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How do you deal with fibro fog?

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Posted 4/28/2009 2:08 PM (GMT 0)
I'm somewhat clueless on how to deal with the foggy brain problem. Maybe it's because the doctors finally put a name to this just a month ago after 3 years of tests and the run around.

I sure spent a good amount time figuring out my forum password and need to leave for work since I'm already late.

Sorry....I'm just complaining I guess.
Posted 4/28/2009 3:19 PM (GMT 0)

Hi, fibrodaze, and welcome!  The best thing for your fibrofog is a great sense of humor!  You definitely need that.  Also, write notes to help you remember things.  I play bridge on the computer and that helps me because you have to remember what cards have been played.  You can find things that help with your memory and help keep you "sharp".

I have a Nintendo DS Lite and bought the game Brain Age.  That is good too and helps some.  But, as I said in the beginning, a sense of humor is great.  It's good to laugh and it sure beats being frustrated all of the time.!

Be sure to check out the Fibro 101 thread...the second thread on the forum.  There are links to good info about fibromyalgia and you can learn a lot about this illness.  Also, read back posts and ask questions.  We are here to help you.  I hope to hear more from you soon.

Sherrine

Posted 4/28/2009 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
Post it notes.  Lots and lots of post it notes! Seriously, you should see my office right now.

 

Eventually, you'll find humor in the "fog".  There have been many fun and hilarious threads on the is topic over the years.  Here's one that happened to me last week....

 

Hubby and I went for a long walk and when we got home, instead of taking off my shoes, I undid my pants.  Hubby thought he was going to get lucky right then and there!  We're still laughing about it.

 

I know what you're dealing with is not funny.  It isn't for any of us.  But the little fog moments can be funny sometimes.  When it is, just go with it and laugh it up.  You'll feel better about it wink .

 

Ginny

Posted 4/28/2009 3:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hi fibrodaze,

I find my self writing down things a lot. I am a lister. That really helps. Also taking fish oil helps. You can get the kind where you don't burp it up later. I use that. It is hard with fibrofog, you need to try to keep your mind active. I know that is hard, but it can be done.

I hope that this gets better for you, but know that you aren't alone with this. We all suffer and even joke about it.

Hugs, Karen
Posted 4/28/2009 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
The best thing you can do. as they have said, is to laugh about things. I was going through the checkout line at Krogers and it was Christmas time and I told the checkout gal to "have a happy hot dog!" I thought my teenage daughter was going to die of embarrasment but we have laughed so hard about that for years now. I also went through Tim Hortons and ordered a bagel and requested "strawberry dressing" on it. The list goes on and on. Sometimes my fog will last for days at a time and then other times it will be just for a few hours. I have found that my ability to spell words has gone down hill quiet a bit. Your friends will begin to pick up on the times when "the fog has set in" and help you out if you're out someplace and try to order something weird. Good luck and welcome to the club!
Nurse2
Posted 4/28/2009 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Fibrodaze!

I definitely agree that a good sense of humor is vital to surviving fibro fog. My family gets a big kick out of me and my "brain farts" as we've come to call them. I've done things like make my son a peanut butter and mayo sandwich for lunch, sent my youngest off to preschool with mismatched shoes on, forgotten the words for really simple things (my family is very used to me saying "you know...the THING!!") and so on..the fog used to really bother me, but now I just shrug it off 'cause what else can I do?

Also, the post it notes tip is a great one. I have notes all over my house. I also have a dry erase board in my kitchen to write down notes, an ongoing grocery list on my fridge, a calender to write down important dates, and when something is really important, I will also have my hubby put a reminder notice in the cell phone (I have no idea how to do that myself..lol) It's kind of a pain, but there are ways around the fog. Just keep trying different things, and you will find a system that works for you.

Welcome to the family, by the way :-). I look forward to getting to know you!
Posted 4/29/2009 7:01 AM (GMT 0)
I always have to park in the same row at the grocery store or I will wander up and down pushing my cart and looking for the car. If I do have to park out of turn, I make a mnemonic for the row - like, parked row A, OK! - something like that.
Posted 4/29/2009 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
I will sometimes use my cell phone to take a picture of the parking lot section/aisle marker, or some nearby landmark. Then I can refer to the photo to locate my car later.
Posted 5/1/2009 1:05 PM (GMT 0)
I do lots of things in routines. Like park in the same row, put my keys in the same place, write on the outside of the envelope, in bold marker, the due date as soon as a bill arrives and then put it in the same mail basket (I also write it on the calendar as back up). Post its are good idea. I carry around those small 4" x 4" notebooks in my pocket but my problem is after I fill them up with all the stuff I cant afford to forget...I loose the @##% thing! Hahahahaha
Posted 5/1/2009 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
There are some great suggestions listed above, most of which I use and swear by and some that I will start using right away. Humor is definitely the most important thing. My son has been teasing me all week about "Microsauce Word Processing".

Some of the suggestions involve doing things the same way each time such as always parking in the same place. It takes time and a lot of reminders before you really remember but once you do, it makes things easier. Everyone used to tell me to always put my keys in the same place - well, I thought I always did. Turns out I had about a half-dozen "same places". I bought a special hook and hung it on the wall. That's where my keys go and the hook is the first thing that goes up whenever we move.

I also write really, really important things on the back of my hand in bright red ink. It's hard to ignore and people always point it out so it works for me. Now, whenever my students want me to do something they think I might forget, they tell me to write it on my hand.

If you have a cell phone, learn to use it. You can set it to remind you, you can take photos, you can add notes.

Sherrine's suggestion about working your brain is very important. Make a point of doing something that exercises your brain every day no matter how foggy you are. At the beginning of this adventure, I couldn't read; I couldn't remember the plot and characters. I started by reading books with familiar characters and books I'd read before. I would make charts and keep index cards with character notes. It seemed to take forever but eventually, I could remember. It felt like I was training my brain to work in a new way.
Posted 5/2/2009 1:22 AM (GMT 0)
A lot of not remembering where we park can be regular brain functioning. But I am sure it gets worse with fibro. If you go to a place every day or frequently and you park in a different spot each time, the repeated information about where you parked interferes with previous information. In a sense, it gets all mixed up in your head. We study this in cognitive psychology. and if you just park your car and go into the store or whatever, you don't encode the information and hence don't remember where you parked. I also park my car in the same place at each store. I have been seen wandering the parking lot with my groceries! If you are hurting, that is no fun.

I must use a planner all of the time or I am going somewhere at the wrong time or double booking or forgetting events altogether. I cannot keep track of all of my research that is going on right now, so I have a white board where I keep track of it - not inside brain where it gets lost!
Sue
Posted 5/2/2009 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
I've lost my car so many times that it is not funny. Now if I'm having trouble I just hit the alarm key on my keychain. Then when I see a car with flashing lights and a honking horn....I head that way.
Nurse2
Posted 5/2/2009 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Fibrodaze, I'm not sure I have welcomed you. A very good sense of humor, post its, a GPS system with HOME in it and a family that enjoys playing charades when you can't remember the name of something. I had not thought about using my cell phone to take pictures of where I park but that is a good idea. It does take some creative thinking to come up with things that will help so we don't forget things. I write all my bills on a 3x5 card at the beginning of the month and when they are due and how much and keep it by my computer along with my calender where I write every event. You know my DH does not have fibro but his memory is no better than mine so age has a lot to do with it.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 5/2/2009 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
My secret weapon is my iPhone.  It has my calendar, reminders, and pictures.  It even has Notes so when I think something I need to remember I don't have to find paper and pen.  I just wished it would talk for me because the things that are coming out of my mouth lately are really scaring me.

I did have to write on my hand last week.  My delightful husband sent me to Louisian for a visit.  It took 3 flights to get me there.  In order for me to get from one gate to my connecting I had to write the flight number and gate number on my hand.  Everytime I would make a turn or check the schedule monitors I would forget where I was going.  My hands were full with my carryon, purse and jacket, so it was too hard to pull out my boarding pass.   I figured this out after my first flight.  On one flight the lady sitting next to me saw me writting on myself.  She looked very concerned and offer me a piece of paper.  lol tongue

Posted 5/2/2009 4:08 PM (GMT 0)
The fog can be a real pain in the *bleep*. Sometimes it gets so bad that I have to close my eyes and let myself go blank for a few moments to "reset". I literally forget everything momentarily. Luckily it doesn't get that bad very often. I have found at work that I actually do better when the fog sets in because I know I have to make an extra effort to pay attention. Lists.....lists help me tremendously. And post-its..........I have one right now reminding me to pay my rent today. tongue

I have bad word recall days. I will search and search for the correct word or the wrong word will pop out of my mouth. One morning I was working and the conversation with my coworkers turned to food. We were talking about our favorite ethnic foods and Thai came up. All excited I loudly exclaimed "OMG, I love penis sauce!"..........

.....um, it's called PEANUT sauce............ smilewinkgrin
Posted 5/4/2009 4:05 AM (GMT 0)
that's hilarious nobodygirl
Posted 5/4/2009 11:01 AM (GMT 0)
I know it's good to have a sense of homour, and I try. However, I also get really stressed and anxious when there is something important pending and I cannot remember details. Like, right now, I'm moving households, I can't seem to prioritize, at all. I know roughly what needs to be done, but I cannot figure out how to do it, in what order. I end up begging for more time. Yesterday, I near killed myself hauling stuff, big boy slept through it all in the next room, (son), but I don't like to come down on him to hard because he seems to be struggling with everything that's going on as well. Saturday, we were on track, had a truck hired for Sunday, and my small dog decided it was a good day for porcupine meat, so he bit into one. Being it was saturday, vet was very expensive, so all my moving money went into pups' mouth. So cancelled truck, for now. Trying to do it carload by carload. Humm, what goes where, what is most important, humm, where was I, oh yeah, and the tenant who was supposed to be out of the new place where I paid moucho rent for beginning May 1, still hasn't moved her furniture. So, I try to tuck my stuff around hers. Bizarre, eh. To heck with it, I'm just going to use her furniture as if it were my own.  

Posted 5/4/2009 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
Tyno, that sounds like a nightmare! My thoughts are with you that this gets taken care of fast. Was the old tenant evicted? Sheesh! I hope you don't have a new roommate!
Sue
Posted 5/4/2009 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
It sure is akward. I don't know what to do. I could just live on her furniture, but then she might show up and I'd be in a pickle. This is the fifth day I have been on the lease and all paid up and cannot move in. Creepers. Also, I know she (previous tenant) just found out her eldest daughter has cancer, so I  can't really be mad at her. I am kinda po'dat the landlord; according to the tenancies act, he is supposed to hold on to her stuff for 60 days, but not on my dime. Yucky, eh?

Posted 5/4/2009 11:31 PM (GMT 0)
I have to say I needed the laugh I have got from this group this morning [my time] now we all lose our minds and we know why but I love to listen to people who are well and do this my mother in law has lost her remote she is the only one in the house friends of ours moved and THEY forgot to mow the lawn. Friends who are younger and well are always losing their cars they lose keys forget when they go in stores you name it and they do not have Fibrofog so I TELL THEM AT LEAST THERE IS AREASON I FORGET what about you?
Laughter is the best medicane.
Kathy
Posted 5/5/2009 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
There are things you can do to improve your attention span and whatnot. It just takes dedication.
Posted 5/5/2009 8:44 PM (GMT 0)

Well, I did not know it had a name (fog) but about 25 years ago I went to a large 2 story mall in a St. Louis suburb.  When I was finished shopping I realized I did not know where I parked, not even what level I parked on.  It took me forever to find my car. confused   I've have not lost my car since.  When I get out of the car I take a moment to look around and find a 'marker'.  Some shopping centers mark the rows with a number or letter.  If not I look towards the store I'm close to and memorize something that is easy, like what letter in the name of the store I am parked closest to.  Like the E in Sears.  If I'm in a large lot I count how many rows from the store I am.  I use to write this down but now I make myself remember. It does help.  I do see people wandering around the parking lots trying to find their cars.  How frustrating.

Puppylover

Posted 5/6/2009 5:23 AM (GMT 0)
Tyno, your landlord is opening him/herself up to a lawsuit. Unless it is in your lease, you can do what you want with the furniture and the landlord would be responsible. I would insist that everything be removed immediately. You've already paid for the month and through no fault of your own, you can't move in. You should get credit on your next month's rent for the week you are missing this month.

What if the former tenant says that something was damaged. You will be blamed even though it isn't your fault. Or what if you do actually damage something? You don't need the hassle.
Posted 5/6/2009 2:25 PM (GMT 0)

Like nurse, I had a fibro moment at the checkout lane. After getting my items rung up, I ran my card through the machine on the counter, and after a few moments, the cashier said it had been declined. Well, I'd had problems occasionally with my ATM card not working correctly because the little stripe was so  worn, so I rubbed it on my shirt and tried again. Same thing. I panicked, and became upset. Figuring there must have been some problem I wasn't aware of with my bank, and not wanting to hold up the line, I pulled out my wallet to pay with my credit card. Imagine my surprise when I saw my ATM card sticking out of it's usual spot in my wallet. I looked at the card in my hand, and saw I had tried to pay by swiping my driver's license! My 19 year old daughter laughed so hard I thought she might hurt herself.

I can laugh about it now, and whenever my daughter is with me, she makes sure I have the right card in hand, but it was very embarrassing then. I had gone through a very stressful day, and chalked it up to fibro-brain. I've had a couple other small instances since then, but luckily was alone or not where people could see my mistake. Plus, I think I might bankrupt the company I work for because of the cost of all the Post-It notes I use-I think since I started having memory problems they have tripled the size of their order of the notes. Fibro certainly makes life interesting, if nothing else, lol!

Posted 5/6/2009 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
Puppylove, my hubby lost the car at O'Hara airport in Chicago and he doesn't have fibro. We were taking middle son to catch a flight and running late so he dropped us off and went to park the car and when we went to leave he had no idea what level or anything and it must have taken us at least an hour to find the car. He wasn't even that old then but in a hurry.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

 

 

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