Living In The Fog

They say with age comes bad memory, hair loss, fatigue, and more bad memory. I’m sure this list is more extensive than that, but at about age 16, I realized that I was starting to forget a lot of things.

In high school, I was newly diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and adjusting to the life of being a chronically ill teenager and trying to make graduation. I found that no matter how hard I tried, I was forgetting things. I was forgetting to take my medications, forgetting that certain assignments that were due, and even forgetting if I took my medication. I didn’t know how to express or articulate how I was feeling. My brain was an absolute mess and I did not know why. I made a note of my memory struggles and made sure to ask my doctor at my next appointment. It’s at this time, I learned that I was suffering from brain fog.

What is brain fog?

Does the term 'brain fog' sound familiar to you? Brain fog is described as your brain struggling to remember and operate clearly due to outside factors. The list of these factors are wide ranging from just being mentally or physically overwhelmed, to side effects of illnesses and medications.

Once I learned that this was an actual condition I started to make sure made my best effort to stay on top of my tasks. My brain not only hindered my time management, it affected me mentally due to feeling like I was failing in my own life.

Managing my brain fog

I started to take some steps to remind myself adequately in different ways. Just as I made a note to talk to my doctor, I started writing notes to myself. This worked for me initially, until I started misplacing the notes I wrote. Sticky pads were not the best option for me.

I then bought designated notepads to keep track of my life. I then started losing my notepads! Even though frustrated I quickly learned that even though writing isn’t something I’d give up, I needed another option. I decided to go digital. I started speaking notes in voice messages and in my phone. I also began utilizing my phone calendar. I was eventually able to use both methods and become far more efficient in my life and battling brain fog.

If you or someone in your immediate contact is suffering from brain fog please talk to your medical team. They may be able to help you find the cause and also recommend a solution to best help navigate your symptoms.