School and Brain Fog

[RyanNoelle]

I'm so worried. I start college in the fall. My brain fog is so bad that I can't even remember the words for something I asked for five minutes ago. I'm already so scared of my brain fog. The other day I forgot how to tie a knot, it took me like two minutes to get my fingers to move the right way. In the evening I can't remember if I ate breakfast. I'm so scared of going to college with this. I already have mobility and anxiety issues to deal with. My brain fog is terrifying me. What if I go and I forget where my classes are? What if I forget to eat? It'll be my first time on my own for the whole day, Has anyone experienced this? How am I going to manage school with such severe brain fog?

 

[hope23]

I'm so worried. I start college in the fall. My brain fog is so bad that I can't even remember the words for something I asked for five minutes ago. I'm already so scared of my brain fog. The other day I forgot how to tie a knot, it took me like two minutes to get my fingers to move the right way. In the evening I can't remember if I ate breakfast. I'm so scared of going to college with this. I already have mobility and anxiety issues to deal with. My brain fog is terrifying me. What if I go and I forget where my classes are? What if I forget to eat? It'll be my first time on my own for the whole day, Has anyone experienced this? How am I going to manage school with such severe brain fog?

As someone who is now going it alone, i can tell you it is possible, is it easy? No, but it is possible.
My first suggestion would be to start keeping a diary, or even two. I personally have a diary for work things(jobs i need to do, things i need to ask etc). I then keep a second diary for what i have eaten that day, what medication i have taken and when and what my symptoms have been like that day.

At first it was hard remember to write these things down so i set alarms on my phone for morning, lunch and evening, you can always do shorter intervals depending on what you personally need.

You can do this and you arent alone, we are all here to help in any way we can

 

[RyanNoelle]

That's a really good idea! I never thought of something like that. Thank you so much!

 

[hope23]

That's a really good idea! I never thought of something like that. Thank you so much!

It helped me a lot!! And kind of stopped me feeling like i wasnt keeping on top of things(because i couldnt remember what i needed to get done).

 

[JayCS]

My first suggestion would be to start keeping a diary, or even two....
set alarms on my phone for morning, lunch and evening,

This x10 is me thru and thru, what with my hyperactivity, multi-tasking, keeping in a flow to keep happiness up, but body needing so much care all the time, which I partly have/want to distract from, partly need to very much focus on. Worse since fibro/MCAS etc. from the amount of things I now have to keep control of, better cos I've never been in more flow, more happiness, and more self-care.
Altho I've always done that every few months or years, I've recently deeply re-organized "myself" in many areas, changing and de-cluttering my environment to focus more on what needs to be prioritized, like my work bar table is now my "supp lab", whilst I've found more variations on good postures whilst sitting at my laptop, always on the floor twist-stretched.
How many diaries do I keep? After putting self-care notes and reminders in various places like alarms and calender events with reminders on my smartphone, I've decluttered all that, cos I wasn't taking note of them. Where I "look" for "everything" (except while gardening), work, play or self-care, is my laptop.

So my self-care diary has been my daily "JayCS's fibro blog" for over 2 years now, which I've recently simplified more with a template that I have to go thru and fill in every day.
This - partly using symbols - contains leading symptoms, successes, new habits, FM symptoms summary, Triggers and symptoms: MCAS/jab, sleep, activities/Ache, pains etc. Treatments: Doc suggestions, self-physio types and amounts (aiming for 90'/d), all supp details, Development: research, lessons in self-care, reasons to be cheerful, "simplified", and I tried noting "foggies" - fog events, but realized not so much. And further links to my main lists (jab side effects, the list of 50 foods I can eat...).

My daily alarms like you say hope I use on my laptop, that's the place I see them most, they remain open while I work, about 50 per day. Although they take up the right quarter of my screen, I keep getting used to ignoring them, so I've started again to keep putting all my browser windows large enough that I cannot do anything else but work thru them first. Lots of them get done without actually looking at them, I think they do work on my sub-conscious.
I only use my old smartphones for phoning/texting and photos, and a few notes when I'm out and about. So I concentrate more on my laptop, as I usually need to be home anyway. But now I do actually often take the whole laptop with me. Used to have phone and PDA, but that's switched over to mainly laptop.

(As a constant multi-tasker / task-switcher I have 10-15 apps open all the time, 8 of them in 'continual' use, several of them with many sub-windows, like one of my browsers 50 tabs. This is absolutely no problem for me. Task-switching makes sure my brain and body is happy - as soon as something gets too much, I switch. Even in the garden I'm continually switching between different ideas & actions.)

But what I've recently found is that collecting all information, work or play, in a very clear file system in my notes app, is a really brilliant help. For my fog I've put as "0" in that file system a "hub". Here I have a short list of my absolute priorities, sorted by area: 1 body 1 health 2 garden 2 home 3 listen 4 play 5 job 6 people 7 biz 8 tech. Inside each area the 4-5 important things I need to do, priority sorted, this is my planning cockpit. If anything is really really important I put a fire or dynamite symbol on it. Because these didn't stick out enough visually with a white background, I changed the app to dark mode, and that really makes those shine.
You can see from the numbers 1-8 that this already is a priority list. 7 and 8 are reference areas, 5-6 are external things that will 'force' themselves upon me anyway, they don't need to be high in the list. 3-4 are fun things, but I still need to remember to listen to music, whilst I'm hardly able to play anymore. 2 garden/home is alphabetical, but I am actually prioritizing garden at the moment, cos it's much closer to self-care, it hurts less, means air and sun. 1 body is actual self-care, short, 1 health is supp ordering, research, and treatments, symptoms,
The app is brilliant for me, cos I can quickly jump around the areas, at the same time I can get any number of windows open, letting them hover (like noting what I'm listening to), so I just have to switch windows and then back to what I was actually working on.

I also have a big transparent clock on my laptop which I keep moving out of the way, but is sposed to be in sight all the time.

 

[hope23]

This x10 is me thru and thru, what with my hyperactivity, multi-tasking, keeping in a flow to keep happiness up, but body needing so much care all the time, which I partly have/want to distract from, partly need to very much focus on. Worse since fibro/MCAS etc. from the amount of things I now have to keep control of, better cos I've never been in more flow, more happiness, and more self-care.
Altho I've always done that every few months or years, I've recently deeply re-organized "myself" in many areas, changing and de-cluttering my environment to focus more on what needs to be prioritized, like my work bar table is now my "supp lab", whilst I've found more variations on good postures whilst sitting at my laptop, always on the floor twist-stretched.
How many diaries do I keep? After putting self-care notes and reminders in various places like alarms and calender events with reminders on my smartphone, I've decluttered all that, cos I wasn't taking note of them. Where I "look" for "everything" (except while gardening), work, play or self-care, is my laptop.

So my self-care diary has been my daily "JayCS's fibro blog" for over 2 years now, which I've recently simplified more with a template that I have to go thru and fill in every day.
This - partly using symbols - contains leading symptoms, successes, new habits, FM symptoms summary, Triggers and symptoms: MCAS/jab, sleep, activities/Ache, pains etc. Treatments: Doc suggestions, self-physio types and amounts (aiming for 90'/d), all supp details, Development: research, lessons in self-care, reasons to be cheerful, "simplified", and I tried noting "foggies" - fog events, but realized not so much. And further links to my main lists (jab side effects, the list of 50 foods I can eat...).

My daily alarms like you say hope I use on my laptop, that's the place I see them most, they remain open while I work, about 50 per day. Although they take up the right quarter of my screen, I keep getting used to ignoring them, so I've started again to keep putting all my browser windows large enough that I cannot do anything else but work thru them first. Lots of them get done without actually looking at them, I think they do work on my sub-conscious.
I only use my old smartphones for phoning/texting and photos, and a few notes when I'm out and about. So I concentrate more on my laptop, as I usually need to be home anyway. But now I do actually often take the whole laptop with me. Used to have phone and PDA, but that's switched over to mainly laptop.

(As a constant multi-tasker / task-switcher I have 10-15 apps open all the time, 8 of them in 'continual' use, several of them with many sub-windows, like one of my browsers 50 tabs. This is absolutely no problem for me. Task-switching makes sure my brain and body is happy - as soon as something gets too much, I switch. Even in the garden I'm continually switching between different ideas & actions.)

But what I've recently found is that collecting all information, work or play, in a very clear file system in my notes app, is a really brilliant help. For my fog I've put as "0" in that file system a "hub". Here I have a short list of my absolute priorities, sorted by area: 1 body 1 health 2 garden 2 home 3 listen 4 play 5 job 6 people 7 biz 8 tech. Inside each area the 4-5 important things I need to do, priority sorted, this is my planning cockpit. If anything is really really important I put a fire or dynamite symbol on it. Because these didn't stick out enough visually with a white background, I changed the app to dark mode, and that really makes those shine.
You can see from the numbers 1-8 that this already is a priority list. 7 and 8 are reference areas, 5-6 are external things that will 'force' themselves upon me anyway, they don't need to be high in the list. 3-4 are fun things, but I still need to remember to listen to music, whilst I'm hardly able to play anymore. 2 garden/home is alphabetical, but I am actually prioritizing garden at the moment, cos it's much closer to self-care, it hurts less, means air and sun. 1 body is actual self-care, short, 1 health is supp ordering, research, and treatments, symptoms,
The app is brilliant for me, cos I can quickly jump around the areas, at the same time I can get any number of windows open, letting them hover (like noting what I'm listening to), so I just have to switch windows and then back to what I was actually working on.

I also have a big transparent clock on my laptop which I keep moving out of the way, but is sposed to be in sight all the time.

Holy moly!!!!! You are one busy human!! I am in awe of how much you juggle and work on in just one day!! Im an active person and struggle to sit on the couch and "do nothing(well not nothing but giving my body the rest it needs at that time)"
I've had to teach myself that its ok to sit down on the couch when i need to rest for a bit. My need to constantly be doing something is nothing on that wopping big list, go you

 

[JayCS]

I've had to teach myself that its ok to sit down on the couch when i need to rest for a bit.

Well actually, after I've overdone it at table tennis (30' is too much at the moment) or in the garden (hours, but slow), I now love the feeling of being able to allow myself to sit down at my laptop with the world at my fingertips and loads of lovely inspiring things to switch between, whilst my body recovers. Means I don't notice the pain. Peopling online is lots of fun, peopling live the biggest strain imaginable. I also enjoy "achieving" things. May not be what other people (like my wife) think are achievements, but I do. And at the moment I'm also researching a lot about the gardening.
But yes, what helped to teach myself was the full fibro crash which I'm still in, and then the full MCAS/jab crash I'm still in, which floored/floors me and permanently took me out of being able to commute to work. Of course there'd always be the choice to not accept, not to want to give in, even in that state. But it's easier to do for someone as active as us, if it's a cow sitting on us, rather than a big dog. In my case it's at least a cow, for everyone to see, so I know longer have to prove myself to others or myself. That makes it easier. Sort of

My need to constantly be doing something is nothing

Well as soon as I do really 'nothing' my body plays up, so if my wife wants me to shut up at last, I get my mat and do my exercises, but that also only goes too far, and I need an (online) break from peopling with her, which is a strain when she needs me to shut up or to listen - which I love doing for quite some time, but listening to people is easier for me whilst multi-tasking - I can concentrate better on both then, it stop my brain wandering and my body from irritating me...

 

[hope23]

Peopling online is lots of fun, peopling live the biggest strain imaginable.

Oh this is so me!! Sometimes live peopling feels like an exercise in torture.

But it's easier to do for someone as active as us, if it's a cow sitting on us, rather than a big dog. In my case it's at least a cow, for everyone to see, so I know longer have to prove myself to others or myself. That makes it easier.

some days i feel like having a cow or elephant sit on me wouldnt be a bad thing, would atleast make me rest when i know i should but just cant quite face doing 'nothing' at times

 

[Auriel]

Well actually, after I've overdone it at table tennis (30' is too much at the moment) or in the garden (hours, but slow), I now love the feeling of being able to allow myself to sit down at my laptop with the world at my fingertips and loads of lovely inspiring things to switch between, whilst my body recovers. Means I don't notice the pain. Peopling online is lots of fun, peopling live the biggest strain imaginable. I also enjoy "achieving" things. May not be what other people (like my wife) think are achievements, but I do. And at the moment I'm also researching a lot about the gardening.
But yes, what helped to teach myself was the full fibro crash which I'm still in, and then the full MCAS/jab crash I'm still in, which floored/floors me and permanently took me out of being able to commute to work. Of course there'd always be the choice to not accept, not to want to give in, even in that state. But it's easier to do for someone as active as us, if it's a cow sitting on us, rather than a big dog. In my case it's at least a cow, for everyone to see, so I know longer have to prove myself to others or myself. That makes it easier. Sort of

Well as soon as I do really 'nothing' my body plays up, so if my wife wants me to shut up at last, I get my mat and do my exercises, but that also only goes too far, and I need an (online) break from peopling with her, which is a strain when she needs me to shut up or to listen - which I love doing for quite some time, but listening to people is easier for me whilst multi-tasking - I can concentrate better on both then, it stop my brain wandering and my body from irritating me...

How is that even happening!!!

 

[JayCS]

How is that even happening!!!

No idea.... Know idea?

I know longer have to prove myself to others or myself

Get it? Now don't answer "Know idea"....

 

[johnsalmon]

I'm already so scared of my brain fog.

as you live in the USA there is a supplement called GH3 which in the early days (60's) was used as a general treatment for memory problems in seniors its quite a simple little drug with no known side effects - you take a course of them first for a month then if there is no benefit for a second month and finally if needed a third month- it increases the blood flow to the brain with the effect of improving brain function. In the USA it is a over the counter supplement down here it is a script medication. In Europe it is known as KH3 - I use it with effect and it is cheap to buy over there. Google it Its been around for many years

 

[HannahMay]

I'm so worried. I start college in the fall. My brain fog is so bad that I can't even remember the words for something I asked for five minutes ago. I'm already so scared of my brain fog. The other day I forgot how to tie a knot, it took me like two minutes to get my fingers to move the right way. In the evening I can't remember if I ate breakfast. I'm so scared of going to college with this. I already have mobility and anxiety issues to deal with. My brain fog is terrifying me. What if I go and I forget where my classes are? What if I forget to eat? It'll be my first time on my own for the whole day, Has anyone experienced this? How am I going to manage school with such severe brain fog?

I am in my first year of college and this was definitely a concern for me. I do often ‘fog out’ and forget where I am, what I was saying or doing. By surrounding myself with my new friends I am able to trust them to get me going again and remind me what’s happening. I have a 3.9 GPA and a job on campus! I refuse to let my symptoms take me down and I believe you can get through it! Communicating with your professors is essential and they will likely be very understanding and willing to help. If you have a roommate tell them what’s going on and how to recognize when you ‘fog out’ so they can support you and help you with any activities you’re struggling with. Nowadays some college tests are open note (at least mine were in my lower level classes) and accommodations can be made if you tell the college what you’re suffering with. You need to not go at this alone and let people help you. I wish you the best in college and YOU GOT THIS

 

[Auriel]

Hi @HannahMay, Welcome to the forum! ️ ️