Only time will tell. If I get sharper in a few months’ time—blame the gluten. If not—I’m just a bit dopey. Until it all becomes clear (or doesn’t), I’m thinking of keeping a fog log alongside my food log. Otherwise, I’ll look back and never remember all the things I forgot.
Here’s last week’s, for example.
Monday morning: Shot off an email saying, “I’ll take a look and get back to you by no later than this afternoon.”
Monday night, already in bed: “…Oh, crap.”
Tuesday morning: Left stack of unread submissions sitting on my desk instead of packing them to read on the train before work.
Wednesday morning: Reminded myself not to do the same thing again.
Wednesday morning, two minutes later: Did the same thing again.
Thursday morning: Ran coffee maker without any water.
Thursday afternoon: Forgot how to spell indispensible. Looked it up. Still can’t remember.
Friday night: Received this text: “Molly, where are you?” Realized only then that I’d forgotten to show up for an event that I had suggested attending in the first place.
Saturday: Remembered a long string of things I’d meant to do during business hours that week: Schedule eye doctor appointment. Schedule dentist appointment. Return library books. Get medical records sent to new doctor’s office. Go to post office to ask about package I never received. In January. Look into copay bill my doctor’s office claims I still owe. Since December.
Sunday morning: Ran coffee maker without any coffee.
Sunday evening: Took G train to Carroll Street to transfer to the Manhattan-bound F. Instead, got back on the G and went three stops back in the direction I’d just come from before realizing my error.
Brain fog is a funny symptom because, unlike certain others, it’s tough to tell when it’s even happening, much less what precisely is causing it. Am I just not sleeping well enough, perhaps? Or do I just have too many things going on to keep them all straight? Was I always this way, or did my forgetfulness start up a few years ago along with my other symptoms? Strangely enough…I can’t seem to remember.
Based on a Sprue Story 
I have this symptom all the time! I’ve never known if it’s from Celiac Disease or some of the antihistamine medications I take which make me a bit of a space cadet. Lists and post-it notes are my best friend!
Antihistamines knock me out every time I take them. Even the “non-drowsy” kind…feel for you! I also love post-it notes, although sometimes by the time I find where I’ve misplaced my book of post-its on my desk, I’ve already forgotten what I was planning to write down. 🙂
OH my! I thought it was just me. Brain Fog is some predominant that I had to give up my prized Toyota Tacoma Prerunner because I couldn’t remember what gear to be in at certain times and I was starting to stall it out while pulling out of a parking lot. It dismays me a lot, the fog and the loss of my truck. No one seems to understand. I am not a celiac. I found the book “Wheat Belly” about a month ago and have been eating wheat free since. In the last couple of days, songs have been popping into my head that I haven’t thought about for years, let along sing. I feel wonderful. Has the fog totally stopped–can’t remember!!!!! I hate starting to do something and by the time I get there I’ve forgotten what I wanted to do. I don’t write post-its for those! My husband tries to set me up with “Notes” on my computer, but out of sight, out of mind…… Thank you for your blog!
The way I struggle with basic tasks like taking the train or walking, I am very thankful to live in an area where I don’t need to drive. And I do the same thing—lately it’s been switching over to my internet browser, opening a new window, and then totally forgetting what website I was planning to navigate to…but maybe that just means I need to spend less time online! Like, get off the computer on my lunch break instead of checking blogs. Hm…nah.
Thanks for reading! Glad wheat free is working for you! 🙂
Oops! Could be genetic!
Love it! My brain fog isn’t as bad as it used to be but I still deal with it.
Brain fog is the symptom I find most frustrating! Most of the time I figure I must have been glutened but sometimes it happens even when I know I haven’t. Hrmmm. Evil fog be gone! 🙂
Brain fog is the most frustrating symptom to me as well. I usually have it for 2 weeks after being glutened. I too have had some brain fog episodes even when I haven’t been glutened, more so this past year before figuring out that I had become hypothyroid.
You did make me smile with your post. You have to keep a sense of humor with this disease. So often, your choices are to laugh or cry. I think there are times we need both.
Hang in there.
[…] Yesterday, some of you subscriber-types (hi!) got a sneak preview of a very special dispatch from the Seventeen magazine cutting room floor that is my brain. That post wasn’t meant to go up yet. Hey, we gluten-avoiders have to plan ahead, right? Hilariously enough, my little scheduling error occurred simultaneously with a post about brain fog. Adding that one to the log. […]
The sad thing is, I’ve done a bunch of those things and I don’t have celiac. But I am a sleep deprived mom. One day my brain will return (hope)!
-Dana
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