Brain fog

I have it in the mornings- takes me ages to get going but I do eventually.

This morning I found I had put a bag of uncooked pasta in the fridge!

I feel like two different people sometimes...

I see the BBC Programme on Brain Fog states “increase vitamin B”. Be very careful! I started taking Vit B complex to help with my nails and ended up with chronic, several times a day diarrhoea. Stopped taking them when I realised but still receiving the after effects. Really unpleasant.

Sorry to hear you are going through all that. Dad was given breathing exercises, like singing (filling lungs by pushing stomach out) after his heart op to improve his oxygen intake.

My serious brain fog was caused by low vitamin D - they checked my iron levels and thyroid as possibles at the same time (and COVID).

Mum's was an undiagnosed low level UTI.

Oh, and suddenly I'm always losing things - keys, phone, hairbrush.

Interesting. I was diagnosed with cancer in October 2023. Always had a sharp brain, good at puzzles of different kinds, up to date with current affairs, treasurer of 3 local charities. Good with technology.

Since the radiotherapy (successful) my brain struggles. I used to remember phone numbers, usernames/passwords, peoples' names and so on. Not any more. I even stumble with my 4-digit pin at the supermarket checkout. Today I went to a (very large) shopping centre to visit a particular store and couldn't work out the map. I ended up in M&S sobbing to the lady on the information desk who put her arms round me before sorting me out!

Is it dementia? Stress? A bit of both? Or just aging (I'm nearly 740 and DH is becoming very disabled).

Interesting cos during the cancer treatment I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. So far it is controlled with Apixaban - maybe it all has an impact on the brain?

I have brain fog. It is worse some days than others but I'm so used to it that I didn't actually realise until a few years ago that I had it. It was caused by measles as a child. It's only become really obvious in latter years as I couldn't work out why I was struggling until I had my annual health check. I actually thought I was going insane. Strategies now help me. Hope you can find a way through yours.

My husband has Essential Thrombocythemia (a slow growing cancer, which causes him to produce too many Platelets).

He suffers terribly with brain fog.

He finds staying hydrated, making lists, not getting stressed & sleep & rest help.

Hope you get to the bottom of it soon 🤗

My husband had a severe brain bleed which now drained has left him with memory issues, fatigue and brain fog so sad to see a string dominant man seem to slip away. They said he'll take 6-8 months to recover

I note the BBC item on brain fog lists some of the causes. It does however omit a very common one which is hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland). I was finally diagnosed with this condition in 2022 after many years of having a long list of symptoms which were always dismissed as being age related and non-specific. Suffice it to say that since starting on hormone replacement therapy (levothyroxine) my symptoms including brain fog have all but disappeared and I am no longer living half a life.

Sounds like a trauma response to me. Lots of tlc.

Not sure the age of OP but it could be perimenopause/menopause causing your brain fog. I had terrible brain fog before starting on HRT , would stop mid sentence trying to find the right word, very embarrassing , can totally sympathise and hope that you manage to resolve it .

How can people tell the difference between brain fog and the early stages of dementia?

Causes CAN be, not cancer be!

TV doc said today causes cancer be

Lack of sleep
Dehydration
Menopause
Period menopause

Help can be

Sleep
Drink more water
Reduce your screen time
Do puzzles
Make sure you have enough vit. D, calcium, iron.
Get out and about

She also said that 80% of her patients mention brain fog.

Not sure that's much help but there we are.

Sparklefizz

Sorry to hear about your brain fog Luckygirl.
Those of us with M.E. have had to deal with it as part of our condition. My brain fog was so bad when I first collapsed back in 1989 that I couldn't even follow bl** "Neighbours" which my then teenage children loved to watch. I had no concentration, couldn't read a book or follow a TV programme and thought I might have a brain tumour as not much was known about M.E. back in the 80s.

Stress makes it much worse, and fatigue is usually part of it.

“Doctors to be trained on ME in NHS plan to transform care
Medical students and staff to be given classes in a drive to increase awareness and find treatments for chronic fatigue, but campaigners say the plan falls short
Sonya Chowdhury and her son Danny sitting at a table.
Sonya Chowdhury, chief executive of Action for ME, with her son Danny, who has the illness. She said the plan was a “good start”, but did not go far enough
ANDREW LLOYD
Eleanor Hayward, Health Editor | Sean O’Neill, Senior Writer
Tuesday July 22 2025, 12.01am, The Times
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Doctors will be trained in dealing with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), under a government plan aimed at ensuring there are no more “tragically avoidable deaths” from the condition.

The Department of Health and Social Care has announced that medical students and NHS staff will be offered training modules in how to diagnose, manage and treat ME/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

It is part of an ME/CFS delivery plan, aiming to transform care for the illness, commissioned by Sir Sajid Javid, the Conservative health secretary, in 2022. The document, published today, said it was vital the attitudes of NHS staff changed so that patients with ME felt “heard, believed and not stigmatised”.

• My daughter died from ME. This new plan fails her and others like her

There will also be a public awareness campaign, and schools and social care services will be asked to provide greater support to patients with the condition”.
Noticed this article in The Times the other day. Probably too little too late but at least it’s being recognised.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5fL8yzWzKv0HD0PnxJ5J7PL/understanding-brain-fog

www.swagcanceralliance.nhs.uk/fatigue-home/cognitive-fatigue/

I am doing this. I have just managed to go to the dentist for a checkup and it felt like a trip to China - but I am patting myself on the back that I gritted my teeth and manage to do it. I will devtoe this afternoon to a snooze .......

It’s horrible isn’t it. I had it for several months during a serious illness and still have bouts of it years later. I think we have a tendency to beat ourselves up over it, feeling that we ought to overcome it by sheer willpower. I found accepting that there would be times when it would be really difficult to cope helped. I break things down into small steps and congratulate myself when I’ve completed one, I prioritise ruthlessly, ask for help when I need it and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I haven't watched it yet. I have it recorded. They announced it yesterday. I will watch it later today and post then to see if it's any help. I'm sure it will be on catch-up.

And are you willing to pass on those tips to the rest of us Kate?

This Morning had an item on brain fog today with a doctor explaining what it is and giving tips on what to do.

I have fibromyalgia and brain fog comes with that . So yes I've had it for years and it doesn't get any better .I've found it's getting worse has I get older.

Sorry to hear about your brain fog Luckygirl.
Those of us with M.E. have had to deal with it as part of our condition. My brain fog was so bad when I first collapsed back in 1989 that I couldn't even follow bl** "Neighbours" which my then teenage children loved to watch. I had no concentration, couldn't read a book or follow a TV programme and thought I might have a brain tumour as not much was known about M.E. back in the 80s.

Stress makes it much worse, and fatigue is usually part of it.

I think stress can cause it too?
I had to resign from my job a few weeks ago in grim circumstances.
Since then I struggle to concentrate e.g reading news items and instructions. I give up halfway through. Has any one else found this?
I hope the fog clears for you too Luckygirl.

Think we all get it from time to time as we get older, and medication can definitely make it a bit worse. But some days are better than others! It's usually names I forget, especially actors or names from the past.