Anyone Have Cognitive Impairments?

[HelpPOTS]

Hey i was wondering if anyone else had it bad mentally. I'm diagnosed with OCD anxiety and major deppresion(after 22 ects) but I still don't know what is causing how i feel. I also have POTS.

Here are the symptoms-

ever since i started puberty (17 now) I have been complaining that I couldn't think or focus.

-I just feel too drained to think and it takes all my focus and brainpower to say a sentence in my head(why i cannot talk to people)

-my memory is terrible and again it takes all my energy to try to remember what i did yesterday. I mean some memory is there it is just so vague.

-I cannot visualize things in my head

-can't speak up and talking is a chore

It is really bothersome and I can't socialize(for brief periods can) or even entertain myself with my own thoughts and I'm so low i'm dulled out to everything(not deppression related)

Should I ask my doc about trying a stimulant? Can POTS do this too you or are there any disorders related to it?

I have gotten three mri's for headaches and i had memory problems before the ect but only briefly. I have had no trauma to the head. Thank you

[Rachel]

Brain fog is common for many of us. When you don't get adequate blood flow to your brain it makes it hard to think!

Some days my brain fog is worse than others. I've had it so bad at times that I didn't recognize my son, and my apartment no longer looked familiar. Even on the good days, though, I think slowly. I would much rather email someone than talk on the phone. I have a hard time keeping up with conversations.

The thing that has helped me the most with brain fog is Cerefolin.

Rachel

[Christy_D]

My son also has brain fogs, not daily though. It was really bad when he was taking Topamax-he could barely get out a complete sentence. Some medications can cause it, if you're taking any meds, see what side effects there are. Maybe it is making it worse for you.

[ramakentesh]

As well as brain fog i do try it hard to concentrate for long periods - even reading at night can bring on POTS for some reason.

[Brye]

Excessive fatigue makes my congnitive function horrible. The last 2 times that was what the doctor focused on and he looked for causes for my memory problems getting worse. The 1st time it was mono, this time it was a vitamin D deficiency. I have some chronic brain fog but I only usually have it checked out if I notice it worsening.

Good luck!

Brye

[lissy]

This is a big problem I actually think my IQ gets cut in half ...Memory has always been an issue I can't remember alot of things sort or long term. But I will say that it lasted almost 2 years with severe symptoms seen great improvement for 2 months and currently getting pretty bad again. But during the 2 month period all cognitive skills seemed sharp. So maybe its nothing permanent going on besides the memory loss aspect of it.

Lissy

[rach73]

Hi

before I got sick 3 years ago I had a photographic memory, you only had to tell me something once and it was commited to memory. Now I struggle to remember if I have taken medication, what shift my husband is working and when he will be home, if he has rung me from work (he rings me at least 3 times during the day- I don't remember), I forget birthdays, appointments. Its like I have very little short term memory. Out of everything I find this the most distressing because I feel totally incompetant.

Its such a massive change for me, from how I was.

Rach

[scarfgirl]

Also a major problem for me. Before I got sick, my IQ ranked me in the top .4 percent. Now I can't even focus well enough to take my driver's test, something EVERYBODY is supposed to be able to pass. I keep telling the doctors what a problem this is for me, but they just ignore it, or worse, try to put me on anti-depressants because 'stress' makes it hard to concentrate.

I'm handicapped physically, but it's the cognitive issues that keep me disabled. If I could think, I could work.

[Noreen]

Also a major problem for me. Before I got sick, my IQ ranked me in the top .4 percent. Now I can't even focus well enough to take my driver's test, something EVERYBODY is supposed to be able to pass. I keep telling the doctors what a problem this is for me, but they just ignore it, or worse, try to put me on anti-depressants because 'stress' makes it hard to concentrate.

I'm handicapped physically, but it's the cognitive issues that keep me disabled. If I could think, I could work.

I'm with you there. I call it my Algernon Syndrome as I try to get the MDs to get a clue. (Remember the Edward Albee play "Flowers for Algernon")