MS and Memory - Brain/Cog Fog

"Brain Fades... Brain Fog" is how they're described... fuzzy fade-outs, like walking through a thick fog out of nowhere, like a thought just... fades mid-thought, mid-sentence! I have to quickly apologise and say, "Just give me a second... stoopid MS!"

Forgetting words, mixing up words, tripping over words I know well, and I know they are there - they just won't come out... It's very frustrating.

It feels like my brain is moving in slow motion when it hits me. It's like a big brain fart. It can be mixing up a word while you speak, forgetting simple things. Forgetting your own name, etc.

You feel like an idiot!

No, I am not stupid or retarded. If I sometimes seem to stumble or pause my words mid-sentence, or perhaps say things in the wrong order (I seem to be a master of 'spoonerisms'!), or even stutter... just give me a second to sometimes get the right words out, as sometimes they just don't come.

These 'short-term memory lapses' are supposedly one of the effects of MS.

"Cog" means "Cognitive Issues".

Is MS Fatigue part of it too? Possibly, but I don't know.

Check out this video:

(Source)

I live by handwritten lists these days and still use an old-school diary as well... otherwise, things just seem to slip from my mind.

I know that, as a musician, I have to rely on 'charts' most of the time now, simply because I can forget where I am in the middle of a song, or what the song key/chord pattern is! I never needed to use charts before!

It's the same thing with my creative writing - when a thought/idea/concept pops into my head, I have to write it down straight away, otherwise... poof! It's gone! It's like staring at a blank page/screen! Nothing wants to come, dammit... so frustrating.

I love to study, but with the Brain Fog, it's hard to stay focused and concentrate, let alone for stuff to 'stick' and apply it.

Even the act of writing a blog or a Tweet can be a challenge sometimes!

Presenting live-to-air radio is a no-go for me these days, too, as well... having a fade-out on an open mic, or forgetting what/where you are up to mid-song/program is not a good thing! A list helps, but it makes me feel really 'unprofessional' when it happens. When it happened in the past, I'd make a joke about it and carry on. But it seems to be getting a bit worse now, perhaps?

Catch-22... I don't know if it's because of the meds for my bipolar depression, or because of the MS... or simply that I'm getting older... or all of 'em mixed together!

It's something else I'm continuing to 'process' - usually as it randomly strikes.

"I've reached an age where my train of thought often leaves the station without me." 

 

My head, filled with what seems like bubble wrap.

Pudding is livelier.

If & when I ever get another idea it will be like lighting a match in a fart factory.

Blank as my mind. Staring at a blank page. Blank.  Like the deposit column of my checkbook.

My mind is clicking along like Microsoft Explorer.

Functional as a Ford Pinto.

Satisfying as a glass of water at room-temperature.

Sitting here with my feet up. Why?  It’s not like I have labored or anything. Because I have zero energy.  Zilch.  I wake up tired even after a descent night’s sleep.

OMG, any less brain activity I’d be a scarecrow!

I have the enthusiasm of oatmeal.

(Source) 

TIPS to Help Defeat Brain Fog

• Stay mentally active! Read a book, learn lyrics to a song. Doing puzzles, There are even game apps you can download that helps with neuroplasticity.

• Speak to a doctor about it. That reassurance that you aren’t losing your mind makes a massive difference.

• Stop what you are doing. Take a rest or a walk…. Just change the situation and refresh your mind…. Rest but also the correct amount of exercise; everyone’s MS is different.

• Sometimes naps or resting helps, where I actually close my eyes & think of nothing. Other times, specific focus on something, where I read or colour or concentrate-- like mindful meditation. Giving my brain a challenge really helps!! 

I know a group of us (from all over the world) shared about this common situation, together on Twitter last week, for which I am greatly encouraged. Considering I've been using Twitter (in a fairly basic, limited way) for the previous 6+ years, over the past months - I've found it more useful and helpful than ever  - connecting to like-minded MS-ers, all over the world.

#MS #MultipleSclerosis #ChatMS #LiveWiseMS #MSAwareness

#MSlife #LivingwithMS #CureMS #MSWarriors #MSFamily #MSPals #Thankful

@MustStopMS @MS_Australia @shiftms @voicesofms

@msgetinvolved @KISSGOODBYEAUS @mssocietyuk

► Article: Brain Fog (MSAustralia)

► Article: Cognitive Changes in MS

► Blog: Confused? Focus?

► Article: "My Cognitive Changes Because Of Multiple Sclerosis"

► Article: "MS Thinking and Memory Problems"

► Article: "Oops, Sorry, I Forgot"

► Article: I Wasn’t Prepared for the Way Cognitive Issues from MS Would Change My Life

► Article: Brain fog – does anyone care? A discussion blog

► Article: "17 Apps That Can Make Life Easier When Brain Fog Takes Over" (The Mighty)

Bookmark this page: MS Brain Fog

Also: COG Fog

Peas be with ewe 
Times

How To CURE Any Illness

How to get rid of any illness...

Your fail-safe Miracle Cure is only a few simple steps away!

Secrets Revealed!

1) Drink 15 litres of organic apple cider vinegar every day. Everyday.

2) Rub unprocessed coconut oil into your eyes counterclockwise (important).

3) Stick kale up your bum. Chew vigorously.

4) Snort 5 gm of quinoa each morning.

5) Shower in herbal gluten-free green tea.

6) Put turmeric paste on your wrists.

7) Cannabis... lots of cannabis.

8) Avoid meat, dairy, water, oxygen and people.

9) While standing naked in the middle of a motorway with your eyes closed, bathe in ice-cold Kombucha.

10) Facing due West, repeatedly jump on one foot, on the night of a full moon, at exactly 12pm on the first day of the month, when the wild wolf howls in the key of C#, juggle one of your kidneys with your left hand, whilst whistling Beethoven's 9th, wearing someone else's false teeth and holding magic moon crystals.

60% of the time, this works every time.

And remember! A glass of bleach a day keeps the doctors away.

Thanks to Chronically Sarah @potsiegirlsarah for the original post!

➤ Note: Having MS myself, I have witnessed so much distorted unverifiable misinformation, baseless crap and outright quackery out there online, that I am entitled to be wholly cynical with any new claim to a "miracle cure", "treatment" and/or "reversal"!

Debunking Bull$#it 'Cures' for #MS

youtu.be/u47mCA8eUBw

Bookmark this page: How To Be Cured

Also: Be Cured

Peas be with ewe 
Mal

Ulcerative Colitis (UC)

(NOTE: This post is not a "pity-party/woe-is-me" thing, as I'm simply sharing a very brief insight into some of the reasons why I may act so "up-and-down" from time to time.

All of this is quite frustrating for me, as I was always quite well health-wise overall, until my mid-40s! (I'm 58 now).

Blimey... I don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs, gamble, nor video games (Boring old fart, huh? lol)

I guess the 'joys' of a life lived with stress, anxiety, and depression have caught up with my physical health!)

In 2003 (aged 39), I was diagnosed as having a chronic (ie. life-long) autoimmune disease called Ulcerative Colitis ("UC").

It means that I often can't get to the lavatory in time (and I don't mean peeing here!)

✨ When I have to go to the toilet, I mean I have to go NOW - it kicks in that quickly and randomly, unexpectedly sometimes! It's that sense of URGENCY that is the main problem. ✨

As an autoimmune disease of my colon, basically, it's as if my own bowel is attacking itself. Specific diets and/or medication help bring me relief, but aren't a cure - there isn't one, just maintenance and containment/control.

I'd been living with it for about 10-15 years and wasn't properly diagnosed until 2003.

"Living with a chronic illness like UC means embracing disruption and chaos as a part of every day." 

► GREAT Article: "What I Wished Other People Knew About Life with UC"

What IS Ulcerative Colitis ('UC')?

► Watch this video:

Watch this video on YouTube

► Crohn’s & Colitis Australia 🦘

► The Australian National Public Toilet Map is an amazing resource to have and know - seriously!! 🦘

Ulcerative Colitis (Colitis ulcerosa) ('UC') is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a form of colitis, a disease of the intestine, specifically the lining of the large intestine or colon/bowel, that includes characteristic ulcers, inflamed or open sores in the colon, which may bleed. 

It's like the lining of my colon, instead of being smooth, looks like sandpaper.

The main symptom of active disease is usually diarrhea mixed with blood, which often leads to anemia. Ulcerative colitis is, however, a systemic disease that affects many parts of the body outside the intestine.

(NB. IBD is often confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a troublesome, but much less serious, condition).

I have what is called "Pancolitis", which involves my entire colon.

There are no direct known causes for ulcerative colitis, and it is not contagious. There is no current cure.

While it won't necessarily kill me, the disease primarily affects the quality of life and not lifespan.

It is hard for people to understand when I explain the condition I have been dealing with. I may look like a healthy person on the outside, but what they don't know is my serious medical condition on the inside, and need to take care of myself. There are times when I get frustrated wishing things were different, but I believe my condition has made me understand life from a different perspective. I do not take anything for granted and appreciate the little things in life. I laugh a lot, now.

Although UC has no known cause, there is a presumed genetic component to susceptibility. The disease may be triggered by environmental factors. Although dietary modification may reduce the discomfort of a person with the disease, UC is not thought to be caused by dietary factors. Although there is no clinical evidence to suggest that specialist diets benefit persons with UC, good nutrition is essential to the healing process. When the disease is active, many people lose their appetite or try to avoid eating to prevent further symptoms. Lack of adequate nutrition worsens tiredness and fatigue and eventually leads to weight loss.

Symptoms

The inflamed lining also produces a larger-than-normal amount of intestinal lubricant or mucus which sometimes contains pus. Inflammation in the colon reduces its ability to reabsorb fluid from the feces which causes diarrhea. Inflammation in the rectum can lead to a sense of urgency to have a bowel movement.

The disease may be accompanied by different degrees of abdominal pain, from mild discomfort to painful bowel movements or painful abdominal cramping with bowel movements.

The chronic loss of blood from the GI tract leads to increased rates of anemia, which is causing me much fatigue, sometimes leads to brief dizzy spells, and affects my energy levels.

As UC is believed to have a systemic (i.e. autoimmune) origin, it sometimes also randomly affects my mouth with ulcers, and sometimes foot cramps.

Patients with ulcerative colitis usually have an intermittent course, with periods of disease inactivity alternating with "flares" of disease.

Treatment

Ulcerative colitis is treated as an autoimmune disease. Treatment is with anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppression, and biological therapy targeting specific components of the immune response.

Standard treatment for UC depends on the extent and disease severity. The goal is to (i) induce remission initially with medications, followed by the administration of (ii) maintenance medications to prevent a relapse of the disease. The medications used to induce and maintain remission somewhat overlap, but the treatments are different. Physicians first direct treatment to induce remission which involves relief of symptoms and mucosal healing of the lining of the colon, and then longer-term treatment to maintain the remission and prevent complications.

There is a significantly increased risk of colon/bowel cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis, hence regular colonoscopies.

Four medications I am currently using for my UC:

• Mercaptopureine / Puri-Nethol: 100mg twice daily (I nickname this one "Metaporcupine").

• Pantoprazole / Somac: 20mg once daily (I nickname this one "Soma").

• Salazopyrin (Pyralin): 500mg 2 x thrice daily.

• Entocort: 3mg daily. This has been really helping me lately, thankfully.

I was on Mesalamine / Pentasa: 500mg two tabs twice daily, but not now - it was having negative side effects on me!

I will have ongoing Colonoscopies every c. 12-18 months to keep an eye on things in there.

Diet

Most research points out that a particular diet has nothing to do with it at all - good overall nutrition is more important. I am currently trying to eat a gluten/dairy/sugar-free diet.... note the word 'trying'!

Note: a lot of trying to find "what works" for me is trial and error... and it is different for everyone who suffers from UC... there is no "one" overall "way" that helps more than another.

► Article: "What To Drink and What Not To Drink With Ulcerative Colitis"

People generally experience a psychological adjustment when diagnosed with a chronic medical condition. Symptoms of anxiety and depression are common. People often feel a sense of loss and grief that everything is not functioning as well as it had previously. There are associated fears about the long-term prognosis. When diagnosed with UC, people report distress about disruption to lifestyle (regular bowel movements, often with a sense of urgency, anxiety about feeling the need to be close to a toilet etc.), having to take prescription medication indefinitely (some medication can illicit nausea, mood swings and irritability), and sometimes having to live with a level of chronic pain. These are some of the main changes experienced in people diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.

Societal attitudes preclude people from openly discussing bowel problems. This usually compounds people's sense of isolation and willingness to disclose their condition to friends, family and work colleagues. Current statistics suggest one in ten Australians have a bowel condition requiring medication and regular monitoring by their doctor.

💜 UC Twitter Tags 💜

💥 To search Twitter using any of these Tags:

Write or Copy/paste the tag into the "🔍 Search Twitter" box

#ulcerativecolitis #Colitis #UC #FlushTheStigma #chronicillness #GotGuts #ittakesguts #colitisawareness #ulcerativecolitisfighter #colitiswarrior #GetYourBellyOut #autoimmunedisease #CrohnsColitisAustralia #spoonie #CutTheCrap 

🆗➽►→ rb.gy/cwjyry ←◄🆗

► Article: UC - a few facts

► Autoimmune Disease

► The National Public Toilet Map is an amazing resource to have and know - seriously!!

► Article: "Things you SHOULD and SHOULD NOT say to someone with a chronic illness"

► Article: "What I Wished Other People Knew About Life with UC"

► Colonoscopy (1)

► Colonoscopy (2)

Bookmark this Page: Ulcerative Colitis

Also: U. Colitis

Peas be with ewe 
Mal