What's Brain Fog for you?

[Alwayssomething14]

Curious as to what this means for each of us as experiences and description may differ.

For me it's forgetting to do things, for example I went to bed a couple of nights ago, left the downstairs lights on, didn't lock the front door 🙈 (it was closed just not locked) Forgetting to feed the dog...I can't work out if I'm just trying to do too many things at once or if it really is a problem.

Head feels like cotton wool at times too.

How is it for others?

Apathy. I just don’t care about anything much anymore, good or bad just doesn’t seem to get a reaction. It’s quite liberating in some ways…
I can’t remember anything without a list though!

I lose words. Really common words. I have to ask dh what I'm trying to say far too often these days 🥹 Yesterday my dd asked me my favourite Take That song and I couldn't think of a single song title. I'm only 45 ffs

Pretty much as you describe, OP. Forgetting words, going into a room and forgetting what I went there for, very poor comprehension, not able to concentrate. Losing my train of thought. Fortunately for me it was all associated with hypothyroidism so much of it has gone thanks to taking thyroid hormone.

Lost words definitely. I became terrible at presenting or putting forward arguments at work meetings.

Inability to concentrate for longer than about 15 minutes, whereas before I would’ve had flow which would let me concentrate for up to 2 hours.

The weird thing is that it came in over a period of three months. The good news is that it lifted over the past 15 months and I am probably 2/3 back to normal - could’ve done without that seven years in between though

I forget words, what I was going to say, and to do things. Xx

Forget words.

i could not remember the name
of the school ship that I have used for 8+ years to buy school uniform. Refuse to google it - it took me two days to remember. Forgot my son’s bff name, in front of him and his mum.

Forgetting words mid sentence

Replacing the word with something completely wrong

Feeling like I can't speak in meetings as all words have left my brain - more I try and form a sentence more it disappears

Word finding difficulties, and I forget the names of people, places etc that I really shouldn't forget. I have a terrible memory now.

I can't step back from myself enough to see things clearly.

And forgetting words too - and mixing them up/transposing them ... even transposing syllables, so that they come out as nonsense.

Thesaurus.com is an oft-used website (though I rue their new layout).

Forgetting words has been the worst thing for me. Barely able to string a coherent sentence together at work. It's improved, but I still struggle at times and it's so frustrating.

Forgetting words, especially adjectives for some reason! Awful as I'm trying to get a new job and although previously had confidence in interviews they are now like 7th circle of hell!!

I cook with turmeric which has helped concentration and memory. In addition a few nuts daily after breakfast can assist. I am postmenopausal and although I still forget words and lose my train of thought things have definitely improved.

The inability to do simple maths!
My brain feels fuzzy and cotton wool like. Forgetting simple words.

I'm on hormone blockers and medication for cancer. I haven't a hope in hell of recovering from this!

Also trying to do far too many jobs at the same time. For example, doing the washing whilst looking at my pension details and always thinking ahead. My brain is constantly whirring, but I can't remember simple details.

Thank you for all the responses. I can relate to so many, losing train of thought, struggling to find the right words, focus, concentrate...I feel relieved I'm not alone but wow we really go through it don't we, damn hormones !

For me it's losing words as well, even really simple everyday ones. They do come to me eventually but after a difficult pause. It's really distressing in work as I have to present and speak in meetings.

Also I forget people's names, in particular some people in my team.

HRT has helped a lot, probably reduced it by 80%.

You know the feeling when you get woken up? Sometimes I never feel more awake than that, like some strange limbo. I put that feeling under the brain fog , as I don't have a better way to describe it .

How about days of the week anyone? Some days I have to really work out what day it is. Not sure if this started in lockdown and just continued into hybrid working or if it's another "brain fog" symptom !

Forgetting words and names. But frustratingly forgetting to do 3 simple things before I go to bed. All I have to do is brush my teeth, take my HRT tablet and put in my Invisalign retainers. Soooo many times I'm in bed with no retainers in or didn't take my tablet. 3 things and I CANNOT do them FFS!

And yes... I struggle with what day it is... or what the date is...

I forget so many words, I can barely string a sentence together half the time. I work in a call centre and I have lists of all the regular things I need to say because I forget them so often.

Also mixing words up, like I’ll say tomorrow instead of yesterday and I know it’s wrong but it’ll take a second to figure out what was wrong about what I said.

The other thing I really struggle with is length of time. I can’t tell if something was last week, 2 weeks ago or last month.
I had my cervical screening recently and the nurse asked when my last period was. I looked blankly at her and thought ‘I have no idea’ so told her I’d check my app. It was 1 week previous. How did I forget something from 1 week ago?!

Memory, word retrieval, inability to concentrate and also that woolly headed feeling. Sometimes a physical feeling of pressure around my temples. It's OK when my oestrogen is higher. Hrt has made a massive difference. Considering testosterone as I'm best around ovulation and testosterone is high then.

Forgetting words, they just drop out of my head mid-sentence. Forgetting to do things, both simple everyday tasks and things at work. Going to Google something and forgetting within seconds what it was I was going to look up. Spending too long mentally groping for things that would have been effortless to recall / formulate / organise pre-menopause. Generally feeling mentally 'dull' and slow to respond instead of sharp and coherent.

I'm over it now (am 65), but for me it was the inability to think in a logical way - by which I mean formal logic, like formulae for databases. Up until my late 40s, I was Mistress of the Database and logical puzzles - then it just became harder and harder. I was attempting to build a relational database in Lotus Approach (which will probably tell you how long ago this was!) to manage a seaweed processing business - and could I get my head round the formulae I needed? Could I feck as like! It was a good 10 years before my logic came back to me, but I'm happy to report that I can do it again now :) I still 'lose' words from time to time, but I like to think I'm more or less functional again. It was a very unpleasant few years.

I can relate to this.
Any ideas what helps?