Mental fog, the ability (er...I mean "inability" - my mental fog is showing again...sigh) to think clearly, may become extreme. The fog may creep up along with the flare and become so thick that you are unaware of being in flare.
Pain and fatigue impair thought processes and reduce your resources to deal with cognitive problems. Whenever possible, attend to pain and take rest breaks. If pain or fatigue worsen throughout the day, try to plan mental activity for peak performance times.
When you are in mental fog, you transpose letters when you write or type, and you type out different words "patience" instead of "patients", and numbers become transposed. Some days you can't even put a coherent sentence together or remember your own phone number. The words and numbers just rattle around in your head.
You may spend hours every day trying to find various items. After a while, you may feel as though your mind is one of those misplaced items. You may not recognize things when they are right in front of you but are not in their accustomed place, or when it's in a different package or form.
Chronic Fatigue causes problems with concentration and short-term memory. Both of these brain functions are adversely affected by sleep deprivation and neurotransmitter deficiencies. In fact, these abnormalities may be the cause of brain function anomalies.
This state of utter confusion can last for hours, weeks, or in a period of magnified symptoms called flare, for months. Mental fog can go way beyond any normally confused state of mind, or for that matter, way beyond any cognitive impairment. It is one of the ease recognized and most serious symptoms Autoimmune Diseases and Fibromyalgia.
People with mental fog seem to sense things as patterns and series of patterns. Trying to establish a new pattern can cause a short circuit. You can reach for the light switch on the wall by the door, but it won't be there. That's because the light switch was in that location in an apartment you had years ago.
Mental fog frustration is compounded when you're experiencing it, because you can't express yourself well. However eloquent you are at other times, you may be incapable of putting together a coherent sentence when you are in a fog. You may even stutter as you vainly grasp for the right words. You have lost control, and you can't explain why.
Sensory information is held in a series of sensory-specific registers. For example, visual information is held on the retina for 2 - 3 seconds before it is forwarded to working memory. Information to be stored for later retrieval must be held in working memory (conscious thought) for 15 - 30 seconds.
People with Autoimmune Diseases and/or Fibromyalgia may have fewer registers available for concentrating on the stimuli of normal, everyday life because their registers are occupied by tasks such as trying to stay awake, maintaining their bodies despite physical pain, and attempting to survive a normal day. The resulting overload can seem overwhelming, so memory and concentration suffer as a result.
People with mental fog become very confused in large malls, stores or even in small crowds. They have to leave because they can't process all the sensory input. Some people with Autoimmune Diseases and/or Fibromyalgia avoid shopping, doctor's appointments, or even a cluttered area in the house.
Mental Fog difficulties:
At times with mental fog, it may seem that you can only feel one emotion at a time because the circuits are jammed with other information. This can lead to mood confusion as well as mental confusion.
Every nerve cell requires a specific amount of time for recovery between stimulations, so this confusion is a sight that it's time not only to slow down, it's time to stop. Take a deep breath, breathe more deeply and properly and see what you can delete, modify or delegate.
When you're in severe fog, don't drive. Keep extra food and other necessities on hand, so you don't have to drive to the store.
Exercise your mind. The more you do use your mind, you may find your memory problems decrease. Do crossword puzzles, try to read interesting articles or books. Many people with Autoimmune Diseases and/or Fibromyalgia do not like cross word puzzles because of all the confusion of sensory input, and do better with computer or handheld games.
Train yourself to stop and review what you have to do before you leave the house. That way you sometimes can remember things you might have forgotten. Same with getting out of a vehicle. Have your keys in hand (not put away in your pocket or in your handbag) and always pause before you close the door - to look at the keys. That way you will never lock yourself out of your car.
Concentrate on information you want to retain. Block out distractions. Repeat information over and over. Connect the name of someone you've met with something unique about the person's facial features. Creating meaningful reminders helps recall.
Act deliberately. Say things aloud: "I'm placing this map for our vacation in the top file drawer." Deliberate action involves concentration, which increases memory retention. Forgetting to lock the door isn't memory failure, it's failure to concentrate. If too many activities are occurring simultaneously, then your mental burners are occupied and there is no space for storage.
Slow down the pace of your life. Many memory problems result form doing too many things at one time or continuing to function when you are overly fatigued. Slowing down and paying attention to the amount of thoughts and activities you are processing through your brain at one time can help reduce the symptoms of foggy memory.
After you have reduced the amount of information you are processing, practice the following: Repeat things to yourself, write things down, and eliminate things in your environment (clutter, noise, interruptions, excessive light, heat, bad smells, and so on) that distract or over-stimulate you.
If you do something that requires a lot of concentration, try doing it at a time when you feel less fatigued.
Stress, anxiety,anger, depression, negative mood and disorganized thinking compete for attention. They interfere with processing information and other mental activities. Attending to these emotions in an active, problem-solving manner can help you set them aside and make room on your mental burners for processing new information.
Banning self-blame. Does anyone work better when they're being yelled at? Being yelled at makes people more confused. Don't chastise yourself. Do the best you can and let the rest go until tomorrow.
Many people become inordinately angry with themselves when they're sick and can't remember to do things (or simply CAN'T do them, even if they do remember them). Don't make this mistake because you're likely to worsen your mental fog further if you cloud up your mind with negative self-talk.
The best policy is to keep it simple when you're sick. If you do, you'll be far more likely to avoid forgetfulness and confusion and to stay focused. If you really MUST do something hard (and are you sure about the "must" part?), try to break it down into smaller tasks, doing some now and some later.
Try creating a greater degree of organization in your life; it won't clear the air, but it may help you navigate through the fog.
De-clutter. Go through files, drawers, and closets regularly to get rid of unneeded clutter. Keep things simple and pared down to essentials.
Buy several pairs of identical clothing.
Consciously decide what is the most logical place. Put things you need to take with you near the door. Things to be dropped off might go into the car trunk until you can delivery them. You'll always expect items to be in the trunk in the future.
Box or file loose items and clearly label all files and containers. Writing the label provides a memory clue when you retrieve the items. Repeat to yourself, silently or aloud, where you are storing a particular item.
Listmaking is an efficient procedure for most busy people, and it can really help a person constrained with an Autoimmune Disease and/or Fibromyalgia. The only downside of lists is that many people tend to be overly ambitious about what they can perform in a day or a week.
When fatigued and in pain, don't rely on memory for details you must remember. Use lists. Post notes to yourself around the house or workplace. Writing the thought down helps to cement it into memory and increases the likelihood that you'll remember. Make a not of what to tell your spouse, jot down questions, groceries, etc.
Write down what you absolutely must do today, and then prioritize the items from the most important down to the least important. (Don't make your first task a nearly impossible one.)
A list can help you focus. And if you're having a bad day, often you'll still have succeeded in doing at least a few things on your list, and can pat yourself on the back. No name-calling of yourself, however, if you can't accomplish your list items. Nobody's perfect.
Automatic routines conserve mental energy. Establish daily routines that can be performed automatically. This will allow you to do repetitive tasks without taxing the capacity of your memory. If you follow the same pattern every day, post a list of steps to follow until the routine becomes automatic. A regular daily routine minimizes decision making, reduces confusion and gets more done with less energy or stress.
Establish a daily schedule that you can reasonably handle, such as changing sheets on Monday, washing clothes on Tuesday, cleaning bathrooms on Wednesday. Not every task has to be done every week. A regular routine of just 20 minutes daily for cleaning will require a minimum of mental energy.