reading. Glad you joined us; you will learn a lot.
Welcome to this 24/7 LYME support group board!
Here's TREEPATROL's and Tincup's combination newbie links.
Print off the links then check them off as you read as you could spend several months reading all of this.
print & read Dr. Burrascono's 2005 info first; you will come back to this often.
Extensive info in Treepatrol''s newbie links about the meaning of WESTERN BLOT IGM/IGG test results from Igenex! Be sure to read or print this info IF Igenex tested you ok!
Also, see Cheryl''s extensive web sites on: LD DIAGNOSIS, SYMPTOMS, & TREATMENT ... wonderful! Read the area on CO-INFECTIONS! You could have from 1-12 other illnesses that tick is carrying...lyme, malaria, etc.
If you are showing symptoms of co-infections, I would like to suggest being tested for co-infections when you have LYME western blots done. It isn''t cheap!! But if you are positive, you can treat the co-infections first, and then work on LYME symptoms.
EYE SENSITIVIES & NOIR, no infrared sunglasses info., 2-28-06 updated YES, I have what you have! Are you on doxy too? That made my extreme eyes
200% MORE sensitive than they we were earlier. I learned a lot about eye sensitivity/lighting on www.marshallprotocol.com board.
Look for AUSSIE BARB'S EAST FINDER and then eyes/sunglasses, etc. Wealth of info there.
I ordered the NOIR sunglasses. 2-26-06 corrected wrong email to:
mention you have lyme and marshall protocol, they will give you 20% off! I'm NOT on MProtocol, but mention it anyway. I was on their new board almost 12 months!
Also they have been kind enough to replace the SCRATCHED LENSES & BROKEN BOWS! How's that for service?
I don't drive often at night, but I can wear NOIR's 901 lenses at night while driving; it creates soft candle lights coming at me...tolerable. NOT to wear in town with all the action of people crossing where they shouldn't be, etc.
from LOU to Betty on LONG web links and Thank You Lou!: "If you hit the return key in the middle of a link, I don't think it will be clickable anymore. An alternative that maybe Betty should be telling people about is the tiny url website. I have it on my tool bar at the top of the page and use it for those incredablylongwebsiteaddresses.
All you have to do is ask tiny url to produce a short version, which it will do with a unique address, which you then use instead in your post. Works just the same when clicked! Here is the website, spread the word!
3-1-06, fyi, I tried dragging tinyurl to my toolbar without success, so that''s why I currently have LONG addresses vs. short tiny ones! I''ll keep trying.
Tincup posted March 8, 2005, 2218 Lyme Disease Survey Responses February 27, 2005 - March 9, 2005 1. How many doctors did you have to see before being properly diagnosed? 112 responses Average number of doctors consulted before being diagnosed- 14 Answers ranged from 1- 120 different doctors 2. Have you had problems getting insurance to pay for doctors or treatment? 87 responses Yes- 63 No- 24
3. Have you lost income because of Lyme disease? 106 responses Yes- 99 No- 7 4. How much does it cost you (average) per month for Lyme related expenses? 61 responded Average cost per month per patient- $4,472.49 Low- $500.00 High- $21,492.00
5. How many different medications do you take per day? 77 responded Average - 14 different medications per day Low- 3 High- 25
I was also undiagnosed for about 9 years so the buggers have definitely gotten into my brain.
I like to describe it as feeling as if it's always 2 in the morning.
I have the fatigue along with the brain fog so for me, it truly feels like it's 2am all day, most days.
If I concentrate really hard, which is what I have to do, then I can function.
But I find it difficult to follow conversations because I usually forget what the person has just said or what we were talking about in the first place.
I'm forever asking people to repeat what they have just said. Oh, well.
Posts: 366 | From MA | Registered: Apr 2006
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TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
For me, brain fog isnt getting words mixed up or saying the wrong one, etc.
It flat out feels like I am drunk, except Im not happy about it. I feel like I drank a beer,took some vicodin and am completely out of it;
the comprehension is SHOT during this. I feel big headed, woozy in the head, off balance, and I just flat out have no clue what Im doing.
I still get this but ONLY when Im herxing. Thank GOD. Other times, my brain is clear.
Im herxing now and yep, I feel drunk.
-------------------- You want your life back? Take it. Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Hi everyone and thanks for the warm welcome! This is truely a great resource and you folks are the best. This has been a very difficult and depressing symptom for me...I hate it. Every once in a long while the brain fog will fade and be replaced by pain in my temples, forehead, and face. I realized that I am a happier when this occurs...I prefer the physical pain to the fog!
It is comforting to know that I am not alone in my foggy world. Sounds like others are experiencing pretty similar things. The unhappy "buzzed" or "drunk" feelings fit me as well...I'll add that to my decription list. Thanks.
Greg
Posts: 17 | From Ventura, CA | Registered: May 2006
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All this is often accompanied by a strange dizzy feeling unlike any I have experienced before I became infected. Other times my brain feels like it is being short circuited or like it is being fried...again, if that makes any sense. My higher brain functions seem to be intact...memory, comprehension, analytical skills, etc...![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[hi]](graemlins/hi.gif)
This is truely a great resource and you folks are the best. This has been a very difficult and depressing symptom for me...I hate it. Every once in a long while the brain fog will fade and be replaced by pain in my temples, forehead, and face. I realized that I am a happier when this occurs...I prefer the physical pain to the fog!![[dizzy]](graemlins/dizzy.gif)
fit me as well...I'll add that to my decription list. Thanks. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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