I’m making soup for my daughter and hubby.    I rarely cook so this is a big deal.   I cut the veggies.   I add my spices and broth and note that I need more broth.   I walk from my kitchen to the pantry which is literally 15 steps, open the pantry door and…. my mind is blank.   I walk back to the kitchen.   Then I remember the broth so I walk back to the pantry, open the doors AND blank…. I can’t remember shit.  I walk back to the kitchen, remember I need the broth… scream out FUCK!!!  Almost run to the pantry while the thought of broth is still on my mind, open the doors and grab the broth in a panic.  FINALLY! Task completed.   It only took 10 fucking minutes. 

Welcome to a day in the life of Brain Fog.  This is asshole Brian Fog who enters everyone’s life at some point… {usually due to sleep deprivation or when the age monster is comin to get ya} however for us Invisible fighters {autoimmune diseases suffers} this is an everyday occurrence.  Brain fog is not a medically recognized term but is a commonly used phrase that sums up feelings of confusion, forgetfulness, and lack of focus and mental clarity.

Brain fog happens to the average person who is lacking sleep. When they catch up on sleep they’re back to normal brain power.  We Invisible fighters… towards the end of the day or on a day where we are struggling, most of us can’t even finish a sentence without forgetting what we’re saying, and\or stuttering.   Brain fog is basically what it sounds like; it’s fog in your brain that is clouding your thought process and disturbing your communication skills.    Many times when I am in the middle of a session with a client where I am on fire with providing great suggestions or challenging them regarding their own insight, all of a sudden I can’t get the words out.   Out of nowhere I appear to have a speech impediment and\or language barrier.  In that moment I just want to scream “I know the English language, I swear!  My brain is an asshole with a dark sense of humor!”   I’ve had friends and family members make fun of me and\or correct me.   BUT that stopped after they got the “don’t fuck with me “look and\or the “how the fuck can you be so insensitive” speech. 

 I have now created my own language; “pass me the thingamagigers… I need the whatchamacallits… those thingies”… also pointing and moaning has become quite common.    My admin assistant has learned to speak my language fluently.   It’s quite accommodating and refreshing.  My husband still needs practice.

If you are a great communicator, this is very frustrating.   For me, I take a great deal of pride in being able to reach others through communication. I have a gift where I am able to connect with others using my words.  When I can’t speak because I’m stuttering or forget what I want to say, I feel stupid and uneducated.   It’s extremely embarrassing.   I feel as though the disease is not only taking over your body but it’s also mocking me through fogging up my mind. 

This happens because of chronic fatigue but there are other reasons for it as well.  The average person who is suffering from a chronic disease doesn’t get a lot of sleep.  That sleep is disrupted by pain.  In dealing with the pain on a daily basis, trying to ignore the pain, and\or trying to cope with the pain also causes brain fog.  When you are in constant pain you give off a hormonal response that triggers your endorphin’s.  Your endorphin’s are a short term pain killer but if you’re in pain all day eventually those endorphin’s wear out and you produce another hormone (cortisol) that can make you quite angry when high levels are made.    Just ask my husband…. I have become quite the angry woman since Mr. Lupus and Ms. RA made their long unwanted visit.   

Several of my friends have now noticed when I hit my “wall”, the brain fog wall.  It is infrequent and illogical.  I don’t give much notice.  All of a sudden I am disrupting my husband or whomever I am with stating urgently that I need to go and NOW.  At this point; I have nothing left in me, no spoons {another blog to come}, no patience, and no mind.  I cannot process anything and therefore need to shut down.   There’s no real warning sign, you go from tired to non-functioning.    So if you ever met someone or are with someone who suddenly takes long pauses when speaking and/or stutters and/or mispronounce words, the Brain Fog may have taken over or they may just be an Invisible Fighter…. I actually think of them as Invisible Hero’s …