Horrible brain fog

[Lovelysummerdays]

I just wondered if anyone has any advice for me. I have no idea what’s going on with me but I’ve become incredibly forgetful of late. Lots of dropping the ball at work and just forgetting appointments and even after school stuff. I completely forgot the kids guitar lesson last week. Today I have mislaid a whole basket of washed laundry. I live rurally and washing machine is in an outbuilding, I had the basket grabbed a laundry sack to fill and bring back and a fresh bag of dog food.

Then it’s like my memory is blank, I have put away the dog food, filled the laundry sack putting away clean stuff and the basket of wet laundry is gone. I hang it up in kitchen. I’ve retraced my steps and can’t find it anywhere. It just keeps happening, these moments where I have no idea what I’ve just done with something or why I’m in a room or what I’m supposed to be doing. The kids are on holiday with their Dad so no one else is here (to blame).

45 was ill last year and was found to be really anaemic had a blood transfusion and an iron transfusion. No cause found, felt better afterwards for a bit but have been having ongoing gallbladder issues . GP treating with buscooan/ painkillers as necessary but not had anything today or since yesterday morning. I’m almost afraid to take naproxen in case it makes me feel even spacier than I already am. I almost feel drunk sometimes, I don’t drinkalchohol. I’ve ditched coffee but do drink tea. Take a multivitamin and a B vitamin.

Recent bloods have been fine but I still feel just so odd. I can’t even really describe it. I just feel so woolly headed and discombobulated. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Sounds like the sheer joy that is perimenopause. I used to joke about doing things like putting the TV remote in the fridge. Now things like that are becoming a reality. Starting to avoid doing things that I might balls up which is an ever increasing list.

I'd ask is it possible you can have a B12 absorption issue and pernicious anaemia? If your iron was low enough for a transfusion, it's possible you don't absorb nutrirents the way you should.

I'd advised stopping all B supplementd for 4 months then having a blood test incl folate. This will show if you need B12 injections.

There's a FB group for b12 defficiency

Could be perimenopause or a vitamin deficiency? Maybe get thyroid blood tests also? I suffer with awful brain fog and I think its a mix of having young kids, peri, iron deficiency and underactive thyroid. I have to write absolutely everything down to remind me and have them pop up on my phone to further remind me.

I think they did thyroid tests as part of the blood panel. They did consider pernicious anemia last year but discounted it. In all fairness I had lots of tests, which didn’t turn up anything apart from gallstones so doctor felt I’d just been a functionally anaemic for ages then hit a cliff edge and just felt dreadful.

Maybe it is just peri menopause. I just don’t know how to get through it. Although I did find the laundry so small wins.

@Lovelysummerdays
Are you taking HRT?
It would be worth talking to your GP about it if not.
You say "just perimenopause" but it can be utterly derailing. Complete brain fog and utter inability to function and do the work you could easily do before. And it can come on surprisingly suddenly. But HRT can really sort it out v quickly too - although it can be a bit bumpy getting doses, etc right. Lots of supportive threads on the Menopause threads on here.

Apparently recent bloods are not fine, my alt is raised so they want to repeat in a week. It’s terrible but I almost want to be ill. Not horribly unwell but with an identifiable issue that I can fix with a week or two of tablets and then get back to normal.