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Anyone experience brain fog like this?

calliope

By calliope
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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calliope Newbie
calliope
Posted

I went gluten free about a month ago, and was finally feeling *great* last week when wham -- my well-meaning Dad cooked me dinner and forgot to check the ingredients on the fish sauce he used.

The upside of being glutened for the first time is that, after a couple weeks of feeling good, I feel like I can discern the symptoms a lot better now. I've noticed that the worst part, aside from the nausea, is the "brain fog," but I'm curious if my experience of brain fog is the same as or similar to what other people are feeling. For me, it becomes almost physically painful to concentrate on anything. If I try to read a book, or watch a TV show, it makes me feel dizzy, overwhelmed, and nauseous. For a couple days, I feel like all I can do is try to stay still and do as little as possible while I wait it out.

It feels similar to anxiety, but not quite the same, and none of the usual tricks for getting through a panic attack help. Do any of you experience brain fog in a similar way? Where it basically makes you feel sick to try and concentrate on anything, even fun and relaxing things?

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melprkr Rookie
melprkr
Posted

Brain fog is a common symptom.  I had a hamburger patty from a local restaurant and am suffering the effects.  Sometimes mine is bad and sometimes it is mild.  This one feels mild, provided I am not "glutened" again.  I have the exact same feelings when I am contaminated.  I actually had 2 good days this week to ony have to go back through this again.  The first day is just tired and want to sleep, but as each day goes on it seems like all I can do to concentrate and do anything.  TV is OK but for me just standing up or moving sometimes makes me dizzy.  Luckily I don't have the nausea but even sitting still I feel like I am in a swimming pool moving.  You know kind of like when you were a kid and you got in the pool or went roller skating but then got out and and you still felt like you in the pool or skating?  The anxiety and the depression is the worst.  I am taking things to help with it but it doesn't always help.  Only thing that seems to help sometimes is just going in to my room and laying there and not moving and just going to sleep.  

It will pass.  Just be cautious about everything.  I have opted to let my family know that I will bring my OWN food when we have gatherings.  I don't mind being the odd man out because I am already the odd ball.  One thing I have learned and that is people mean well but mistakes happen and we are the ones who have to pay the price.  

Hope you feel better soon.

calliope Newbie
calliope
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the reply, melprkr! Feeling like you're still in a swimming pool moving is a good way to put it. It feels kind of like motion sickness, come to think of it, or a really bad hangover. I was curious because my experience of 'brain fog' in the context of thyroid problems feels so different than brain fog caused by gluten, and I couldn't quite figure out how to explain it. Swimming pool comes pretty close, though. Hope you feel better soon as well!

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

sounds like a atypical migraine...

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