I am DESPERATELY in need of advice.....I have been suffering from almost continual brain fog for 2 years now and nothing I have tried has worked.... My doctor is very caring but I think she has run out of ideas for how to help me. I have been taking AD's since last September and have tried several different HRT treatments, as well as various supplements. While some of these things seemed to help for a while, the effect always wears off and I am back to where I started - if not worse!!

I am truly getting to the end of my rope with all this...how am I supposed to keep going when I can hardly think straight, can't multitask, have trouble remembering stuff, can't focus , can't read without effort, can't hold a decent conversation and have to concentrate SO HARD to do anything at all??? I have this constant feeling of light-headedness and like my head is stuffed with cotton. I also get this strange feeling of pressure across the bridge of my nose, my vision gets kind of fuzzy and I often feel spaced out and weird- like I have taken a sedative or something. It is so scary and hard to explain and I just feel like I must be the only one to feel like this. I am really worried that I have a serious neurological condition which just hasn't been diagnosed and that I will end up a dribbling vegetable before anyone realises!!

My only hope is that this has all come on at the same time as my periods have become irregular and I have had other meno symptoms, so surely it must all be related. I am only 51...too young to have my mind deteriorating like this. I used to be so bright - up until 2 years ago I was studying post graduate psychology...now I can hardly read the newspaper! I also feel very flat and have lost interest in doing many things I used to enjoy. I am a 3 hour drive from the city where most of my friends and family live and I just can't get up the motivation to visit them. I am also scared now to drive any distance on my own...its like I have completely lost confidence in my ability to do the simplest things. Up to now I have managed OK at work and my new supervisor is very happy with my performance, yet I feel as though I am just bluffing my way through and that I will eventually be found out and maybe have to give up my job. I feel so guilty because I have a 12 year old son, who is a wonderful, funny, cheerful and loving boy and I know I am not being the best mother to him because I just don't have the required mental or emotional energy. When I'm not working, all I want to do is rest and be by myself. Luckily I have a kind and patient husband who does a lot of stuff like the cooking and shopping and he is a great dad as well, so I am very grateful for that, but again I feel guilty that he has to take on so much - especially because I am often irritable or withdrawn and not able to give him the love and affection he deserves.

If I could be reassured that this is just temporary - it would at least give me the strength to keep going. I just need to know there is some hope that one day I will feel like myself again and get some kind of normal life back ...

Capricorn Dancer

Could the ADs be making it worse.I know someone who stopped theirs and is much clearer headed.other than that I recommend writing things down,I do this and it really helps.I bought a dry erase board and I write all of my appointments and things on there. Melaleuca has a vitamin called unforgettables which has fish oil,gingko biloba and blueberry.It has worked for a family member of mine.I hope you find something to help soon.GOD-bless

Capricorn dancer: I'm so sorry you are gong through this...it sounds like the mental fogginess you are having is more severe than most. I have a couple of questions:

1. Have you seen a neurologist? Had a head CT scan just to rule out anything serious?
2. Have you had a thorough blood panel done...including thyroid function tests?
3. How is your blood sugar? A lot of the mental symptoms you are describing could be from either too high or too low blood glucose levels.

If your doctor has run out of ideas, it's time to find a new doctor. I think if I were you, I would definitely get a second, and maybe third opinion. I would ask for a referral to either a psychiatrist or neurologist and request that you be given cognitive function tests to see if you really are suffering from diminished mental function.

I know that the brain is kind of like a muscle...if you don't use it, you can lose some of your sharpness. Some memory loss is expected as we age, but what you are describing sounds worse than what most women experience. It is bad enough to affect your family relationships and it's limiting what you can do (ie driving). I'd be assertive with a new doctor and let them know you need to rule out anything like a metabolic imbalance. (All sorts of conditions can cause mental fogginess...including hypothryoidsim, diabetes, etc.) I assume you are taking a good multivitamin every day and eating well.

There's some clinical studies that show supplemental choline (available at most drug stores and health food stores) can help with age related memory problems. Small amounts of caffeine are also thought to improvement mental alertness.

One more thought...you mentioned feeling 'flat.' Do you think you are depressed? Have you had any big changes in your life...new job, new house, illness, death in the family, money troubles, etc.? Maybe some counseling or therapy would help.

I'm kind of all over the place with this post, huh? I really do sympathize with how difficult it is to work with a brain that won't cooperate. For me, the culprit in my own mental fog was an underlying thryoid problem that didn't show up on normal thyroid function tests. I had to see several endocrinologists and travel out of state to find a good doctor who listened to me and took my syptoms seriously.

Let me know what you think of my suggestions...I hope you find answers soon...

Hi I am in the exact same boat....trying ADs now but that is not going well. Ok, I can answer for similar problems

1. I can't think straight....yes, very hard to concentrate at times

2. Constantly feel light-headed like my6 head is stuffed with cotton...yep...that is me most of the day

3. Pressure across the bridge of the nose! I CAN'T believe you said this one! I have been experiencing this off and on for months now but I had no idea what it was...I do not have a cute small nose and I know this sounds silly but I just even hate to bring this up to the doctor and DRAW more attention to the NOSE! This pressure is indead strange....I really just can't get over that you mentioned it...I ahven't even bother to mention it on this board as I thought I was most definitely the ONLY one!

4. Like I have taken a sedative: OH YES...I feel like someone woke me up in the middle of the night and I operate like this ALL DAY LONG! And I often feel my eyes are dry at this time...I think...symptoms are so changeable...I am so sleepy feeling right now...I almost feel like I am DREAMING with my eyes open....caffeine does NOT help....

5. Period stopped for 5 months and then SURPRISE this month with a "normal" period....numbers say I am in "menopause"

6. I had a brain scan of sorts (that is) to look specifically at the pituitary...nothing amiss there though I found out that I do not like being in the scanner....it was not a big tunnel but a small one and I made the mistake of opening my eyes once inside (I never expected I would have a problem) and it was like being in a coffin....I wasn't prepared by the staff very well I think...

7. Family: I am FAKING it all the time and tyring to appear normal and I am most of the time in a light-headed, sleepy, drunk like of fog and I have a 15 year old daughter and wonderful husband.....work is a struggle but I keep it up...at least I am not thinking of my condition ALL THE TIME (just some) while busy at work

8. I eat well, sleep well, try to exercise....I AM MAD THAT I AM TRYING SOOOOOOOO hard and NOTHING is helping!

Well, I don't know if this makes you feel any better but you are not alone! Let's hope to goodness that this is MENO and it will hopefully pass SOON if not sooner...meanwhile we keep looking for something to help a bit. BTW for me I often feel better towards the eveining...almost normal...how about you? Joan

My dear Friend'Am hearing you well and clear.Am now 57 and the worst exactly as you described has almost lifted.I admit I did stick with the ADs and HRT plus Zanax for anxiety till they kicked in which can be as long as eight weeks for some people

I had the most awful sensitivty to sounds,lights and smells.Could not concentrate on T.V. and put a book down after a couple of pages.It was like having an Alien head on my body.Spelling was a nightmare and Grammatical mistakes common place for me.I had been an English Teacher and a Primary Headmistress for many years but had to resign at the ripe'old age'of 49 as just could not cope..
Stayed very near to home for at least two years faithfully taking my Meds. and walking with my husband round the block.Could not drive and was also terrified to be a passenger,could not use elevators either.Terrified of being trapped inside and suffocating to death!

Thought I would never recover but slowly over about two years I did.Am now 57 and can honestly say am feeling better than ever.If anyone had told me that I would be better while going through all this junk would never have believed them.Am back to reading,driving my car.Still do not care for T.V. too much unless it is anexceptionally good Program.

So please do not lose the Faith.Many of us can relate to what you are going through and this Fog is a very hard symptom of Menopause to cope with

Please keep in touch and let us all support you

God Bless You
Elizabeth

Hi there Capricorn,
Sorry to hear the you have been hit by the brain fog truck. It really is the pits isn't it. I was transformed from a sharp as a knife supermum into a total ZOMBIE. At my worst I could be having passionate and animated conversation with a friend and suddenly lose my thread and not know what to say next. I lost the ability to identify common objects such as a washing up bowl or a toothbrush and had to call them, 'thingy.' I became too tired for almost every challenge in my life and almost lost the ability to drive really safely. I too suffered the strange over the nose congestion thing that often developed into a low level headache that lasted all day. Very miserable. If I stood still for any length of time I would feel very faint. I do not know what was going on hormonally but it was all part of the same problem. Libido died and I was always too tired anyway.
It could be a problem with your health but your age is perfect for the point at which your system finally shuts down. Many ladies on this site have had such severe symptoms that they are convinced that there has to be something terrible wrong and undergo batteries of expensive and sometimes risky tests. This is where it helps to have a wise and knowledgeable doctor who knew you before all the mayhem took hold. That is easier said than done!
In many cases no firm diagnosis can be made which makes any form of treatment rather hit and miss. Sometimes it is just a case that certain hormones are on the lower end of normal and this is enough to cause difficulties. In the absence of a true pathology or disease state many doctors decide to give no treatment and others experiment with 'stabs in the dark.' Some ladies get lucky others get no relief.
I have been without a period since last Christmas and the brain fog is much improved and I am enjoying driving again. I still think that it is a tunnel and we just have to get through it. I hope that it helps you to know that you sound very normal for a lady at this time of her life. The hardest thing is learning how to simmer, sort of putting your life on the back burner until things improve. It can be a very long job and I am not convinced that there are any short cuts. You will certainly need support and understanding from your family to get through all this.


Cheers,

XIII

Hi there Capricorn,
Sorry to hear the you have been hit by the brain fog truck. It really is the pits isn't it. I was transformed from a sharp as a knife supermum into a total ZOMBIE. At my worst I could be having passionate and animated conversation with a friend and suddenly lose my thread and not know what to say next. I lost the ability to identify common objects such as a washing up bowl or a toothbrush and had to call them, 'thingy.' I became too tired for almost every challenge in my life and almost lost the ability to drive really safely. I too suffered the strange over the nose congestion thing that often developed into a low level headache that lasted all day. Very miserable. If I stood still for any length of time I would feel very faint. I do not know what was going on hormonally but it was all part of the same problem. Libido died and I was always too tired anyway.
It could be a problem with your health but your age is perfect for the point at which your system finally shuts down. Many ladies on this site have had such severe symptoms that they are convinced that there has to be something terrible wrong and undergo batteries of expensive and sometimes risky tests. This is where it helps to have a wise and knowledgeable doctor who knew you before all the mayhem took hold. That is easier said than done!
In many cases no firm diagnosis can be made which makes any form of treatment rather hit and miss. Sometimes it is just a case that certain hormones are on the lower end of normal and this is enough to cause difficulties. In the absence of a true pathology or disease state many doctors decide to give no treatment and others experiment with 'stabs in the dark.' Some ladies get lucky others get no relief.
I have been without a period since last Christmas and the brain fog is much improved and I am enjoying driving again. I still think that it is a tunnel and we just have to get through it. I hope that it helps you to know that you sound very normal for a lady at this time of her life. The hardest thing is learning how to simmer, sort of putting your life on the back burner until things improve. It can be a very long job and I am not convinced that there are any short cuts. You will certainly need support and understanding from your family to get through all this.


Cheers,

XIII

Remember that song, "Foggy Mountain Breakdown?" I had one of those!!!

I have been post-menopausal for almost 3 years, and can say that there were times while I was in the thick of peri when I was so out-of-it, I was practically walking into walls. TOTAL zombie. The experience was the same whether I was on AD's or not, so I don't think that had anything to do with it - I was just a happier zombie on the AD's.

What I find now is that it goes in and out - I'll have stretches that are very good, and then a stretch where I'm "foggy" again, can't quite get my head around what I'm reading. Fortunately, these don't last long.

It has been heartening to be able to read novels again! I was an English major in college, went on to teach English at the college level, and not being able to read my beloved books was a HUGE LOSS... I began by reading some young adult novels, a bit gentler on the brain cells.

To be honest, I have to say that I feel I've never gotten back fully - cognitively - to where I was prior to peri, that real ability to concentrate and analyze. It seems to have left some resonating lack of "sharpness," although I guess we could question if this is actually a middle-age issue. My husband sometimes says he experiences the same thing.

I maintain hope for further improvement, and it is helpful to hear other sisters working with the same issues.

(((HUGS))) to all,

Jacquie

Hi Round Robin and everyone else who replied to my post. Thank you all so much for your concern.

Yes, I have had all the tests - CT scan, MRI and EEG - all normal. As I had part of my thyroid removed in the 1980's - I have regular blood tests for thyroid function - is always in the normal range, but have often wondered if there is some underlying problem there. Have had all the other usual blood tests but nothing out of the ordinary. I was certainly using my brain before all this started as I was studying a very intensive psych course which included 2 advanced statistics units...so it's not as though I wasn't being stretched mentally. I was also doing extremely well until this "thing" hit me.

One thing I didn't mention in my previous post....I became so anxious about my mental state and so sure that I had dementia or some other brain disease that last September I actually ended up in the hospital psych ward for 2 weeks. There I was assessed by a psychiatrist as having severe depression and anxiety. He reassured me that my symptoms were all consistent with this diagnosis and I was prescibed AD's and something called serequil (a type of anti-anxiety med). Everyone including the nurses were extremely kind and caring and kept reassuring me that I would be OK and I definitely improved while I was there.. but once I was home, the meds gradually become less effective and I ended up much the same as before. Since then my own doctor has tried various combinations of meds, including estradiol patches, but nothing really helps much. I haven't freaked out again like I did last year, as I try to rationalise and remember what the doctor told me ...but it still worries me all the time that they may have missed something...

It is true that the year before I started getting these symptoms had been very difficult for me. My father passed away quite suddenly in Sydney (Australia).I was living in another city and so was unable to get there in time to say goodbye. I had to give the eulogy at the funeral and was also the executor of his estate....all very stressful and I never really had time to grieve. I still get upset when I think about him....I miss him so much. I was also struggling at work...I had been given a promotion which, to be frank, I wasn't really experienced enough for...they just didn't have anyone else and I didn't cope very well. I was also living far away from most of my family and friends, so didn't have a lot of support. We have moved several times in the last few years and I haven't really felt settled for a long time. We also went through a bad period financially which we are still recovering from - we have only just moved into our own home again after many years renting. I so want this to be the start of a better life for my family....its so unfair that I can't fully enjoy my new home because I feel so weird and disconnected most of the time...

I have considered whether some therapy would be helpful...but its hard to believe that these symptoms, which feel so physical, are psychological in origin. I also wonder if they are connected in any way to chronic fatigue syndrome. I was diagnosed with CFS 12 years ago and still very occasionally get a relapse - which usually lasts for a couple of days. I also have several other, peri-related symptoms...hot flushed face, digestive problems, irregular periods, irritability etc.

I will certainly take your advice talk to my doctor about getting a referral to a specialist...surely there must be someone in the medical profession who can get to the bottom of this.

Thanks again to everyone for all your concern, advice and kind thoughts...this site is the only place where I find any comfort or understanding.

Love to All

Capricorn Dancer

Hi Cap: IO just can't get over how much you sound like me! For me this all started at age 41 with Graves Disease....like you the thryoid is undercontrol...even by thryoid Forum Board standards! So I have to leave that issue alone for now. I am also seeing a psychiatrist and taking AD, trying Luvox, which is NOT helping and even making fog and lightleadness and sleepiness worse....so I will talke to him about that as well...yes, like you I am hesitant to say this is all caused by psychiattrict (ugh spellling!) but I am at the end of my rope after 8 years! I also wondered about CFS, but I do not have even minimum qualifications for that....only the "head" problems....well, perhaps it is stress compounded by hormonal wackiness....I really don't care what they label it, I just want to be able to THINK!!!!! Hang in there, I am with you on this one! Joan

CFS??? Heavens Girl, I'm exhausted reading this!!!!

You've had a LOT going on... it makes sense to me that it would take a while to get yourself settled after all of this. You've been through a lot, Cap. If you can go gently for awhile, I think you'll find yourself in a much better place before long.

Wowzer...

(((HUGS)))

JJ

Hi Joan

Thanks so much for your reply. I have read several of your previous posts and I agree our symptoms are very similar. It does make me feel better that I am not alone, although I wouldn't wish this crap on anyone. Sorry to hear the AD's are not helping...how long have you been taking them? I know that some take a while to really have an effect and in the meantime the side effects can be unpleasant. I have been on Mirtazapine as I can't tolerate any of the SSRI's. It does have the benefit of helping me sleep, but hasn't had any lasting effect on the brain fog.

What you said about the nose thing is especially weird, as I too have a larger than average nose and have always been self-conscious about it. Do you think we could both have some kind of blockage or something in the nasal area that is affecting the passage of oxygen to the brain??? They are after all very close to each other. I know this is clutching at straws but I am getting desperate for answers right now. The feeling of pressure also seems to affect my eyes, like I can't focus them properly.

Similarly to you, I also manage better when I am at work, and can sometimes forget about my symptoms when I am concentrating on a task. I find though, by the end of the work day I feel really mentally drained and very light-headed. Its like once I stop focussing on work, my mind just goes into a kind of freeze and thinking about anything becomes an effort. I find the best time for me is in the middle of the day - the mornings and evenings being the worst. The symptoms also seem to have some connection to my menstrual cycle - often improving for a short time after my period. However, because my periods are now so irregular (stopping, starting, skipping, intermittent spotting etc) its hard to tell exactly what is happening from day to day, let alone month to month!!

I can totally sympathise about the scan. I had an MRI recently and it was SOOO claustrophobic - As well as being in the narrow tunnel , they also immobilised my head and put a mask thing over my face with just a tiny opening for me to see out...it was horrible!!

I too suffer from dry eyes and have to use eye drops on a daily basis. I also have a very dry mouth and scalp. Have considered whether I may have Sjorgens Syndrome (is that how you spell it?) as apparently brain fog can be one of the symptoms. Trouble is, I am loath to mention this idea to my doctor in case she starts seeing me as just a crazy hypocondriac and stops taking me seriously. It's true I spend far too much time on the net googling my symptoms...Its just that I AM SO SICK OF FEELING LIKE THIS!!!!

I also eat a good diet and sleep well most of the time. Due to my lack of motivation, I don't get enough exercise, although now the weather here in Australia is getting warmer, I have been doing a bit more walking. We have a lovely bush walking area near to where I live....beautiful views and lots of birds. I do find that being outside and close to nature is one of the few things which does help to lift my spirits - even if it is only for a few moments.

I know what you mean about faking it with the family. While my husband is very patient and caring, he just doesn't understand and gets this glazed look on his face when I try to tell him how i'm really feeling....so it's easier to just pretend that I am OK...it does make me feel very alone and isolated though.

Hope and pray we both find an answer soon.

All the best

CD

Hi CD: I am starting to think we were cloned!

Nose: deviated septium (sp?) crossed my mind and actually I do think I have this...how it may be effecting my brain I don't know! I too will get fuzzy vision off and on and this i did attribute to meno as it tends to come and go...I had nemerous eye appointments and got new glasses...changed about 4 times and STILL cannot seem to focus!" I gave up for now and decided to see things a bit blurry off and on for a while....I just got tired of pursuing this one for now! But I DO really know what you mean about the vision

I had a friend who had a doctor tell her that though the ovaries may shut down it take the pituitary quite a while to "get the message"....someohow hearing that has been comforting in that blood numbers do NOT telll it all....sooner or later the pituitary will catch on that I am in MENOPAUSE (thank you very much) and willl get with the program...I think my pituitary is still "cycling" though I am not having regular periods it does not "know" this yet....

Dry eye: yes I wondered as well about the Sjorgens Syndrome but I have not been tested either...nor do I fit the classis symptoms in that my eyes are not dry all the time...I do have,　as you also do, the dry scalp, and dry mouth at times....I have cream for the skin condition...forehead, around the ears...this comes and goes as well....I get this weird dry feeling that I have like (how do I DESCRIBE IT)...like I have eaten a sweat-tart....do you remember these candies and when you ate one it sort of gave you a dry mouth and weird feeling behind your ears....well, the dryness is sort of like that....sure THIS will mean a lot to a doctor....so I haven't pursued this either....

Yes, my husband is very understanding, but I don't really want him to have to suffer every symptom with me every moment of the day....though on occassion, I DO remind him that though I may be ACTING ok, in fact I am "acting" many times....just so he KNOWS......

Saw the psychiatrist today...got a different AD....I don't know but I will give it a try...he is good in that he does not insist I "wait it out" if the side effects are so horrible..... He thinks that with Graves Disease my sympathetic nervous system got hyped up and now I am in this viscious cycle of small stressors, good and bad, having extreme effects on my body...I'll buy that! Anyway, let's hope he is right....since I don't have any other ideas!

I am also bad at googling myself into hysterics.... but now I do think I am all googled out! Joan

I have had the funny feeling across the bridge of my nose since the beginning of peri! One of the first symptoms that began to freak me out. I still feel it. the is a sense of lightheadedness, brain fog, blurry vision (just got glasses) and I see my eyes getting worse too.

Not fun, bu I want to say that you are not alone.
I take my AD, and BP meds.
I stay as positive as possible and busy as possible

Oh yea, I can freak driving too.
I was very confident until I was 41.