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

hi about 3 years ago my world collapsed after several life changes events my health began to fall apart. I started with headaches and dizziness over the last few years I now have so many symptoms that have changed my life beyond recognition.

from running a company and traveling the world I spend my days in isolation doing not much of anything.

I have severe anxiety as I felt constantly that I was about to drop dead. so I battle all the usual anxiety symptoms in addition to extreme dizziness headaches confusion tingling all over my body weakness and extreme fatigue. I have had every medical test know to man and ended up in ER at least 20 times. I have no answers but your problem could be functional. FND or CFS possibly brought on my long term stress and anxiety. do your best to turn it around as in my experience it only gets worse.. good look

I HAD TO reply to this. I think I could be getting close to an answer but I can't figure it out on my own. I'm honestly thinking it's a bacterial infection. I've had the same symptoms for over 6 years and here's what's weird, the only time I can remember feeling normal has been when I've been put on antibiotics (for other unrelated matters, like after a surgery I had). Doxycycline! I literally felt clear-headed the days I was on a doxycycline IV (which they give you after surgery to prevent infection) and the day they stopped it all my symptoms came back! The drunk/high feeling, static-like ear ringing, my vision feeling spacey/fogged up, the poor memory, and looking down at my arms and seeing they just don't feel connected, I feel slow and weak and dazed-like. I was put on antibiotics for something else about two years after that surgery and some of my vision felt like it was clearing up during the days I was on the antibiotics. Now, here's the other interesting part. I encourage everyone here to GO GET A SYPHILIS TEST. This is where it gets interesting. One of my doctors years ago thought to test me for all STD's, no idea why but I'm happy she did. My syphilis RPR test came back reactive 1:1, BUT my FTA-ABS test (which is the confirmatory test) came back negative. I took it about 3 or 4 times and got the same results every time. But doctors said if FTA-ABS is negative, it is a false positive. I took it months later and the RPR one came back negative, but then two years later now it's reactive again. That RPR changing is no good thing. There are a couple of possibilities here. Doctors have ruled out that I have any rheumatological conditions. So that means the only thing left that could cause a false positive is lyme disease. OR they could be wrong about how accurate the FTA-ABS test is. OR there could be some new bacteria that causes the same spirochetes and antibodies detected in that test. SO I think everyone on this forum should go to get syphilis testing. Not necessarily because syphilis could be the cause but because if we all have similar results in the syphilis tests, it could point towards a spirochete/bacterial cause and not a mental cause. This could be either lyme disease, a late and understudied neurosyphilis, or a newer bacterial infection. We could get closer to an answer and it's a super simple test! Please let me know your results! Most clinics do FREE syphilis testing! Hope we can get this figured out, even if it's without the doctors, I've felt at my weakest this week and sometimes I'm not sure I have much more time. oh also! if you have had antibiotic treatment at some point for something, please try to think back if it made your symptoms lessen any even for just some hours! Also, try to think back if you've been bitten by a tick. All of these answers could get us closer. And remember, doctors aren't scientists, most of them don't even remember anything they were taught in school, they're not superhumans and because we're the ones GOING THROUGH THIS SUFFERING, I can promise you over the years we've read up and studied a lot more on our symptoms than it's ever even crossed their minds to. So it's kind of up to us to figure this s**t out unfortunately. I really want to believe we can!!

Hi all, I'm an other wise fit and healthy 19 year old male and thought I'd share my story since we all seem to share the symptoms of this unknown illness. Before I start I'll say that I am totally deaf in my left since young age and my ears do not self-clean normally so I get them suctioned and cleaned regularly at the hospital. I also have had stuffy clogged sinuses most my life, a misalignment of my Jaw so it clicks when eating sometimes, and lots of flus & sickness's over the past few years prior, ear infections, and some issues with anxiety and depression, stressful life events. I also use to get random tinnitus episodes (similar to the sound of a Call of Duty flashbang) that exact ringing sound for a few seconds and random occasional vertigo episodes when sick or at night in bed, dizzyness and faint feeling when standing up to fast, pressure behind eyes and head. But things have really gotten 100% worse this year. The symptoms things I've mentioned prior seemed to get more frequent from late 2016 early 2017 onward and have increased over the years I remember struggling with concentration and short-term memory around 2017 at it's earliest. And 2018 I experienced a ear-infection and a flu type sickness with strep sore throat that gave me a random episodal rocking sensation for about 3 months. Since then it's been episodic ear infection flu with sore throat that clears with course of anti-bioitcs. Also anxiety, fatigue, concentration and short term memory issues and a slight minor brainfog and alot of the symptoms I mentioned earlier. But on January 18th this year I experienced my first episode of extreme brainfog and worsening memory/ concentration issues and Dr/Dp. I had worked 2 late-afternoon shifts at a restaurant and was staying with my gf, we were drinking and we hadn't been getting much sleep past 2-nights or week prior. Then I came home on the Sunday night then the next morning on January 18th 1am'ish I woke up from a terrible nightmare sweating with racing heart and felt the extreme brainfog and anxiety and short term memory loss feeling my surroundings seeming unreal and things seemed evil, I had a mini anxiety-attack and went into the fetal position crying, and then experienced vertigo and tinnitus. I managed to get back to sleep and had a minor version of brainfog for the next 3 days then it passed and I felt normal for a week few weeks. Fast forward to February I went on holiday and on the car ride down I remember having sore inner-ear almost like ear infection and vertigo and tinnitus episode when my ears popped as we went higher in altitude. This went away but while I was away I had trouble sleeping and went on a big hike and over did myself a bit. After that I had a sort of heat stroke feeling. A few days later I got a really bad sore throat and chest cold and was coughing up yellow flem and had brainfog, fever and chills and was sweating profusely. This sickness continued until I got home and I had another tinnitus and vertigo feeling on the way home. I was home for about a day or two then. Woke up on Saturday 13th of Feb with extreme anxiety, DR/DP, bad headfog and pressure behind the eyes, and in the head, eye floaters in both eyes and visual after images and snow. I also lost 8kg and my hair started thinning over this period. I went straight to the ER and was given anxiety meds and sleeping pills and was given six weeks of CBT which did help but meds did nothing. I had frequent waking and intense nightmares everynight. I've been to the doctors multiple times had my bloods done etc. all came back fine. It's been 2 months since then and I'm still suffering. It has sort of gotten better but worse if that makes any sense?? Like the anxiety over the feeling has decreased and it worries me less now but currently my symptoms are: extreme brainfog feeling like head is wrapped in cotton wool, frequent daily intense nightmares, anxiety and occasional crying episodes with depression, pressure behind eyes and in head, frequent urination, short-term memory issues can't remember days or weeks prior, much anyway about them anyway, confusion, dizzyness and feeling of about to faint when standing up to quick, eye floaters when looking at plain background and grainy vision, things look unreal, occasional tingling in hands and feet and cold feet often, OCD like symptoms too, constant sort of ringing or static in ears, loss of hair, extreme anxiety about everything, and a occasional tinnitus and stabbing pain in side, is worse in mornings but dies down by night, also dizzyness when looking at moving objects sometimes, is also worse when I think about too if I can keep occupied symptoms are easier to deal with, but that's just to name a few. It's hard living with this but I'm gonna stay strong and keep positive. I've been biking 10km every, eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, avoiding alcohol, caffeine and tobacco and living a mindful healthy lifestyle. I've also been taking multi-vitamin and omega-3 fish oil daily. So yeah I'm gonna get some more tests done for Lymes, Lupus, CFS and low levels of vitamin B-12, D, and other things mentioned on here to be checked I will also try and get an MRI done for MS but yeah I just want to go though a process of elimination before I try the anti-depressant Sertraline which alot of people claim helps. I'll keep you guys posted on my success and best of luck to you all for finding a cure to this suffering best wishes to you all and stay strong, god bless : )

I found this thread while searching for similar symptoms - brain fog, tinnitus, odd feeling of watching myself from outside when I speak - which started for me about the end of 2019. It's comforting to know I'm not alone with this as I try and find a reason and solution. I've had blood test which was all ok other than my usual high cholesterol and don't seems to have other symptoms.

I don't think I have stress. I got married again 2 years ago and we're very happy. And I treat my tinnitus as a sort of travelling companion like when you're in an aeroplane, so sometimes nice to feel as though I'm travelling. I'm also confident there's a solution to this. I just need to find it.

I've been considering possibilities. Lateral thinking! 1. At end of 2019 we travelled a lot and with tight shoes I developed a corn on my toe which was painful. I've had it since then and only just had it treated. Is it possible that the body reacts to pain or injury, or hidden infection? And by fixing the problem it will fix the brain? 2. I've got a cracked front tooth which I'm having removed. Is it possible this is causing the issue I ask myself? Again because of possible hidden infection? 3. I used to exercise a lot and did an Ironman Triathlon in 2018, but have stopped exercising and have put on 10kg + since Covid. Is extra weight causing my problem?

So, I'm working on these 3 issues and hope to get some improvement over the next few months. Fingers crossed, and I'll keep looking for possible solutions as I'm sure a solution is out there!

Good luck to all of us! 😃

Guys! not sure if this could be the answer. felt horrific the other day (like i was having a stroke) and went to the ER. They ran a CT scan with contrast. the doc said my scan was normal (but i no longer trust docs) so i asked for a copy. I learned my brain ISN'T NORMAL. idk how this has been missed with the amount of times of gone to the hospital and all the scans ive had for these symptoms. but i have a congenital thing called Bilateral Hypoplasia of the Posterior Communicating Artery. All of these symptoms can be caused by this because there isnt enough blood flow to the majority of your brain. Unfortunately this also puts you at risk of stroke at a young age so i encourage all of you to look into this and REQUEST AND READ YOUR SCAN REPORTS! There might be something bigger at play here than the anxiety doctors are brushing it off as. Your entire brain could be wired different which is causing that anxiety etc

Hi Taylor

I hope things get better soon. you are feeling everything that i have felt for the last year, its like youre 100% sure youre ill, all these strange symptoms, physical ones like being dizzy, forgetful no drive! its like youre a completely different person.

im real tired, so ill visit this tomorrow.