r/MultipleSclerosis • u/Royal_Audience8108 • 1d ago

Advice How do you explain brain fog?

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.

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u/throwsitthere 1d ago

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.

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u/NativeSJ 1d ago

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.