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Debilitating symptoms. Brain fog...extreme memory loss...spacey 24/7!

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TaylorMason
TaylorMason

The last year of my life has been a brutal one. At the age of 22, I am in the lowest of lows and I desperately need some help!

Here’s my tale:

About a year ago, a couple months after an extremely strenuous relationship, I began noticing that I was tired all the time…and all around, I wasn’t really satisfied. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed my friends, and activities…but life just wasn’t as bright and vibrant anymore after a month of noticing this ever-present fatigue, it got a bit stronger. I would wake up each morning completely zombie-mode…and that feeling would remain throughout the entirety of my day, until my head hit my pillow that evening.

Initially, I suspected some form of sleeping disorder. I set up a sleep study, got my thyroid checked, ferritin levels, all the basics. Sleep study revealed I sleep just fine and all my other blood tests came back negative.

The fatigue and the weight of the world slowly got worse over the next handful of months, UNTIL I woke up one morning and everything escalated greatly. I felt completely stoned. I couldn’t think right. I couldn’t concentrate. I felt inebriated. I felt totally disconnected and spacey. I felt as though I had no control over myself. I lost drive and motivation. I lost a lot of confidence.  I always had an incredibly sharp memory. It was actually something well known about me to those in my family and friend circles. Yet, on this morning, almost all new information could not be retained. Things that happened earlier in the day, by evening, I felt they happened a day or two before. I could no longer recount the activities I took part in. This is possibly the worst of all the symptoms. The extreme short term memory. I have no context for time and I sort of feel like I’m just floating through life suffering.

For months I visited doctors getting tested by specialists. I visited a neurologist, infectious disease, I had an MRI, & I had about 20 different blood tests. NOTHING. My doctor literally said “I have no idea what this could be. I am beside myself” TOTES reassuring! I tried altering my diet entirely to organic and all natural. I continued my workouts and ran 15 miles a week. I tried sleeping even earlier. I tried all I could think of .

I have scoured the message boards and found a few people suffering from the same, but without answers.

I’m not sure if depression is the culprit, but depression sure has found its nasty venom-coated fangs into my veins. Tired, depressed, failed memory, no drive, scared…it’s no way to live. I want my life back.

PLEASE OFFER INSIGHT! I will be so grateful J

Sincerely,

Taylorsaurus Rex

54 likes, 1428 replies

1428 Replies

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  • Boymom
    Boymom TaylorMason

    Posted

    PLEASE let me know when you find the answer.  I have had years of the fatigue and it wasnt until I had my children that I was sent to a neurologist and had sleep studies.  I found none of the meds helped.  I found that the restless legs are worse then ever since I started meds.  I could easily put my car in park at a red light and tell my kids to wake me when it turns red- and yess I can fall asleep.  I have had one neurologist send me to another . I have seen endocrinologist. I have been on anti depressants.  The month have March has by far been debilitating.  I live in a fog!  I can barely get one foot in front of another.  The MD's only want to give me meds but no one can tell me whats going on with me.  Last the neurologist wanted to put me on Methadone to help me sleep at night.  I was like are you joking!  I said put it in my chart right now - that is not an option!!  I have 3 kids and I am so so exhausted!  I am desperate and now have sought out a functional med Dr.  This is no quality and feeling like this makes ya depressed.  This is awful.
    • lindathepinda
      lindathepinda Boymom

      Posted

      It must be very hard to take care of yourself and 3 children being so exhausted. Sorry to hear that you didn't get any proper help yet, I know from experience that in itself can make you feel desperate. Good to read though you don't accept just meds, but would like to know the cause.

      Just to check: were your vit.B12 (should be =/>350) and D (should be =/>75)checked? Was sleep apnea ruled out? Were your thyroid hormones "low but within range"? Did they check your cortisol level? If there is a problem with your sleep: what is it?

       

    • Boymom
      Boymom lindathepinda

      Posted

      I have had 2 sleep studies. Restless leg is what they tell me. I don't sleep well at night and all I want to do is sleep during the day. I am in the medical profession so yes many tests done. My cortisol levels were elevated but when they did the next step to check for Cushings that was fine so they dismiss it. I have had multiple thyroid studies done ! Seeing yet another Dr and of course they wanted them drawn again so we will see. I work out and love to and had to even give that up because the past month I am that tired. I'm nauseous all the time. I started with vertigo now. And when you see these dr's they look at you like you are insane. But I know my body and I don't feel well and it's not normal to be able to close your eyes and sleep..... Especially because the neurologists have me on stimulants and I sleep right through them. I can take a 5 hr energy and

      Go to sleep

    • lindathepinda
      lindathepinda Boymom

      Posted

      Firstly; you are not insane and you have got real and serious health problems, like many of us. Since you work in the medical profession you probably know that doctors don't like 'vague', diffuse and systemic complaints. Also they draw strict lines when it comes to blood values.

      If your cortisol is raised there is definitely something not right. There is quite a big range between normal cortisol and Cushings, and you can feel pretty miserable in between. I'm a health professional myself and am specialized in treating people with burnout (and sleep problems) so am well aware of problems which could arise from chronic elevated cortisol levels. The symptoms you describe match with it: the inability to get deep sleep at night, nausea and vertigo, the extreme fatigue during day time. The root cause could be restless legs syndrome (sleep deprivation causes elevated cortisol levels), it's a bit of a chicken or egg question. If I may ask: which advise did you get on the RLS?

      Though I am not an MD I would like to recommend to you to quit the stimulants; it is just symptom management, and if your adrenals are already overactive it can cause adrenal exhaustion in the end, which is a place you definitely don't want to go.

      Again, I realy recommend to have a look at your vitamine B12 and D results; the ranges are set way to low. B12 should really be 350 or above to feel well. Often the bottom limit is set to 150 and you get the message everything is fine when it actually isn't. Same goes for vit. D (with 75 as bottom value).

      For some reason deficiencies in these often go hand in hand with elevated cortisol.

      I hope your new doctor takes the effort to really get to the bottom of your complaints, and he is able to see the bigger picture. At least you don't seem the person to give up on this, hang on in there.

    • Boymom
      Boymom lindathepinda

      Posted

      I have had all the vitamin levels drawn. I remember the vitamin B12 was pretty high. I was shocked actually. I can't recall the Vit d level. I have been on so many meds for restless leg. I was on Gabapentin and I had tried it 2 x now and I nods all day. It's too much for me. I decreased the dose , I have even spilt the pills down further ,,, I can't take it. I tried Mirapex and I ended up with augmentation which was horrible. I tired the sister of that. I have tried Lyrica. I have tried low dose narcotics ... I can fall asleep within 2 mins. It's crazy but within 1 hour I wake. Now the month of March has been horrible. I could sleep all the time. My

      Only awake period is like evening hours. But I can still sleep. I have all the symptoms of adrenal fatigue and that's what the functional med dr said. But I have a lot of

      Symptoms of Chronic Lymes. So piece by piece we are testing. Many of these tests are out of pocket though in order the get the correct test done. So it adds up quick. I am switching primaries . That's in the works .

    • lindathepinda
      lindathepinda Boymom

      Posted

      Sounds like you are on the same route as me Boymom, going from one specialist to the next. I also can sleep at any moment, just not at the times I'm supposed to. I don't have RLS or high B12 but for the rest I completely recognize your experiences. I've also ended up at the Lyme hypothesis by now, but as you say: it all has to come out of your pocket, wel same here, am saving up right now for a new type of Lyme test which seems to be very reliable and they also test for co-infections in one run.

      I got diagnosed with silent migraine a few monts ago but still am doubting if this is the right daignose. Too many weird symptoms, extreme fatigue all the time. and they never leave, just subside for a few days.

      The only thing which helped me till now is Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN); at least I'm now relieved of joint pains and aching muscles.

  • lauren06865
    lauren06865 TaylorMason

    Posted

    Hi i had this when I was pregnant I had it for months I couldn't get out of bed I suffer with health anxiety and a cancer phobia it got so bad that I had the same symptoms as you it was a feeling of being on some sort of drug spaced out weird vision I couldn't walk properly as if I was on a tilt it was the most horrible experience I was back and forth to the doctors and they kept telling me it was the anxiety and depression I felt as if I was dead but was still communicating with people it slowly disapeared and now I have to try so hard to stay calm or I feel myself slipping back into the strange feelings I hope you feel back to normal soon
    • Boymom
      Boymom lauren06865

      Posted

      Sadly I never worry about me- its my kids but in the last year I have mot had a choice. Only reason I ever went and had sleep studies because I literally coul dfall asleep at a red light.  I could put my car in park and nod  off and my kids could tell me it was green.  I always think nah it cant happen to me.  I am in my 40's and off and on since my teen years I have suffered with chronic fatigue. I could sleep in class.  Put my head on desk and out.  But the last month has been debilitating. I cross fit , and I had to put that on old for now.  I am too exhausted.  
    • myc1
      myc1 Boymom

      Posted

      Hi Boymom,

      Have you been tested for Narcolepsy? My brother-in-law suffers from it and he will fall asleep in the middle of a conversation. Hate to sound like I'm pressuring you but, if you can fall asleep at a red light with your children in the car, what's to stop that happening to you driving on the highway? We are all on your side here, Sweetie so please get this checked out. Promise?

      best always

      myc

  • deafbeauty
    deafbeauty TaylorMason

    Posted

    I was having the same exact feelings, episodes, heavy feeling in my head, my brain covered in a fog, can not get motivated, can not set daily plans, anxiety when I would have to talk to anyone outside of my family and finally I took a stand to get help from my doctor.

    The week before going to a doctor I couldn't even talk to my kids as I was in a complete no zone of any thoughts. I would do my daily routines of taking dad to VA and kids to school, then come home,and literally pass out as if I haven't slept in days. I knew it was depression, yet I wasn't angry or upset. I was a bit sad and very lethargic.

    I would sleep all night and much of the day, yet I felt like I was still tired. It was all

    anxiety/depression caused by lack of Serotonin in the brain. The more you get depressed, anxiety or stressed, serotonin decreses in the brain. Then at times your brain will use the serotonin it has and it's a quick boost, but not enough to keep functioning as normal. Sorta like a Diabetic how your blood sugar raises at a spike and you have to take meds to bring it back down and elevate it. In this case though we need an anti-depressant to bring back out serotonin and elevate the brain imbalance.

    I was once a CNA and Phlebotomist. I was the kind hearted woman to help those in need of care, love and compassion. I was at the bedside of many who where in a hospice stage until they passed. I was the one to hold a family together during the loss of their family member offering support, love and compassion walking them through this stage. So, I have seen depression among many and That is how I finally realized I needed help myself. I am an Empath who wears my heart on my sleeve. So, I feel everything with my heart before it reaches my brain.

    I was given buPROPion HCL XL 150MG. This is for major depression and seasonal depression. It helps restore the brain. Very few side effects unlike other meds.

    I wish you all the best of health and life and hope you all find help and get better and back to yourself.

    God Bless

  • alyssa13413
    alyssa13413 TaylorMason

    Posted

    I thought I was the only one! I totally know how you feel. Did you find anything out?
  • benjaminknight
    benjaminknight TaylorMason

    Posted

    Taylor, same exact story, except its been going on for about 9 years. Hope someone somewhere finds answers, and a cure!!!
  • myc1
    myc1 TaylorMason

    Posted

    Hi Taylor, 

    I want to offer you a somewhat different insight as to your brain fog and various other issues because I had a very similar episode that went unchecked for several years. One day I bumped into a friend I hadn't seen for a long time and he asked how I was feeling (he happened to be a clinical phycologist and the world's number one specialist in biofeedback and neural feedback) so I told him I felt spaced out, foggy, tired and unable to concentrate.

    That got me a visit to his office in Calgary (Canada) where he explained how the brain works in regard to its various brain wave patterns.

    Bare with me as I need to digress. Everything in the Universe vibrates, especially the human brain. We have five basic levels of brain vibration or brain waves. The lowest are called Delta and are present when we are in a very deep sleep. Up one we find Theta which represents a light sleep. In the middle we have Alpha which is a daydream state. Then Beta which is our normal waking state and at the top is Gamma which is when we are very alert and also very anxious. 

    He likened these states to a five-speed gearbox in a car. In a normal brain, all five, lubricated, gears are well used. However, sometimes, maybe due to stress, the car gets stuck in one of those five gears. With hyper-active people, (ADHD) it gets stuck in Gamma but when it gets stuck in Alpha, you experience pretty much the symptoms you described.

    He ran a bunch of tests and determined I was stuck in Alpha. How did he figure that out? Briefly, he attached electrodes to various parts on my scalp (totally painless) that were hooked to a computer. Then I wore goggles that had tiny lights embedded in them (they were designed so I couldn't see thru them). We know that our brains are affecting by many things, including flashing lights. So the computer measured my brain waves (Alpha) then programmed the mini-lights in the goggles to flash at a sequence that would attact my brain to reach Beta.

    What?

    The best way I can describe it is for you to hold both hands in front of you and make like they are duck beaks. Now slowly open and close your left hand so your thumb and first finger touch every second or so. Now do the same with your right hand but speed it up so your finger and thumb touch twice a second. Now, your slower left hand 'senses' the faster right hand and begins to search for it. When it comes into contact, it begins to mimic the speed of the right hand. So your left hand represents your Alpha brain wave state and your right hand represents the Beta state as programmed by the computer. So the exercise serves to pour a little oil in the old gear box. The process is called ENTRAINMENT and after just two 20 minute sessions, I felt something very strange happen, like I'd been in a dark world when someone turned on the light. There is a definite science behind Entrainment and you might want to check around (look for a phycologist in your area who offers it).

    Sorry this was soooo long but hopefully it helps, Taylor and do keep in touch, there are a lot of people besides me rooting for you on this site.

    best always,

    myc  

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    • Selvania
      Selvania myc1

      Posted

      Hey, are you still active on here? I got tested for brain waves a year ago and they were found abnormal but I wasnt able to finish anything with that. If you are still active, PM me!
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