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

I know this post is a few years old now, but if anyone is still here, I hope I can help. My history and symptoms were basically the same as everyone else. Used to have a sharp, focused mind, great memory etc.  Around my junior year of high school, I experienced a load of stress from school, family, relationships and it was like my life was sucked away from me. I developed strange symptoms including:

lack of mental clarity(brain fog)

severe anxiety, social akwardness always on edge

terrible complexion(acne, eczema, dark circles under eyes)

digestive issues(cramping, bloating, constipation/diarrhea)

dull sense of depression, apathy

insomnia, pounding heart at nighttime

addictive personality

fast forward a few years and I think I've finally found a solution. After some additional research, I discovered that many of my symptoms were characteristic of digestive disorders such as leaky gut, dysbiosis, and candida (yeast) overgrowth.  Basically, our gut is home to trillions of bacteria which allow us to digest our food and stay healthy.  After periods of chronic stress, exposure to antibiotics and/or toxins which are everywhere in our modern environment, and a poor diet, the bacterial balance of our gut can become disrupted. Over time, the good bacteria (probiotics) which are essential to our health are killed off and replaced with high levels of bad bacteria, yeast, parasites, and mold which wreak havoc on the gut, resulting in food allergies/sensitivities, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and a cascade of seemingly unrelated problems.  Even more interestingly, the digestive system is actually home to a large portion of the neurotransmitters which are fundamental to our mental clarity and emotions.  When the gut is damaged, the entire body is thrown out of wack in a way which most doctors don't know how to identify.  They run tests on the brain and can't find anything because they're looking in the wrong place.

Anyway, I've now started focusing on healing my gut through  a Biblical-based diet and lifestyle and the results have been incredible.  My energy is gradually returning, my brain fog is dissipating, and i fell an overall sense of well-being. My digestive complaints are starting to ease up and I'm able to tolerate certain things which I never could before (dairy, nuts).  For the first time in years, I finally feel like I'm healing. While I'm not yet back to my old self, I have a renewed sense of hope and I know that I'm going to get through this eventually. 

I know what its like to feel helpless with these debilitating symptoms, especially when no one seems to understand and they tell you its "all in your head", but I'm here to tell you that you don't have to live like this forever. The first step would be to google leaky gut. There's plenty of information out there for you to figure out if your issues are gut related, which I'm willing to bet they are (at least in some part).  The next step would be to clean up your diet and at the very least eliminate all processed and refined foods as well as any potential food allergies/sensitivities which can cause delayed reactions. Do some research and start supplementing with a high quality probiotic, preferably SBO's (Soil Based Organisms) which are essentially beneficial organisms naturally present in whole, raw foods that were a major part of our ancestors' diets up until recent times with the emergence of processed and genetically modified ingredients.  My last suggestion would be to find ways to relax and get rid of stress, whether its through yoga, meditation, prayer or whatever works best for you.  Personally, I feel that my relationship with God has been the most important aspect of my recovery, and I truly believe that its through His grace that I am finally healing. Once you do this, you are likely to see some real results.  Hope this helps!

Peace to all,

JY900

Did you ever figure things out I’m in your shoes now?

Hey Taylor!

Have you been diagnose yet? Maybe you should return to your doctor or any other doctor to have a blood test on TSH, T4 and thyroxine. It seems that you have symptoms of hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed with that and we have the same symptoms. It was hard to focus inclass or absorb. Theres one time i forgot where is my house located at... It took me 1-3 minutes to recall. Yes we felt like our brain is empty.

I slept for 22 hours due to fatigue.

But i am not cure for 3 years now. I was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Its the opposite.

Have a research about the symptoms for hypothyroid and hyperthyroid. Ask your doctor for TSH, T4 OR T3 BLOOD TEST. GOODLUCK!

Hi taylror, i feel you described my symptoms i dont kno where u live but i went to a doctor in tj .im treating myself there and found a great doctor...i read that you already went to a doctor for your thyroid..?.well i found out my thuroid was intoxicated and my brain felt like i was in adream a fog.its a horrible feeling i also lost alot of weight and my skin look soo dry ..and my facial look turned to someone i didnt recognized...if i were you i would get a 2nd or 3rd test on thyroid..i guess theres 3 diffrent elemens that make a healthy thyroid ..one of mine was off now im taking medicine also i had 2 types of anemia...i would try difrent doctors im mexico the doctors are really good and they find the root of the problem in th u.s a lot of doctors wont examine you all the way..or 

Thank you everyone for all the great information. There’s so many people suffering from similar things which my heart aches for you, I wish there was one answer but it seems like the fog is caused from different issues. I’m trusting Jesus to lead me and everyone to a path of healing. Was anyone experienced their right shin super itchy? If we all gather the same information or symptoms maybe we can all narrow down the cause for each one of us. God bless everyone. 

I`m experiencing the same or similar issues as Taylor for the last 3 years. And I can say it`s steadily getting worse since then. I get these mini blackouts where I could not recall what I wanted to do next, at first they lasted just for a second but now they ar a lot more pronounced, it might take me up to a minute to remember what I was about to do next, sometimes I don`t remember at all. My ability  to concentrate getting steadily worse, especially in an loud environment. Add bright lights and other hectic things to the mix and I`m doomed. I feel more and more withdrawn from people, conversations are at times difficult to follow. The last 3 days I would compare to being mentally tortured, no other way to describe it. I feels so easily agitated it`s incredible. I have problems at times finding the right words when speaking to someone and make plenty mistakes when writing emails. But the concentration problems I would rate as most worrying as they are getting worse and worse.

Anyone else here feeling their symptoms are getting increasingly worse of month and years?  Anyone else here having in between all their issues some random times that are trouble free or feel like you are getting some relief for a short time? In my case I have those days but then afterwards it`s all even worse and I have a new baseline which represents the new normal for me which of course is worse then the old baseline.

Life is really difficult like this not to say exhausting and there seems to be no real hope that it might become any better.