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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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  • Renitence
    Renitence TaylorMason

    Posted

    Hi Taylor I'm going through something similar, here's something I typed a few years ago.

    July of 2011 I woke up with “Brain Fog” OVERNIGHT

    Awful Brain Fog that Impacted my sleep and memory. I can best describe it as having a blank mind all the time with horrible memory and no energy, lack of feeling emotions.

    2012 I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety because of these symptoms.

    Memory was, and still is, impaired from what it was before July of 2011. Short-term is terrible, long-term is a little better than short-term, but still terrible. I don't experience headaches as often since it happened.

    Sometimes get muscle twitches (left eye, legs, sometimes arms)

    (If I run a hot shower and put the stream exactly in the middle of my head, it slightly feels less “foggy”).

    Emotions dulled. Can't feel the full feeling of happiness or love. Over time, I felt anger and sadness more than positive feelings. Imagination is also impaired because I can't think of visual images well.

    Sleep is severely impaired.

    Can't sleep at all without medication, due to racing thoughts, songs, and voices playing in my head that start to happen before I sleep.

    (Earlier my legs would always be restless).

    I was prescribed Seroquel because it shuts those thoughts down, which allows me to sleep. Sleep still doesn't feel as restful as it was, before July of 2011.

    If I choose to sleep without medication, I won't fall asleep until it's past 4:00 AM. I'll wake up 3 or 4 hours later feeling highly alert.

    Excessive Sweating

    Everyday at some point, I sweat excessively through my hands and feet.

    (I was prescribed Klonopin to help with Anxiety)

    Feels like I've lost my personality

    loss of internal monologue

    can barely remember what I was like back then in 2011

    drugs taken over the course of having a blank mind

    prozac

    lexapro

    wellbutrin

    zoloft

    klonopin

    remeron

    trazodone

    risperidone

    seroquel

    effexor

    Surprisingly weed did lift it once.

    nothing has changed besides me sleeping at night with medication.

    • sergio53100
      sergio53100 Renitence

      Posted

      Wow im da same way but im.scared to take my medicine because of side effects i have major depression and anxiety i might jus give the medicine a try but really scared i might freak out on them i hope thangs work out for all of us im staying positive and praying
    • Renitence
      Renitence sergio53100

      Posted

      I would take the medication as long as it's not addictive like benzodiazepines. The withdrawal from them sucks. I'm 19 and I've pretty much been experimented on throughout high school with different meds like a guinea pig. I was completely fine before this "blank mind" happened. To be honest I'm sure that the blank mind is not caused by depression because I was pretty happy before it, however I'm pretty depressed now BECAUSE of the blank mind. It's kind of a vicious cycle.

    • sergio53100
      sergio53100 Renitence

      Posted

      Yeah i understand completely im doing okay without the medicine but some days im like someone help lol its like it comes and goes and the symptoms suck im 31 and im a strong guy never feared anything but now i always fear and nervous way more ill give the medicine a try but im really scared im post to take 37.5 mgs a day my psychiatrist said its a low dose but im still scared to take these types of medicine the side effects is more pain ful then wat im going through now
    • emilylawless
      emilylawless Renitence

      Posted

      Yes I'm terrified of taking meds! All the side effect.... Thought of suicide and blood clots and stuff! Hell no

    • sergio53100
      sergio53100 emilylawless

      Posted

      Yea im really scared of dat medicine my psychiatrist gave me ill jus have to suffer for da rest of my life LOL but i have good days and bad days wat do you do for your anxiety
    • Renitence
      Renitence emilylawless

      Posted

      After taking almost every medication that they could think of, I feel like they haven't really done anything except make me feel more cloudy or worse. I wish I said no to medication when they first offered it to me but I was just 15 and desperate for help.

  • simona23659
    simona23659 TaylorMason

    Posted

    Hi Taylor,

    Did you figure out treatment options? I have similar simptoms but also tension in the neck. I was told I have silent migraines. Still trying to figure out more

  • abby60315
    abby60315 TaylorMason

    Posted

    Omg! I know this is an old post but did you ever get any answers? I've been going through the SAME thing for years and it's getting much worse so fast! Please help

  • ldibart
    ldibart TaylorMason

    Posted

    Hello its been a while I hope you found an answer , I have the very similar experience difference is that I have this feeling in my head that makes me not worry so much about dying when  should be worried in some situation s but I am not and that is not good .I too had a very sharp memory I could play chess without the board and I never practiced to do that ..now its gone ..and I forget stuff the same day as well ..match to almost the T what you described .
  • carolyn1970
    carolyn1970 TaylorMason

    Posted

    I went for my first acupuncture treatment yesterday and I actually had a better day today. Next appt is next Monday.
    • ldibart
      ldibart carolyn1970

      Posted

      there is one physical sigh I forgot to mention ..because my vision was blurring off and on I saw an eye doctor ..she  noticed that one of the small idk veins..or vessels ..either way it was enlarged and said that could be a sign there may be some blockage somewhere ..I hope this helps ..it may be some disconnected thing though.
    • ldibart
      ldibart

      Posted

      It was in my right eye ..

       

    • carolyn1970
      carolyn1970 ldibart

      Posted

      My eyesight is also blurry....Some days worse then ever but no day is perfect.
    • ldibart
      ldibart carolyn1970

      Posted

      maybe ask an eye doctor if she could look at the small veins and see if any are enlarged ..if you have it too ..then maybe others do ..this could then be a start to what the problem could be ..idk ..maybe swinging at the air but I have been swinging at it for 5 years now ..one other thing ..I developed something when I sleep I wake up like i was suffocating and feeling like im going to die ..I jump up to run for water ..this started a couple years back ..they dont think its sleep apnea .but its disturbing as can be.
    • carolyn1970
      carolyn1970 ldibart

      Posted

      I was just tested for sleep apnea and I have that so I have that appt next week too. Where do you live. I'm in NY

    • ldibart
      ldibart carolyn1970

      Posted

      Boston Ma .. Im a bit worried about that ,,because I was told nn yes then no to sleep apnea 2 said nite terrors ..and I was worried that something was like degrading my brain in that part that controls breathing while sleeping ..i know, paranoid but this feeling litterally mind numbing  and odd to have for so long .
    • carolyn1970
      carolyn1970 ldibart

      Posted

      Did you do a in home sleep study our did you go to the facility? I know that feeling your describing how you wake up with choking and like your heart has stopped. I have same thing.
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