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    Cognitive fog - 1st flare up, new to this.

    Will this cognitive fatigue go away after this flare subsides? My mind just doesn't want to work and man I hope this goes away. I feel like an idiot. I couldn't remember which faucet was hot or cold. I hate this.

    This is my 1st flare up. Diagnosed last month due to nystagmus. I've had a few weird physical things in the past 5 years but have generally felt fine. No fog like this, that's for sure.

    Everything is slower. I walk slower. I talk slower. I think slower. I hope this goes away.
    No sir, I don't like it.
    Diagnosed August 30, 2013.

    #2
    After I posted this, I took a 30mg Adderall which I have for ADD. I hadn't taken one in a while.

    It helped a LOT. It staved off the hit-by-a-bus feeling. Now doing some research I see Adderall is often prescribed for fatigue.
    No sir, I don't like it.
    Diagnosed August 30, 2013.

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      #3
      Originally posted by JBWInColorado View Post
      Will this cognitive fatigue go away after this flare subsides?
      Maybe or maybe not. But with relapsing remitting MS the remitting part means that some symptoms get somewhat or almost completely better after a few weeks or months. So based on that I don't think you would be out of line to hope that the thinking gets a bit clearer in a few more weeks.

      High dose steroids can also cause fuzzy thinking along with the other side effects. When I do my periodic 3 days of Solu-Medrol I try to stay home a lot and not do anything important for about 2 weeks because it makes me so darned addle brained. So if your high dose steroids affected your thinking it might take a few more days or A week for that to clear up. If you are on a significant amount of oral steroids as a taper it could take longer and might not go away until you have been off all steroids for a couple of weeks.

      The rest of the brain fog will depend on how fast your brain heals from this attack.

      Comment


        #4
        Oh How I Understand

        I am no where near what I used to be before MS. I have problems doing the simplest of things. I was always a straight A student now I' m lucky to get a C+. When I talked to my doc about it he said, "oh that's age." I tell people I know what I was before MS and what I am now and they are not the same. Hopefully your issues will reside quickly. Take care. MDE

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          #5
          JBWinColorado: You should talk to your neurologist about a medication for fatigue. There are several to choose from, even Adderal. These will do what Adderal did for you, make you more focused, less tired, and you will be less foggy. It helps.

          Take care
          Lisa
          Moderation Team
          Disabled RN with MS for 14 years
          SPMS EDSS 7.5 Wheelchair (but a racing one)
          Tysabri

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            #6
            Cognitive stuff is the worst.

            Yesterday, at a medical appointment, I couldn't for the life of me figure out right and left for the duration of the 20 minute appointment. Seriously? Sigh.

            I would say that it is worse for me when I'm having a flare, or whatever it is (since I'm not dxed) -- BUT even between, my short term memory and normal executive function has not returned. The speech pauses, word finding, word substitution, confusion and inability to follow directions or a conversation -- so far they recover :-).

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              #7
              Cognitive issues are "unlikely to remit" (Kalb, 2007), and cognitive retraining gets mixed results in terms effectiveness (Kosmidis et al., 2010). I told someone in a support group that you can get a hemispherectomy and still have a normal IQ because the mind has amazing regenerative properties. I was lying to her though, because she looked about 22 and I couldn't bring myself to say, "you're screwed."

              Comment


                #8
                Hi Jessy,

                First of all I am sorry for calling you Man in a prior post.

                My main issue is the slowing of everything. My memory is a sieve(lol) thank God for spell check. I cant remember much of anything anymore and I used to recall a lot.

                I go to classes on Wed for a stupid mistake I made and I cant remember anything from class to class. It so frustrating. I have been Like this since last July.

                I myself was prescribed Adderall at one point. And for 2 months all I could do was focus on a single thing so intently, I was not able to realize anything else going on around me. It was scary.

                I miss my mind however, it seems nothing bothers me anymore. IE waiting rooms. I can wait with patience for hours and time just seems to go by with out me realizing it. I guess that's a bright side.

                It Kills me when I can't remember peoples names. I mean like my cousins and in-laws. Its embarrassing. I thought it was from smoking pot, however its been months and I feel I was better on it. At least it gave me a reason to feel like this.

                Good Luck!!!!!!
                Billy
                Leave the Heat and Stress for the birds!

                Comment


                  #9
                  I have found that low dose Adderall has helped a lot with my cognitive issues, namely lack of concentration. I take 7.5 mg a day, when I get up in the morning. I have little to no side effects now that I have been on it for a few months. (BTW I am overweight, and the lack of appetite has helped with weight loss, which I struggle with, so it's a side effect that I don't mind.)
                  Diagnosed with RRMS on 3/15/2013...beware the ides of March!
                  Rebif from 5/2013 - 09/2014.
                  Gilenya since 11/2014.
                  Also taking vitamin D3, fish oil, magnesium, and B12.
                  EDSS 3.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Thank you all for your replies. I posted this about 2 weeks ago and am now feeling significantly better, almost back to normal. Energy is returning and my brain seems to be back to normal, for the most part. I'm still a bit up and down, but getting better everyday.

                    Now I'm freaking out because I'm so close to feeling like my old self that I'm freaking out about starting tecifidera soon, and am afraid it's gonna make me feel like crap again.

                    I currently have NO symptoms. OK, my right hand doesn't like to write but it's been like that for years and I'm used to it. I walk like I always have (fused ankle has always been a literal pain since 1998 but again - used to it). I can see fine - nystagmus is gone. At this point, my only problem is regaining my energy from being so screwed up for a month.

                    It's so scary to think that at any moment - something stupid can happen. And it's so tempting to just deny the past month ever happened and carry on as if it were Aug 25th again.

                    I haven't had a good day - anxiety over all this got me.
                    No sir, I don't like it.
                    Diagnosed August 30, 2013.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by BillyL1677 View Post
                      IE waiting rooms. I can wait with patience for hours and time just seems to go by with out me realizing it. I guess that's a bright side.
                      YES! Me too -- it's crazy. And although I'm pretty patient, before I would have to read, or knit -- do something. Yesterday I ended up at the ER without a book, and I just sat doing nothing (other than a few conversations) and the time flew.

                      Or perhaps it's just practice ...

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Great news

                        JBW! it is great that you are feeling like yourself again! As for the Tec I wish I had an answer for you. Any DMD has side effects, some worse than others. Certainly talk to your neuro about them. Sometimes, I have read, that the side effects are worse then the MS symptoms. Good Luck!

                        Aspen... I believe patience is my new super power! All though too much can be a bad thing...
                        Leave the Heat and Stress for the birds!

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