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What Are Your Most Amusing (Or Disconcerting) Brain Fog Experiences?

Messages
40
Location
East Coast, US
Brain Fog Moments

Well it's sad to say that I can't remember most of my brain fog moments or I would have more to share, but here are a couple....

I turned on the tea kettle and forgot that it was on until I smelled something burning... water was completley gone :( solution is I bought a stainless steel model and it has a loud whistle.

I wash my hair alot as I forget while Im in the shower if I have washed it yet... so just to be sure I do it again :) at least the good thing with shaving my legs is I can tell if I have done it... which is not to say that I have not gotten out with one leg shaved and the other unshaven :)

Hope :confused:
 
Messages
64
Location
Western Australia
Hmmmmm....

Headed off to my Nan's funeral without a bra on. The truely priceless thing was my hubby asking if I wanted to go back and get one. Yes I want to go back and get one!!! Thankfully we were only two minutes down the road.
Put my empty cup in the bedroom wardrobe. My hubby said "Why is there a cup in the warderobe?" I replie "Don't ask me, I didn't put it there". Realizing that here doesn't drink hot drinks, I got up to have a look. Yes indeed, it was the cup I had used that morning.
When I was still working, turned up to work 2 hours early by accident, still don't know how. At least I wasn't late, I suppose.
Started to blow dry my hair and noticed it felt funny, I hadn't washed the conditioner out.
A miriad of those 'have I already done?' moments. Medication is definitely one of the most common. If my husband is around, I make a point of telling him when I take them now. Hopefully at least he will remember. It was worse at work when I had these moments. If I couldn't remember whether I had done something or not, I would do it again. I'm sure sometimes I did things 4 or 5 times in a row. Doesn't do much for you efficiency!!
At my worst I have been unable to use the phone because I can't remember the individual numers long enough to type them it. The phone hangs up on me before I type in the whole phone number.
Two days ago I forgot my pin number 3 shops in a row. I have had the same number for years and never fogotten it before. At the first shop, on my second go, I couldn't remember what I typed in the fisrt time and thought I had it wrong again. Told the shop assistant 'I think I got it wrong again' nope, it was right that time, lol.

take care, ness
 

TinyT

Senior Member
Messages
150
Location
Australia
I guess forgetting if you have taken your supplements is not too serious (depends on the supp), but forgetting your prescription meds & possibly double dosing could be really dangerous!

Some people find pill boxes/docep box helpful. They have a compartment for morning, midday, night etc. You fill them up yourself once a week. Could be helpful for the 'have I taken my pills or not?' dilemma.

Most chemists can also package up your meds for you in a Webster pack.
 

meadowlark

Senior Member
Messages
241
Location
Toronto, Canada
hope love light, I take a bath with the sole purpose of washing my hair and always, always forget to do it. So it's back into the tub, reciting "wash hair, wash hair, wash hair" aloud like a madwoman.

I forgot to mention my foggiest habit: answering the door when the telephone rings.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
There was this time I went out 95% of me knowing I didn't own a red coat but 5% of me thinking I must do because I was wearing one.

I was a way down the street before I made the connection...it was a red bathrobe I owned...and yep I'd put it on to go out!

That one is brilliant.

my foggiest habit: answering the door when the telephone rings.

This one too.

Seems that brain fog often involves the confusion and miscategorisation of similar things.

So a door bell is in a similar category to a telephone, namely: the category of things that make a sound that you need to respond to.

And a bathrobe is in a similar category to a coat.

Seems that brain fog involves doing or selecting things that are wrong, but are in the same category as the right thing.
 

Dainty

Senior Member
Messages
1,751
Location
Seattle
I got on the wrong plane. I was running--or rather, staggering--late, and when choosing gates, thought "left" but turned right. The airline attendants looked at my ticket and waved me to my seat. I realized I wasn't headed for Canada only when we were out on the tarmac and I heard the pilot say it was a beautiful day to fly to Norfolk, Virginia. I yelled something like "hey, hoo, wha?" The plane had to take me back to the gate. Meanwhile the correct plane had taken off. So I asked for a wheelchair and collapsed.

I'm now apartment- and bed-bound. God's way of saving me from myself.

You get a prize for the brainfog moment that inconveniences the most people, congrats! :p

There was this time I went out 95% of me knowing I didn't own a red coat but 5% of me thinking I must do because I was wearing one.
I was a way down the street before I made the connection...it was a red bathrobe I owned...and yep I'd put it on to go out!

Too funny, anne. I can so see that happening...

hope love light, I take a bath with the sole purpose of washing my hair and always, always forget to do it. So it's back into the tub, reciting "wash hair, wash hair, wash hair" aloud like a madwoman.

Yes! The mumbling, I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned until now. There are many times where I keep forgetting something and have to resort to mumbling a word or phrase under my breath over and over again on order to complete a task. It actually feels "normal" to me now, just another technique by which to outsmart my brainfog.
 

leaves

Senior Member
Messages
1,193
Hehe this one is funny (I was about 11 at the time..) someone rang the door and I opened the door and said
"hello this is "leaves" with whom am i speaking?"
The neighbor who rang the door looked very confused, it took me quite some time to figure out why.
 

Mya Symons

Mya Symons
Messages
1,029
Location
Washington
Hehe this one is funny (I was about 11 at the time..) someone rang the door and I opened the door and said
"hello this is "leaves" with whom am i speaking?"
The neighbor who rang the door looked very confused, it took me quite some time to figure out why.

That is so funny leaves! I just remembered one more bad brain fog moment. I used to have this cat that would try to pack himself in our luggage whenever we went on a trip. He would bury himself in our clothes, but he was huge (about 16 pounds) and very hard to miss. We were going to my dad's for Christmas. I zipped up the suitcase and we put it in the car. I forgot to check for kitty. About a mile away my frantic cat started throwing himself around in the suitcase. We unzipped the suitcase and there he was. We brought him home. I think he gave me dirty looks for at least three weeks after we returned home and would not have anything to do with me (you know that kitty look of haughty disdain). I felt sooo bad. Kitty never packed himself again.
 

Graham

Senior Moment
Messages
5,188
Location
Sussex, UK
You have all made a new member very happy. I knew it wasn't just me, but I didn't realise how bad it could get. So much rings a bell.

I've got family around me most of the time, so it is harder for these things not to be noticed, but I'm on my own in the bathroom! The number of times I have gone in to clean my teeth and have a shower, only to find myself washing my face and unable to remember whether I have cleaned my teeth.

One useful tip - Casio make watches that tell you what day of the week it is!
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
One symptom I get a lot is anomia = problems recalling words or names. I have trouble with this, even for very well known people or things.

In mid-conversation I often have to ask real basic stuff that I just cannot remember there and then, like: "what's that president's name, you know, the one that was shot in a theater....?". The reply to my question comes with a quizzical look and slightly raised eyebrow: "Lincoln". And then with this name reminder, I can carry on: "Yes, Lincoln. Well, blah, blah, blah,...", and I am able to continue with what I wanted to say.

Of course, Enid's earlier comment about forgetting her own name when asked for it at a reception must surely get the coveted Brain Fog Award for Outstanding Achievement in Anomia for a very impressive and skillful display of brain fog! I will keep practising, in the hope of achieving something as good as this in future!
 

Mya Symons

Mya Symons
Messages
1,029
Location
Washington
One symptom I get a lot is anomia = problems recalling words or names. I have trouble with this, even for very well known people or things.

In mid-conversation I often have to ask real basic stuff that I just cannot remember there and then, like: "what's that president's name, you know, the one that was shot in a theater....?". The reply to my question comes with a quizzical look and slightly raised eyebrow: "Lincoln". And then with this name reminder, I can carry on: "Yes, Lincoln. Well, blah, blah, blah,...", and I am able to continue with what I wanted to say.

I do this all the time! I had no idea that it had a name. I also intend to say or write one word and another will come out. I wonder if this is something people with Alzheimer's do also?--something that is hard not to worry about getting in the future with all these cognitive symptoms.

I remember my grandmother going through a list of names before she got to the grandchild's name she wanted--"Jane, Debbie, Bill, Spot, Rex, Sooty (Some of these are pet names of course). She had Alzheimer's. I have been doing that with my kids lately.
 

Graham

Senior Moment
Messages
5,188
Location
Sussex, UK
One symptom I get a lot is anomia = problems recalling words or names. I have trouble with this, even for very well known people or things.

That's one of the good things about meeting up with others with ME. When I pause mid-sentence and look at someone, they now realise that I am struggling to remember their name, despite knowing them well for several years.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,820
Apart from conditions likes ?bromyalgia and untreated hypothyroid, I wonder if there are an other diseases that cause these brain fog symptoms, which as far as I am aware, seem to be very particular and characteristic to CFS.

I am just thinking that such brain fog episodes might be used as part of a more reliable definition/diagnosis for CFS/ME.

It is only until you have CFS/ME yourself that you become intimate with its very particular features.

The fact that one of the defining characteristics of CFS/ME is unremitting fatigue might be construed as a bit vague; it seems that the fatigue in CFS/ME dove tails with intense brain fog, in that as you get tired, you also get increasing brain fog with all the things that come with brain fog, such as anomia (problems recalling words or names), hugely diminished short term memory, and this miscategorization of similar things (for example, like answering the phone when the doorbell rings or vive versa).

Perhaps the definition of CFS/ME should be "unremitting fatigue with brain fog", as that would seem to reflect the reality of the CFS/ME condition more.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Two more brain fog experiences. The other day I had a unit inspection by my landlord's agents. I was deep in pem from extra cleaning I had done. About three quarters of the way through I realized my shirt was inside out. I pretended that nothing was wrong.

About anomia - I substitute words like whatyoumaycallit, whatsit and thingy a lot. I know my brain fog is severe when I have sentences that sound like "blah blah thingy thingy thingy blah blah".

Bye,
Alex
 
Messages
64
Location
Western Australia
Had another doozy last week. I quite literally couldn't recognize a pregnant lady when I saw one. I was at the doctors, and had a medical student examining me. When I first was introduced to her my mind registered that she was, um, large. At one point her very prominant belly was right in my face, but I still didn't figure out she was pregnant. Even when she asked me if I had kids, still didn't twig, even though she asked in quite a meaningful way. Later I thought 'OMG, she was pregnant!!' Couldn't believe that I could be that stupid!!:ashamed:

take care, ness
 
Messages
22
Thank-you for this thread! It's made me laugh and groan and feel so very very happy not to be alone in this.

I get the word thing really bad. I hate that. It really is like a piece of my brain just went offline.

The brain fog is terrible for me. I've had a lot of those cant remember if I took my meds, what I'm doing in this room, or where I was going moments. I've also tried many times to put the ribogen lid on my travel mug and vice versa, which is funny, because one's double the size of the other. I've also had to look down at my steering to find the cruise control button, because I swear it moved.

But my two worst, most damaging brain fog moments were definitely these:
1: I put the kettle on. Turned around to put the tea bag in, and my kitchen was suddenly full of acrid smoke. Yes, there was a clear plastic lid under the kettle.
2: There's a lovely foot long hole in my kitchen ceiling because I did not close the shower curtain properly and caused a full-out flood.

Out of curiosity, has anyone else had brain-fog dreams? I keep dreaming things like I've driven somewhere, and then left my car there because I forgot I drove. Just wondering.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
I know that anomia thing alright. My conversations are continually interrupted with "you know, that thing you eat with, isn't sharp.... right! Spoon!... Okay, so...."

My most amusing and disconcerting experience was a whole evening of crazy experiences set off by one fog event which cascaded:

My then high school daughter had an evening exam at the university. Because my husband was out of town, it was my job to do the transport, even though I didn't usually drive at that stage in my illness.

After taking my daughter to her exam, I was exhausted. I knew I would fall asleep, so, being proactive (I was so proud of myself), I set 3 different phones to their loudest ringtones and set them next to the bed. Then I could lie down in comfort, knowing that I would hear the phone when she called.

Well, 45minutes later, the doorbell rang. I knew it was the doorbell, but it was stuck in my mind that if a bell rang, it was critical for my daughter's well-being that I answer it. :rolleyes: I leaped out of bed, dashed down the hall.... and fell down the stairs.

You'd think that would shake a little sense into me, but no. I had to answer the door! I crawled to the door, pulled myself up by the door handle, and signed for the parcel handed to me by a rather stunned-looking UPS man.

You think that's enough? No! I walked across the room, put the parcel down on a table and then thought, "If I don't lay down, I'm going to pass out." Still fixated on the phone/daughter thing, I grabbed the nearest phone and collapsed. Oh my! I'd better call my friend so she can pick up my daughter if I pass out. :confused:

I called my friend, but her daughter answered the phone. All I could think of to say to the poor kid was, "I fell down the stairs."
Long silence.
"Are you okay?"
"I think so."
Long silence.
"Um... did you hit your head?"
"No."
"Um... do you need help?"
"I dunno."
Long silence.
"My mom says we'll be there in 15 minutes"

My friend and her daughter arrive to find me laying on the sofa with my foot propped up on the arm.
Did you hurt yourself?
I dunno.
Do you need to go to the ER?
I dunno.
Did you hit your head?
Why do they keep asking about my head? My head didnt hit anything.
No. I think I might have twisted my ankle.

No sh**, Sherlock. Cant put weight on it, swollen like a balloon, nearly passed out from pain.

They decided I needed to go to the ER. They have to tell me I need a wheelchair, because somehow I cant figure this out and start to try to limp/crawl out of the car. None of this is important, you see, because what is important is that I have to pick up my daughter after her exam.

In the ER:
So, what happened here?
I fell down the stairs.

Expectant pause. Whats his problem? I answered his question. Why is he looking at me like that?

Well, does anything hurt?
My ankle, a bit.
A bit? Ooookay. Well. Lets take an x-ray just in case.

In rolls the portable x-ray machine. As he's taking the x-ray, he says,
"Oh by the way, I have to ask -- Did you fall down the stairs on your own?"

I look at the doctor blankly. What does he think, I made a party of it? Invited all my friends over to fall down the stairs together?

My friend leans over and says, "He means, did someone push you down the stairs, or trip you."

I look at them both like they're idiots. I was home alone; there was no one there to push me down the stairs. What are they thinking?

"I was home alone," I say.

The doctor exchanges meaningful glances with my friend and leaves the room x-ray machine in tow.

A few minutes later:
Well theres your problem.

He hands me the x-ray film. I look at it blankly. Some white lines. Its foot bones. I look at the doctor blankly.

Are you sure you didnt hit your head? he asks.

My friend takes the film from me, glances at it and says, Oh, yeah, not good.
What? I ask in exasperation. Honestly, do we have to play guessing games? Can we just get on with things? I have to pick up my daughter, for heavens sake.

My friend puts the film in front of me and speaking slowly and carefully says, See here where the bones dont line up? That means theres a broken bone in your foot.

Oh.

Will I be able to drive? I need to pick up my daughter after her exam.
Friend and doctor exchange knowing looks above my head. What is with these people?

Well put a temporary boot on this and you can have the orthopedic surgeon set it in a couple of days when the swelling goes down. I dont want you walking on this at all in the meantime.

But I have to go
Yes, yes! Well get your daughter after her exam.

Well, after all that, at least I picked my daughter up after the exam, right? Wrong!

Her exam took only an hour instead of the 2 hours I was expecting. She called while I was in the ER, where, it turns out, one cant get a cell phone signal. After trying to call me for 20mins, she calls her Dad whos out of town. He figures I fell asleep and didnt hear the phone and advises our daughter to take a cab home.

She gets home. The lights are blazing. She heads up to my bedroom and finds the bedclothes dragged off the bed and halfway down the hall. Back downstairs. A mysterious package. My purse is gone.

She goes out to the garage. Both cars are still there. She looks in the cars. No mom. She looks under the cars. I wasnt there, either. (I dont want to know what she was thinking.)

Now, shes scared. She calls my friend. No answer (her cell phone is in the ER, too). She calls again, still no answer. Again. No answer.

As we leave the ER, my friends cell phone rings. Her daughter looks at it and says, Its her. My friend and I look at each other in astonishment. Why is she calling my friend instead of me? A look of horror drifts across my friends face. She grabs the phone and says, Your moms fine. Where are you? Okay, well see you there in a few minutes. Dont worry, everythings fine.

Are we going to pick her up on the way home?
No, shes at home already.
No. She cant be home. I didnt pick her up. She cant be at home. I have to pick her up at the university.
She took a taxi.
She cant take a taxi. I have to pick her up.
Look, were going to your house. Shes there. Everything is fine.

And it was.

The final question of the evening when I went to the ER did I think to send her a text msg or a voicemail msg, or even leave a paper and pencil note? Of course not. It never crossed my mind. :rolleyes:

Although it was not particularly funny at the time, our two families laugh about it a lot now. :D
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Am I the only one who's stepped into the shower clothed?

No you arent the only one. I showered with my handbag and then took a few minutes to work out why my handbag was full of water. It was a nightmare trying to rescue all the wet things in it and dry them out.
(thank God my brain is much better due to B12 and Im now not doing things like that).
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I just thought of another of my brain fog incidences.

One day I was at shopping centre (this was when I was still driving) and came out exhausted and as per normal started looking for my car (always forgot where I put it so this was like a normal thing).

I looked and looked (spent 45 mins or so looking till I was unable to look no more) and couldnt find it anywhere and hence went to ring the police but was concerned that the issue could be rather with me and my mind fog then with my car being stolen. I ended up sitting down not knowing what I should do.

I ended up realising that the car I'd been looking for was one I'd sold many many years ago so I'd been looking for the wrong colour car etc

Im so so glad I hadnt rung the police and gave them the wrong description of my car.