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Brain Fog

Irishjoe

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Papa-Hen Rookie
Papa-Hen
Posted

Joe & the rest,

I'm brand new here and writing for the first time.

Brain fog, Chronic Fatigue, forgetful,

"Tired, cranky, irritable, and miserable...and sometimes I enjoy it". :)

In retrospect, my worst days were Pancake Saturdays with the kids...Imagine that!

...did I mention forgetful?

Over the past 10+ years, I have done well losing weight on low-carb diets, and even better at gaining it back when I sought to go back to a "normal" diet. I am one of the souls that can lose up to 6lb of water weight the 1st day. Silly, me, I didn't believe enough in what I was doing, and allowed myself a little of a friends B-day cake...Several years later, and I was back & beyond my previous high weight.

Now down 45 lb from 260 since quitting bread/cakes/etc. in November. Recently read "Dangerous Grains" and came to learn it's gluten sensitivity, and that barley, rye, and others also have gluten. Since then, much more gluten free. The weight just comes off without even thinking about it. No struggle!

I also now know that I'm only one donut away from going back.

(Thank God it wasn't alcohol that I was so addicted to--I would have been a real mess.)

Last time, I got down to 185. I'm more than 1/2 way there.

The weird thing is that I am now to the point where I prefer fruits & fresh veggies to a huge pile of mashed potatoes! Considering similar claims elsewhere at this site, I'm optimistic that I'm really on to something.

I'm also scared as I had a very rough 2+ weeks that I hope are now over as of this afternoon.

Was it just anxiety causing everything, including the stomach aches, or could it have been my body releasing many toxins that had accumulated over my lifetime?

Most on this board indicate that they get much better right away, so this does not seem to be the norm.

Has anyone else had to go through hell to get to heaven?

I look forward to hearing from you and being part of this group.

Thanks,

- Henry

  • 5 years later...
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Februaryrich Rookie
Februaryrich
Posted

I also can't make eye contacts with people, for some reason my eyes just go WOOHOO and I can't focus on prints when I read. It goes away after a while on the diet!

Twinklestars Contributor
Twinklestars
Posted

I will be so glad when I don't turn around in circles in my kitchen anymore, trying to remember which cupboard something is in! :lol:

Ollie's Mom Apprentice
Ollie's Mom
Posted

I've been wondering about that no eye contact thing a little more. I wonder if there's any connection to that same behavior in autism (which I know may have some connection with celiac and other food problems)? Like maybe people with celiac and people with autism have a problem with the same area of the brain. I know they say that with autism they can become overstimulated and withdraw. I wonder if it's the same process?

I have diagnosed myself with Asperger's (sounds strange, maybe, but I was too old to have been screened for it when I was going through school, and diagnosing adults with autism is difficult because adults have had time to develop coping mechanisms). Anyway, my family and husband all agree I am a Asperger's "poster adult"

(I also self diagnosed my gluten issues... aren't doctors useful? *sigh*)

When I get glutened, my inability to look people in the eye gets much, much worse. I can't talk properly (like someone else here mentioned, it's like I lose control of my tongue). I stutter. My sensory issues (noise, smells, lights, the feeling of the material of my clothing) gets so much worse. The last time I was glutened, I almost ran screaming out of a public washroom because someone turned on an air hand dryer, and the noise was too much for me to handle.

Basically, when I get glutened, I tell my husband that I feel much more "autistic" than when I haven't been glutened. I makes me wonder how I survived before I went gluten free, because I felt that "autistic" all the time before (I do remember how hard it was... but thankfully that is almost completely behind me, unless I get glutened, of course).

So yes, I am convinced there's a link in some cases to autism and gluten / other food intolerances.

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I have diagnosed myself with Asperger's (sounds strange, maybe, but I was too old to have been screened for it when I was going through school, and diagnosing adults with autism is difficult because adults have had time to develop coping mechanisms). Anyway, my family and husband all agree I am a Asperger's "poster adult"

(I also self diagnosed my gluten issues... aren't doctors useful? *sigh*)

When I get glutened, my inability to look people in the eye gets much, much worse. I can't talk properly (like someone else here mentioned, it's like I lose control of my tongue). I stutter. My sensory issues (noise, smells, lights, the feeling of the material of my clothing) gets so much worse. The last time I was glutened, I almost ran screaming out of a public washroom because someone turned on an air hand dryer, and the noise was too much for me to handle.

Basically, when I get glutened, I tell my husband that I feel much more "autistic" than when I haven't been glutened. I makes me wonder how I survived before I went gluten free, because I felt that "autistic" all the time before (I do remember how hard it was... but thankfully that is almost completely behind me, unless I get glutened, of course).

So yes, I am convinced there's a link in some cases to autism and gluten / other food intolerances.

Wow. Makes ME wonder. I get the hairdryer thing. My doctors call it "overstimulated adrenals" in my case - supposedly temporary from corticosteroids and gee - gluten and salicylates. I couldn't take a shower because that involved feeling something on my skin and hearing the water run. I can't imagine feeling that all the time. Kudos to you for figuring it out and learning to manage the situation.

cougie23 Explorer
cougie23
Posted

I will be so glad when I don't turn around in circles in my kitchen anymore, trying to remember which cupboard something is in! :lol:

Yeah..me too!!! I thought the eye contact thing was just a QUIRK on my part!!! WEIRD...chalk another bizzarre symptom up to CELIACS...and people just thought I was CRAZY!!! LOL :lol:

I HATE forgetting what your talking about in mid conversation...or not remembering pin #'s...Or intructions involving more than 3 things!!! not to mention the "clasic" why am I in this room?! OR this is another "classic" having someone looking you in the eye...being really serious..(not being able to look back)... and a second after they finish talking and its YOUR turn...its like ..what??? no clue whatsoever!!!? :blink:

Stuttering too...just out of no where...!!! <_<

This was what it was like last March for me...Its gotten alot better...but I am still acused of being VERY HYPER!!! Among OTHER persistant problems...I tend to TYPE like I THINK!!! LOL :lol::lol::lol::D ........LOL :P

Twinklestars Contributor
Twinklestars
Posted

Wow. Makes ME wonder. I get the hairdryer thing. My doctors call it "overstimulated adrenals" in my case - supposedly temporary from corticosteroids and gee - gluten and salicylates. I couldn't take a shower because that involved feeling something on my skin and hearing the water run. I can't imagine feeling that all the time. Kudos to you for figuring it out and learning to manage the situation.

And your post just made me go wow PP. One of my children is extremely sensitive to noise. I had just put it down to her being 3, but she gets hysterical if she has to have a shower (but a bath is fine), she bursts into tears if a game get noisy etc. I'll watch her a bit more closely I think. Obviously if I'm diagnosed I'll get all my kids tested, but will be more watchful in the meantime.

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bodhizatfa Newbie
bodhizatfa
Posted

Gluten intolerance affected me in a lot of ways including my brain activity. When my sensitivity was triggered 3 and a half years ago I developped some OCD...something I hadn't experienced before. My mind wouldn't shut-down, I was stressed to the max, I had anxiety, I had racing thoughts to the point where my wife thought I was loosing my marbles. She patiently listened to me while I explained what was going on in my head and reassured me that it was only the OCD talking. I really thought I was going crazy. The brain fog...wow....concentration was null. It got so bad that I started to get really embarassed, because I knew that things were not normal. It took a great deal of effort just to function every day. I did my research and I went on a gluten free diet nine months ago and it all went away. All of my other symptoms went away too. I am so grateful to have found the answer. My symptoms come back to life when I get any gluten in my diet....intentional or not. Even the smallest traces now affect me. Gotta be careful..:)

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    • cristiana
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @CC90 Ah... that is very interesting.  Although it is very annoying for you to have to go through it all again, I would say that almost sounds like an admission that they didn't look far enough last time?   I could be wrong, but I would not be at all surprised if they find something on the next attempt.  Coeliac damage can be very patchy, as I understand it, so that's why my own gastroenterologist always likes to point out that he's taken lots of samples!  In the kindest possible way (you don't want to upset the person doing the procedure!) I'd be inclined to tell them what happened last time and to ask them in person to take samples lower down, as  if your health system is anything like the one in my country, communication between GPs, consultants and hospitals isn't always very good.  You don't want the same mistake to be made again. You say that your first endoscopy was traumatic?  May I ask, looking at your spelling of coeliac, was this done at an NHS hospital in England?  The reason for the question is that one of my NHS diagnosed friends was not automatically offered a sedative and managed without one.  Inspired by her, I tried to have an endoscopy one time, in a private setting, without one, so that I could recover quicker, but I had to request sedative in the end it was so uncomfortable.    I am sorry that you will have to go through a gluten challenge again but to make things easier, ensure you eat things containing gluten that you will miss should you have to go gluten free one day. 😂 I was told to eat 2 slices of normal wholemeal bread or the equivalent every day in the weeks before , but I also opted for Weetabix and dozens of Penguin chocolate biscuits.  (I had a very tight headache across my temple for days before the procedure, which I thought was interesting as I had that frequently growing up. - must have been a coeliac symptom!)  Anyway, I do hope you soon get the answers you are looking for and do keep us posted. Cristiana  
    • CC90
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By CC90 · Posted

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    • Wheatwacked
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

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    • trents
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By trents · Posted

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    • cristiana
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By cristiana · Posted

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