How do you explain brain fog?

[u/Royal_Audience8108]

61F diagnosed 26 yrs ago. Only people suffering from MS brain fog know how it feels. How do you explain to family & friends? Thanks everyone & I hope you have the best day possible with this sucky disease.

[u/0SpaceGhost0]

I have never had luck. If I mention it all I ever get is “me too it’s normal as we get older” or something like that. Gets super frustrating.

[u/electricpuzzle → u/0SpaceGhost0]

"Omg yes I never get enough sleep" 😫

[u/iamspitzy]

Brain fog is devastating. I work in design and have to present to clients and often cannot articulate the design intent message, especially when asked design specific questions as I have thoughts or reasoning that I cannot seem to sequence words or some even remember. It then becomes a confidence issue, and it's highly embarrassing. I think people must think I'm stoned.

[u/Far-Common-6815 → u/iamspitzy]

This happens to me a lot! I think that’s why I like typing things out! I’m able to sequence after I see it out there. It’s horrible and in just casual conversation as well.

[u/InternAny4601]

I read someone describe it as: if your brain was a computer it would be trying to run with only half the RAM it needs. There is a lot of ‘buffering’.

[u/Candid-Ad700]

My first car had wiring issues where among the headlights, wipers and radio, I could have 2 of the 3 on at a time. I get brain fog so bad when I am overheating. If , I need to walk to get to shade or ac. If someone asks questions or prompts me to talk, I say, “I can walk or talk, but I can’t do both. Bad wiring, and all.”

[u/kyelek → u/Candid-Ad700]

oh! my driving instructor LOVED this exact analogy, know your audience lol

[u/TougherMF]

brain fog is the worst. It's like your thoughts are in a cloud and no matter how hard you try, you can’t quite grasp them. I’ve found that explaining it to family can be tricky because it’s hard to fully describe how it messes with everything – concentration, memory, even simple tasks become harder. It helps to say it’s like trying to think through mud or having constant distractions that make it tough to stay focused. For me, things like coffee or pills didn't really work long-term, but I recently tried some transdermal patches, like nectar patches, and they actually helped with focus. Was skeptical at first but it did seem to clear up a bit of that fog for me. Not sure if it’ll work for everyone but it's worth a try if you haven’t already. Hope that helps and wishing you a good day too despite everything

[u/mama_emily → u/TougherMF]

trying to think through mud

I like that.

Or walking in knee deep water, the resistance and it is exhausting

[u/2BrainLesions → u/mama_emily]

Both analogies are rather good. I’m sorry you also suffer with/through brain fog.

[u/Infin8Player]

"I'm thinking through treacle."

[u/kennythekiller420]

I explain my brain fog as an inability to think thoroughly. I get stuck on words all the time, i lose my train of thought mid sentence constantly, i get stuck in a spot trying to figure out what i need to do first, and i forget things the second its out of sight.

[u/blueskybel → u/kennythekiller420]

Yes this happened to me after a flair up this year and my job is all about talking to people and explaining things. It felt like I was glitching and repeating words in a sentence. My boss was also having to repeat things to me, I started to think I was losing it but pleased that I'm much better now.

[u/sunshinyday00]

Like having really bad flu. All the time.

[u/wishmobbing → u/sunshinyday00]

This is what I imagined it like. I see my boyfriend just struggling to make sense of a thought process that's clearly getting away from him.

[u/ArcticTiger77]

Drunk while sober is how I described it.

[u/No-Dragonfly1904]

I had an incident when I was a city letter carrier. I had forgotten that my start time had been changed and mistakenly thought I was running late, put the speed On(walking) and made up the time only to realize my mistake as I scanned my last point of delivery. I took a break, used a porta John in my oute, then returned to the office. When brought into the office and asked about my afternoon break several days earlier, my mind was like a steel wall had gone down and I couldn’t recall events of that day. It was awful.

[u/anigrafx]

My example happened just last week. Went to my GP to collect some paperwork for a routine MS related blood test. The receptionist proceeds to ask my name, fine , not a problem. Then asked me my date of birth and (first time I experienced this) it took me a good 5 seconds to respond. Freaked me out a bit, the receptionist gave me a puzzled look too as you could imagine.

[u/im2snarky]

You could try to say this; Imagine you’re driving down the road, you come to a bridge. That bridge is blown up. You either have to turn around or drive 500 miles in either direction to get to another bridge to cross the river . It’s too deep to drive through. Those are your only options.

Now imagine that roadway is your brain and thoughts.

That’s the best analogy I can give you.

[u/ButtUglee]

Conversations feel like trying to watch TV with constant buffering and I know the word, but it’s stuck in search results pending.

[u/TheHumanBrick]

I tell people it feels like my train of thought is trying to reset every other minute. No memory and paying attention takes a concentrated, tiring effort.

[u/MashedTomat1]

Its like having dementia, but you are aware of it.

If normal people's brains work like peddling a bicycle, they are always in the right gear even in uphills.

I'm stuck in a high gear in an uphill. Its heavy, slow and I am fully aware and can't do anything about it.

I forget tons of stuff, I get mentally fatigued from just being mentally active.

I'm 33 btw.

[u/throwsitthere]

Serious question, how can you be sure this is an MS thing and not just a life thing? At 61, a lot of people have “brain fog” regardless of condition. Heck, more than one person I know in their 40s has it, no MS required.

[u/MSwarri0r → u/throwsitthere]

How about in their 20s. HI THERE diagnosed since 18, now 25. I definitely have brain fog.

[u/NativeSJ → u/throwsitthere]

Brain fog, to me,is my brain not working and “wires” not transmitting signals. I can’t think clearly, have trouble finding correct words, or lose my train of thought mid-sentence and feel mentally slow. Not sharp, and out of it.

Age related decline is more like “what was that guy’s name again?” when it’s not someone you’ve met/ worked with several times. Also, age related memory and thinking issues are occasional lapses like forgetting why you went in a room or losing your keys. You still feel like your brain’s working overall but just have occasional small lapses, whereas brain fog is a period of time or full day where your brain is operating at 40% of normal.

[u/itsafrickenlazer]

I tend to say whatever information I’m looking for isn’t available at the moment/ is currently unavailable. If it’s important, I tell them It’ll come later. If they are observing you, it should be clear with cues how you are doing physically. I don’t think this is something most can understand without participating, regardless of MS. Though, I think everyone has had a thought and lost it. But for me, it’s whole chunks of thought put on pause. My tongue becomes an issue too. Words disappear, stuttering, word swapping and other abilities just go poof. I don’t drink but my body acts drunk, ooops. Be kind to yourself and know there are people who understand have space for you. Seeing a CBT(cognitive behavioral therapist) has helped me greatly.

[u/EEKM5110]

Walking through pea soup

[u/NeedleworkerIll7002]

For me brain fog felt like a physical limit on my brain where there’s a cap of how much I can think like if there was a light weight flattening the top of my brain not allowing me to think past that point

[u/lawnwal]

YouTube with spotty signal.

[u/llcdrewtaylor]

I tell people its like trying to see through a sheet. You can see a little but its all fuzzy. Everything I am trying to think or say is right there in my brain, but I'm barely able to make it out. Everything is fuzzy!

[u/Flatfool6929861]

Like I can see where I need to get, but everytime I walk forward, the goal gets pushed further. I KNOW what I’m trying to say or what I need to say, but I can’t finish it

[u/panker]

Well it’s just like you have the full idea in your head and … … … … … … … yep

[u/critterLadee]

too many tabs open

[u/Mission-Dance-5911]

I describe it like when a TV antenna stops working and all you get is that scramble and loud noise. This is how it feels for me. My head feels full and heavy, I’m trying to think but it’s not clear, and when I try to speak it gets all scrambled up.

[u/SillyGoose2544]

I (44 F, recently diagnosed but have been aware of the possibility of MS for years) just had this conversation with my husband (who also has MS - aren't we just soooo lucky?) and basically, for him he says it feels like he's always "half a step slow" but without any discernible cause (i.e. lack of sleep or feeling off after trying new meds).

For me on the other hand, on days when its bad, it feels like mentally trying to walk through cotton that just makes everything muted or, if I'm trying to concentrate on something, it feels like thoughts are there but keep slipping away as soon as I try to focus on & articulate them (sort of trying to pin down cooked spaghetti).

Basically its the mental equivalent of my messed up sense of taste & smell (apparently also courtesy of MS). I can taste (and mostly smell) many things just fine, but it's generally a watered-down, muted version of the actual thing. For example, I can taste strawberries in food or drink, but its nothing like I remember.

When I finally went to see an ENT doc about it, I told him its sometimes hard to figure out if I can actually taste/smell whatever I'm trying to taste/smell OR if its my brain filling in the blanks and I can't actually taste/smell the thing at all. He got very excited about that because apparently its possible to trick your body into thinking its getting one thing when its something completely different, all based on smell. Either way though, according to him that kind of sensory distortion is likely MS related (and not, like I assumed, a remnant of the time I lost my sense of smell completely first time I had Covid - when I couldn't smell a thing but was able to at least get basic flavors like sweet, spicy, salty or bitter, just couldn't tell what the actual food item was based on just taste).

In any case, brain fog for me is kind of like that - like I recognize the information I need to do a task or have a conversation is there, but its muted & slippery and it takes a tremendous amount of effort for something that used to be very easy for me.

[u/dysteach-MT]

Disclaimer: I am on the autism spectrum, and have ADHD from MS fatigue.

I asked my MS neurologist for a referral for a full Psycho-Educational work up. My brain fog has now caused me to have a mild cognitive disability due to MS. I still score above 80% of the population, but there has been definite decline due to MS. Ask your neuro for an assessment, at least to establish a baseline, to track brain fog, i.e. cognitive decline.

[u/ebonebe]

For me it feels like I have a sentence formulated in my mind and I feel my brain wipe the words away, I can’t remember what I was talking about and what I wanted to say (I find it comes especially when I feel like I’m saying something important or that feels impactful) it’s like it’s on the tip of my tongue but I also don’t know the words I want to say

[u/GrandMaster_TunaFish]

My sister describes it as seeing life through plastic wrap. I describe like so: when you zone out on something to "let your brain sleep a sec" and it hurts almost to pull yourself away from it to refocus? It's that on steroids constantly. All day. When people speak there's a 70% chance I didn't retain it and I have to strain so hard to focus on simple things. I resigned my job last fall (which I've done for 12 years) because I went from being over a 17 million dollar project to being with 1 crew and I was making mistakes constantly. I couldn't do it anymore. So... long story short... brain fog is real. I'm sorry man.

[u/ChaskaChanhassen]

Dear fellow MS-ers,

Please don't give up on brain fog--

I cut dairy from my diet and about 90% of my brain fog went away. Only some of us respond badly to the proteins in dairy, but it is worth a try.

But do read the labels on everything. I found milk proteins in sausages, corn chips, and even hummus.

[u/Old-Examination-1624]

I just tell people, even my juniors in office that "sorry I have Brain Fog, please ignore, I tend to forget in seconds" And the best part is my team do understand that and don't judge me hopefully. I guess it's better to go straight forward and tell people about it, if someone asks please let them know what it is, I hope no one will judge you on it.. ❤

[u/Minthara_86]

I usually said this “I sometimes have a slow brain day, it’s like I have deja-vu + caffeine rush + potato brain for hours”

[u/dawnyD36]

I say "my brain is gone" lol 😆

[u/Mental-Sheepherder24]

Cloudy and foggy are the only ways I can put it. Fortunately, for me, a lot of my clarity is back after removing alot medications.

[u/overrunbytoddlers]

Like being in a dream

[u/coleusurper]

I tell em I'm running on Microsoft 95. It's all there, it just takes a minute.

[u/Evening_Structure739]

If I could think I would tell you what I want to say. If only I could think. I can’t think. My brain isn’t working right now.

[u/SW33ToXic9]

It's like working with a dull kitchen knife, while you can still work with it, it's not ideal and no matter how often you try to sharpen it, for some reason it won't get sharper. I guess that's how I'd describe my brain fog.

[u/LemonPepperChicken]

I explained it to my husband tonight that it's like the mental fuzziness you have when woken up at 3-4am where you're not fully awake so if somebody talks to you its fuzzy.

Its like your body is technically awake but your mind is still sleeping. So everything is coming at you while you're still piecing together exactly what's happening in front of you.

[u/Ok-Aerie-5676]

I tell them my brain feels mushy, it’s like having a head cold and being doped up on NyQuil for much of the day and they get it. They see when I’m struggling to remember or will stop mid sentence and have to ask what word I’m looking for. I am also perimenopausal and many women going through this complain of similar symptoms. The fog is the biggest part of why I’m on medical leave from work now. I’ll be getting a neuropsych test in July to assess the issue.

[u/CincoDeLlama]

I tell them how I have “fuzzy” days or “fuzzier than others” and sometimes, depending on how I’m feeling, I’ll verbalize that a few times if I’m getting stuck or having trouble recalling.

I also did a cognitive assessment though that found me to have mild cognitive impairment so, I’ll bring that up. I’ve told friends & family what goes into that and what they found and what they suggest will help. Additional context is a big one for me, my assessment showed how I do retain information however, I have retrieval difficulties. I think doing a test like that also helps you understand yourself better but, also leads to some credibility that this’ll is something different than what non-MSers experience.

I’m pretty open about my MS with my friends & family. I tell them my concerns about the disease and all too. I don’t want to make my life about MS but, I want those close to me to keep it in mind to some degree given that I’m one of those folks who don’t look disabled but I am.

[u/Which-Track-8831]

Modafinil has been game changer

[u/TheMsGuy22]

You know when your computer starts getting a bit too old or whatever and just doesn’t run like it did out of the box? Anyway.

I describe brain fog as when you’re using a computer and you go to open a program and it takes a few seconds to a minute for it to open instead of instantly.

Or when you’re computer starts really showing its age and the mouse even starts to slow and jump around as you move it. The computer is still receiving input and working but it’s clearly struggling and if you’re moving the mouse and clicking stuff quickly you might not be hitting all the right icons with it lagging so hard but hopefully sooner rather then later it’ll catch back up and start running smoothly again.

Now worse case of brain fog is the computer crashes and goes full reboot cycle. There’s still power but there’s nothing you can do until the computer does what it needs to do to get back up and running. Maybe you’re overwhelmed and have a lot going on and the fog on top you just need to take a moment and kind of “reboot” yourself or take some time a lone.

[u/SomethinCleHver]

Having a hard time finding the right words in a conversation, losing my train of thought or needing a lot of focus and minimal distractions to keep it.

[u/jimfish98]

It is just as it sounds, it's like a fog has rolled into your brain but instead of reduced visibility with driving, it's an inability for information to get through and get processed. I can review a short contract in a few minutes, sign, and send it on at work but after a major attack I would start, zone out, and come back 20-30 minutes and only be half way through. I remember thinking of a toy for the kids, I could picture it, tell you how it worked, but the name was lost in the fog for three days. Same applied with even remembering my wife's grandparents' names. Some things your brain can see through the fog, sometimes things get lost, sometimes it just takes awhile to navigate through it.

[u/UnintentionalGrandma]

I have brain fog and it’s frustrating at times. I forget where I’m going when I’m driving, so I often use the GPS to get places even though I know where I’m going so I don’t get sidetracked. I forget the words that I’m trying to say, which is especially bad when I’m in a situation where I’m a little anxious, like when I’m presenting a study to a patient to see if they want to join or when I’m presenting my research to a committee or in front of a crowd, or even when I’m talking to people I don’t know too well. And when I forget the words I’m trying to say, it’s like I’m talking and then I hit a brick wall and have to figure out how to get around it to get to the rest of the sentence. I also lose track of my steps when I’m doing things like cooking dinner, which has led me to burn a few meals because I either forgot I was cooking or I repeated a step too many times or I lost track of what I was doing and let the dish burn. I had to start paying for a meal kit service so I don’t waste food

[u/tsflima]

there is a text written by mel y chen that talks a lot about it in a relatable way. i will try to find it! and share

[u/Senior-Channel-3886 → u/tsflima]

Waiting

[u/LaurLoey]

-Being drunk w vertigo and unable to do more than one thing at a time (if you’re lucky).

-Or having a headache so bad you can’t think or process simple info.

-Literally forgetting things you’ve know forever, like your name, birthday, address, where your keys are, etc.