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Mental/Visual "Fog" & Lethargy Cause?

brain fog visual clarity mental functioning

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#31 KieranA001

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Posted 16 February 2015 - 06:44 PM

Yes I know. Sometimes when I do weight lifting (which isn't often) I sometimes get hives, and get a buildup of pressure around my lips (they go slightly darker and more puffy) and get that cold, tingly sensation then as well. Don't know if that was worth mentioning. The weird visual disturbances kinda look like this: 

 

http://en.wikipedia....ptic_phenomenon

 

I remember a few years ago, it got to the point where I got up from my bed, and then I had to sit back down again and (as I lost consciousness) and my hands started to move without me moving them. I know that when I do faint (mostly in the summer when it's hot), I end up falling down for a few seconds and when I get back up, everything is even hotter and I get all sweaty when I get back up and the weird tingling sensation again. 

 

Now, in comparison to my symptoms based on the link you gave me, I have these symptoms: 

 

  • Lightheadedness
  • (I don't get the nausea) 
  • the feeling of being extremely hot or cold (accompanied by sweating) > I'm always cold! ( like I seem to be more sensitive and go pale more quickly) if I'm in cold weather, I get tunnel vision and also start to feel a bit weak.
  • ringing in the ears (tinnitus) ( I don't get this that much) 
  • an uncomfortable feeling in the heart (I only get this if I have been kneeling down for too long. My heart beats faster when I get up, and the visual disturbances begin.)
  • fuzzy thoughts (all the time) really difficult to concentrate and think of anything. 
  • confusion (yes, mild confusion) e.g. Find it difficult to stay "in the moment", difficult to know what just happened etc. 
  •  a slight inability to speak/form words (sometimes I say the opposite word to what I was thinking, and then realize what I just said, as well as a slight inability to speak/form words). 
  • weakness and visual disturbances such as lights seeming too bright (My vision is sensitive to light, some days it's worse than others) Visual disturbances, yes indeed!
  • fuzzy or tunnel vision (only get tunnel vision when I have been in the cold weather for to long. Don't get it on a daily basis like the other symptoms) 
  • black cloud-like spots in vision (only get one that appears once a few months and lasts a few minutes, stays fixed to vision) 

When I saw a neurologist, they didn't really do much apart from getting me to write down symptoms and telling me what they were going to do. The first thing was a blood test. I have had the belief that my symptoms might be related to addison's disease before, and am curious if the blood test would pick it up. I'm not sure what they're actually testing me for, and if it's just the same as a standard doctors blood test e.g. CBC etc. 

 

I'm supposed to get a letter soon telling me to go to my GP and get blood test results. They also said that they want me to get a retina test done or something like that where they will put me in a dark room and flash lights at me to see how I respond to the stimuli. 

 

Thanks. :-)



#32 KieranA001

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Posted 20 February 2015 - 08:06 AM

Okay guys so today I got a letter from the Neurologist. This is what is says: 

 

 

Thank you for referring this 19 year old gentleman who I met in the Neuro-ophthalmology Clinic today. He gives a history dating back "as longs as he can remember" of problems affecting his vision in both eyes. His symptoms are various and include a black dot appearing in the center of his vision at least once a month and a sense of visual blurring when going from kneeling to standing. Upon moving his head left, he senses that his vision moves to the right and when waking in the morning he feels weak, experiencing a "black shadow effect".

 

In addition to his visual symptoms, he has become aware of a difficulty with concentrating whilst speaking to others. For example, he may forget what has been said at the beginning of the conversation. There have been two episodes where there has been significant sun exposure when he has felt his vision has improved thereafter for a number of days. He is not prone headaches and he has never had any problems with his eyes that have required glasses or surgery. He also describes tingly fingers at times and he generally feels that he is prone to anxiety but hasn't linked this with changes in his visual symptoms.

 

He has never smoked or taken significant amounts of alcohol. He has wondered if his symptoms may somehow be "blood related" and has been concerned about his blood pressure perhaps going up or down.

 

On examination, uncorrected visual acuity was 6/5 bilaterally with near vision of N6 on the right and N5 on the left. Pupils reacted normally and he could read all Ishihara color plates correctly. Fundoscopy revealed normal discs and visual fields to a 4mm red pin were normal to confrontation.

 

I think his symptoms are very unlikely to be due to any sinister underlying disease and his neuro-ophthalmological examination is normal. We discussed the role of additional investigations and I have asked him to have blood taken today; full blood count, Us and E's, Vitamin A, and TFT's. We have decided to explore the possibility of these symptoms being blood pressure related with a 24 hour pressure recording and I will back in touch with the results of these investigations.     

 

That's the letter I got, now I'm not sure if I need to wait or book a doctors appointment with her? Any ideas on what to do now? :-) 

 

Thanks. 



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#33 niner

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Posted 24 February 2015 - 04:47 AM

Okay guys so today I got a letter from the Neurologist. This is what is says: 
 

Thank you for referring this 19 year old gentleman who I met in the Neuro-ophthalmology Clinic today. He gives a history dating back "as longs as he can remember" of problems affecting his vision in both eyes. His symptoms are various and include a black dot appearing in the center of his vision at least once a month and a sense of visual blurring when going from kneeling to standing. Upon moving his head left, he senses that his vision moves to the right and when waking in the morning he feels weak, experiencing a "black shadow effect".
 
In addition to his visual symptoms, he has become aware of a difficulty with concentrating whilst speaking to others. For example, he may forget what has been said at the beginning of the conversation. There have been two episodes where there has been significant sun exposure when he has felt his vision has improved thereafter for a number of days. He is not prone headaches and he has never had any problems with his eyes that have required glasses or surgery. He also describes tingly fingers at times and he generally feels that he is prone to anxiety but hasn't linked this with changes in his visual symptoms.
 
He has never smoked or taken significant amounts of alcohol. He has wondered if his symptoms may somehow be "blood related" and has been concerned about his blood pressure perhaps going up or down.
 
On examination, uncorrected visual acuity was 6/5 bilaterally with near vision of N6 on the right and N5 on the left. Pupils reacted normally and he could read all Ishihara color plates correctly. Fundoscopy revealed normal discs and visual fields to a 4mm red pin were normal to confrontation.
 
I think his symptoms are very unlikely to be due to any sinister underlying disease and his neuro-ophthalmological examination is normal. We discussed the role of additional investigations and I have asked him to have blood taken today; full blood count, Us and E's, Vitamin A, and TFT's. We have decided to explore the possibility of these symptoms being blood pressure related with a 24 hour pressure recording and I will back in touch with the results of these investigations.

 
That's the letter I got, now I'm not sure if I need to wait or book a doctors appointment with her? Any ideas on what to do now? :-)

 

 

Kieran, I think your doctors really picked up on the visual symptoms but missed the vasovagal symptoms, probably based on what you told them initially. Over a number of days here, the vasovagal symptoms kind of trickled out and eventually painted a more clear picture. The neuro-opthalmologist has found that your eyes are ok, but I think that the visual problem may be secondary to the vasovagal problems.  Here are the various symptoms that you've mentioned in this thread; I've gathered the typical vasovagal syncope (SYN-co-pee, = fainting) symptoms at the top, and appended your initial list.
 
Key symptoms:

-I get a weird out of breath sensation with a racing heartbeat when I [stand] up, along with the weird visual disturbances. I have the weird visual disturbances all the time just not as bad and it goes to the point where my vision goes completely when I stand up.

-Normally, the dizziness when I stand up gets worse if I have been kneeling down for longer.

-If someone were to hug me, it could cause me to faint if they let go.

-Sometimes I notice that when I strech my arms out, the dizziness and unconsciousness gets worse. My chest feels full and I can feel my heart beat more.

-I notice that if I kneel down, my face goes bright red and hot.

-My skin just always looks pale and I look anemic. Fingernails are purple/blue.

Additional Symptoms:

Lack of mental and visual sharpness / clearness and awareness;
Less aware of environment (Spaced out feeling);
Bad memory / recollection of recent information;
Difficulty thinking;
Inability to listen / understand simple tasks;
Lethargy / Sluggishness;
Loss of awareness / consciousness when going from prone to standing: (Breathlessness);
Light-headedness (Mainly in winter or upon waking);
Low mood / pessimistic thinking;
Irritability or frustration when trying to concentrate on something / lack of focus;
Cold tingling sensation in fingers / hands when positioned back of head / kneeling on knees;
Black fixated dot in centre of vision (occurs and goes away after a minute), get it once every few months;

Things that Help:

Exercise (30/40-min non-stop increases visual sharpness and slightly decreases spaced-out feeling);
Sun light (decreases low-mood and lethargy feeling / increases optimistic thinking)
Walking for 50 min home, get light-headed (delayed vision) and increase in visual sharpness
Ginkgo Biloba helps slightly.

Things that make worse:

Alcohol – (Has once made mental and visual symptoms above worse in the following):
-Increased brain fog – (felt even more detached from everything, felt unaware of own actions) and had disorientation;
-Increased sluggishness thinking / movements;
-Inability to stand for long periods / felt “out of breath”; ~especially when trying to shower;


It's possible that your visual symptoms, and perhaps the confusion/disorientation/lack of focus/mood problems could be focal neurologic signs. VVS has been know to bring about transient focal neurology, although some of your symptoms are more than transient. Here is a recent paper that deals with VVS and focal neurologic problems:
 

QJM. 2015 Jan 27. pii: hcv005. [Epub ahead of print]
Syncope causes transient focal neurological symptoms.
Ryan DJ1, Harbison JA1, Meaney JF2, Rice CP1, King-Kallimanis B1, Kenny RA1.

1Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
2Centre of Advanced Medical Imaging, St. James's Hospital, St. James's Street, Dublin d_jamesryan@yahoo.co.uk.

The prevalence of focal neurology (FN) as a consequence of syncope is unknown. The aim of the study was to determine its prevalence, risk factors and short-term consequences. A consecutive sample of syncope-unit attendees during a 9-month period had detailed diagnostic syncope evaluation as per European Cardiac Society guidelines coupled with assessment for FN present during syncope/pre syncope by screening questionnaire, follow up interview and neuroimaging (1.5T MRI). All participants were followed up for 24 months. Risk factors for FN were identified by comparing FN cases with syncope controls without FN (3:1 ratio). 540 consecutively attended for investigation of syncope (n=401) and pre syncope (n=139). Thirty-one (5.7%) had FN events during hypotensive symptoms, mean age 49 years (19-85). The majority of FN cases had vasovagal syncope (VVS); 22 (71%), while 8 had OH (25.8%), and one (3.2%) had cardiac arrhythmia. Median duration of FN was 15 minutes (IQR 34.5). MRI in 28 (90%) was normal and in 3, old cerebral infarction was evident. Risk factors for FN/syncope were frequent syncope (p=0·008), childhood syncope (p<0·005), and delayed diastolic recovery during active stand (p=0·02). During 24-month follow-up and targeted intervention, no patients developed recurrence of FN. One in 20 patients with syncope/presyncope have co-extant focal neurology, which during 24-month follow-up, does not progress to a persistent deficit (>24 hours). Awareness of co-occurrence of FN and syncope is important as stroke misdiagnosis results in aggressive anti-hypertensive management and future events may ensue.

PMID: 25630908

 

 

This suggests that treating the vasovagal problem may help or eliminate the visual and cognitive symptoms.   You might want to print out this post and show it to your doctor(s).  Rather than another visit to the neuro-ophthalmologist, it might be worth seeking out someone who specializes in syncope.

 

In the meantime, you could try increasing your salt intake, along with an adequate amount of water.  That will increase blood volume and pressure, which should help.  Dr. Ryan's email is in the abstract, maybe he could point you toward someone near you, if you don't find someone associated with nearby hospitals.  How far are you from Dublin?



#34 KieranA001

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Posted 24 February 2015 - 07:27 PM

 

Okay guys so today I got a letter from the Neurologist. This is what is says: 
 

Thank you for referring this 19 year old gentleman who I met in the Neuro-ophthalmology Clinic today. He gives a history dating back "as longs as he can remember" of problems affecting his vision in both eyes. His symptoms are various and include a black dot appearing in the center of his vision at least once a month and a sense of visual blurring when going from kneeling to standing. Upon moving his head left, he senses that his vision moves to the right and when waking in the morning he feels weak, experiencing a "black shadow effect".
 
In addition to his visual symptoms, he has become aware of a difficulty with concentrating whilst speaking to others. For example, he may forget what has been said at the beginning of the conversation. There have been two episodes where there has been significant sun exposure when he has felt his vision has improved thereafter for a number of days. He is not prone headaches and he has never had any problems with his eyes that have required glasses or surgery. He also describes tingly fingers at times and he generally feels that he is prone to anxiety but hasn't linked this with changes in his visual symptoms.
 
He has never smoked or taken significant amounts of alcohol. He has wondered if his symptoms may somehow be "blood related" and has been concerned about his blood pressure perhaps going up or down.
 
On examination, uncorrected visual acuity was 6/5 bilaterally with near vision of N6 on the right and N5 on the left. Pupils reacted normally and he could read all Ishihara color plates correctly. Fundoscopy revealed normal discs and visual fields to a 4mm red pin were normal to confrontation.
 
I think his symptoms are very unlikely to be due to any sinister underlying disease and his neuro-ophthalmological examination is normal. We discussed the role of additional investigations and I have asked him to have blood taken today; full blood count, Us and E's, Vitamin A, and TFT's. We have decided to explore the possibility of these symptoms being blood pressure related with a 24 hour pressure recording and I will back in touch with the results of these investigations.

 
That's the letter I got, now I'm not sure if I need to wait or book a doctors appointment with her? Any ideas on what to do now? :-)

 

 

Kieran, I think your doctors really picked up on the visual symptoms but missed the vasovagal symptoms, probably based on what you told them initially. Over a number of days here, the vasovagal symptoms kind of trickled out and eventually painted a more clear picture. The neuro-opthalmologist has found that your eyes are ok, but I think that the visual problem may be secondary to the vasovagal problems.  Here are the various symptoms that you've mentioned in this thread; I've gathered the typical vasovagal syncope (SYN-co-pee, = fainting) symptoms at the top, and appended your initial list.
 
Key symptoms:

-I get a weird out of breath sensation with a racing heartbeat when I [stand] up, along with the weird visual disturbances. I have the weird visual disturbances all the time just not as bad and it goes to the point where my vision goes completely when I stand up.

-Normally, the dizziness when I stand up gets worse if I have been kneeling down for longer.

-If someone were to hug me, it could cause me to faint if they let go.

-Sometimes I notice that when I strech my arms out, the dizziness and unconsciousness gets worse. My chest feels full and I can feel my heart beat more.

-I notice that if I kneel down, my face goes bright red and hot.

-My skin just always looks pale and I look anemic. Fingernails are purple/blue.

Additional Symptoms:

Lack of mental and visual sharpness / clearness and awareness;
Less aware of environment (Spaced out feeling);
Bad memory / recollection of recent information;
Difficulty thinking;
Inability to listen / understand simple tasks;
Lethargy / Sluggishness;
Loss of awareness / consciousness when going from prone to standing: (Breathlessness);
Light-headedness (Mainly in winter or upon waking);
Low mood / pessimistic thinking;
Irritability or frustration when trying to concentrate on something / lack of focus;
Cold tingling sensation in fingers / hands when positioned back of head / kneeling on knees;
Black fixated dot in centre of vision (occurs and goes away after a minute), get it once every few months;

Things that Help:

Exercise (30/40-min non-stop increases visual sharpness and slightly decreases spaced-out feeling);
Sun light (decreases low-mood and lethargy feeling / increases optimistic thinking)
Walking for 50 min home, get light-headed (delayed vision) and increase in visual sharpness
Ginkgo Biloba helps slightly.

Things that make worse:

Alcohol – (Has once made mental and visual symptoms above worse in the following):
-Increased brain fog – (felt even more detached from everything, felt unaware of own actions) and had disorientation;
-Increased sluggishness thinking / movements;
-Inability to stand for long periods / felt “out of breath”; ~especially when trying to shower;


It's possible that your visual symptoms, and perhaps the confusion/disorientation/lack of focus/mood problems could be focal neurologic signs. VVS has been know to bring about transient focal neurology, although some of your symptoms are more than transient. Here is a recent paper that deals with VVS and focal neurologic problems:
 

QJM. 2015 Jan 27. pii: hcv005. [Epub ahead of print]
Syncope causes transient focal neurological symptoms.
Ryan DJ1, Harbison JA1, Meaney JF2, Rice CP1, King-Kallimanis B1, Kenny RA1.

1Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience (TCIN), Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
2Centre of Advanced Medical Imaging, St. James's Hospital, St. James's Street, Dublin d_jamesryan@yahoo.co.uk.

The prevalence of focal neurology (FN) as a consequence of syncope is unknown. The aim of the study was to determine its prevalence, risk factors and short-term consequences. A consecutive sample of syncope-unit attendees during a 9-month period had detailed diagnostic syncope evaluation as per European Cardiac Society guidelines coupled with assessment for FN present during syncope/pre syncope by screening questionnaire, follow up interview and neuroimaging (1.5T MRI). All participants were followed up for 24 months. Risk factors for FN were identified by comparing FN cases with syncope controls without FN (3:1 ratio). 540 consecutively attended for investigation of syncope (n=401) and pre syncope (n=139). Thirty-one (5.7%) had FN events during hypotensive symptoms, mean age 49 years (19-85). The majority of FN cases had vasovagal syncope (VVS); 22 (71%), while 8 had OH (25.8%), and one (3.2%) had cardiac arrhythmia. Median duration of FN was 15 minutes (IQR 34.5). MRI in 28 (90%) was normal and in 3, old cerebral infarction was evident. Risk factors for FN/syncope were frequent syncope (p=0·008), childhood syncope (p<0·005), and delayed diastolic recovery during active stand (p=0·02). During 24-month follow-up and targeted intervention, no patients developed recurrence of FN. One in 20 patients with syncope/presyncope have co-extant focal neurology, which during 24-month follow-up, does not progress to a persistent deficit (>24 hours). Awareness of co-occurrence of FN and syncope is important as stroke misdiagnosis results in aggressive anti-hypertensive management and future events may ensue.

PMID: 25630908

 

 

This suggests that treating the vasovagal problem may help or eliminate the visual and cognitive symptoms.   You might want to print out this post and show it to your doctor(s).  Rather than another visit to the neuro-ophthalmologist, it might be worth seeking out someone who specializes in syncope.

 

In the meantime, you could try increasing your salt intake, along with an adequate amount of water.  That will increase blood volume and pressure, which should help.  Dr. Ryan's email is in the abstract, maybe he could point you toward someone near you, if you don't find someone associated with nearby hospitals.  How far are you from Dublin?

 

 

Hey thanks for this, yes I agree with you and when I see the doctor I will let her know of the additional symptoms as well. I went down there yesterday to see if they have the blood results yet, but they still don't have them. Well, it's taking quite a long time since the blood test was given on the 7th of Feb. Maybe it's because it's a complex blood test or something.. 

 

Either way, I will try increasing my salt intake. I have been trying some pills called " Hyland's bioplasma" which is suppose to contain essential salts for cells and is suppose to help with water absorption. I eat quite a lot of salt in my diet. I'm quite far from Dublin, I live in Brighton, UK.

 

I did notice my vision seemed quite bad today. I went to go and lift a printer and moved it into my office and I stared to get little blue specks and flashes in my vision fly around and it went blurred after awhile. Lots of sleep helps a little bit, but still feel slightly unconscious all the time though.

 

I believe you're onto something with the syncope though. I'm going to do more research into this now, I did before but couldn't find much but worth taking another look. :-)

 

Thanks.   



#35 niner

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Posted 25 February 2015 - 01:29 AM

Either way, I will try increasing my salt intake. I have been trying some pills called " Hyland's bioplasma" which is suppose to contain essential salts for cells and is suppose to help with water absorption. I eat quite a lot of salt in my diet. I'm quite far from Dublin, I live in Brighton, UK.


Hyland's doesn't contain enough salt to have the plasma-expanding effect. You essentially need to use a lot of table salt. You can get salt pills specifically for this purpose, which gives you a better way of knowing how much you're getting than just randomly sprinkling salt on food. I saw one on Amazon that was 1 gram per capsule. The salt needs to be spread out through the day, as your body will constantly excrete it. In this study, patients were given 7 grams per day.  There's a pharmaceutical version from Ciba called "Slow Sodium".  It has 600mg sodium chloride in a slow release matrix.  Seven grams of salt is a bit more than a teaspoon, I think, but that would vary depending on the coarseness of the salt.

 

It sounds like c60 is not a miracle cure for you.  Do you think it's having any impact on your symptoms?  Does it change the amount of dizziness you experience?



#36 KieranA001

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Posted 25 February 2015 - 08:59 PM

 

Either way, I will try increasing my salt intake. I have been trying some pills called " Hyland's bioplasma" which is suppose to contain essential salts for cells and is suppose to help with water absorption. I eat quite a lot of salt in my diet. I'm quite far from Dublin, I live in Brighton, UK.


Hyland's doesn't contain enough salt to have the plasma-expanding effect. You essentially need to use a lot of table salt. You can get salt pills specifically for this purpose, which gives you a better way of knowing how much you're getting than just randomly sprinkling salt on food. I saw one on Amazon that was 1 gram per capsule. The salt needs to be spread out through the day, as your body will constantly excrete it. In this study, patients were given 7 grams per day.  There's a pharmaceutical version from Ciba called "Slow Sodium".  It has 600mg sodium chloride in a slow release matrix.  Seven grams of salt is a bit more than a teaspoon, I think, but that would vary depending on the coarseness of the salt.

 

It sounds like c60 is not a miracle cure for you.  Do you think it's having any impact on your symptoms?  Does it change the amount of dizziness you experience?

 

Hey,

 

Okay then, I did try and look for some slow sodium but cannot find anything for sale in the UK anywhere on the web. I will keep looking though just in case something pops up. As for the C60, it seems to help me a little bit for an hour after I take it, and then the effects go away. 

 

I seem to notice more visual disturbances while on it, typically blue flashing dots in my vision. Some of the dots that I see in my vision kinda look like when you get fat droplets on the top of water. You know when you get the fat that's shiny on top? Anyway, and yeah I seem to notice a cold tinging / prickling sensation even more as well, and get a bit of pins and needles in my left foot.

 

My vision in general kinda feels like when you go into adrenaline mode. It's like all of my background stimuli and everything is being filtered out or decreased. But, it's like my whole vision instead. 


Edited by KieranA001, 25 February 2015 - 09:04 PM.


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#37 niner

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Posted 25 February 2015 - 11:35 PM

Okay then, I did try and look for some slow sodium but cannot find anything for sale in the UK anywhere on the web. I will keep looking though just in case something pops up.

 

You'll probably only be able to get regular salt pills.  Slow Sodium is probably a prescription item.  You don't really need pills; they're just a convenience.  However, given that you want to add a teaspoon of salt or a bit more to what you're using already, the pills are pretty nice to have.  You could buy gelatin capsules and fill them yourself, but that's quite a pain in my experience.  



#38 KieranA001

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Posted 26 February 2015 - 05:45 PM

 

Okay then, I did try and look for some slow sodium but cannot find anything for sale in the UK anywhere on the web. I will keep looking though just in case something pops up.

 

You'll probably only be able to get regular salt pills.  Slow Sodium is probably a prescription item.  You don't really need pills; they're just a convenience.  However, given that you want to add a teaspoon of salt or a bit more to what you're using already, the pills are pretty nice to have.  You could buy gelatin capsules and fill them yourself, but that's quite a pain in my experience.  

 

 

Yeah I agree, apparently sea salt is better. Not sure if that's true or not though, if it matters that is. I got in contact with the neurology nurses to see if I am suppose to go to my local GP to get blood results, or if I'm supposed to wait for a letter. 

 

She told me over the phone that a letter was recently sent out, in which I should get that soon! Hopefully it will state I have to go to my GP to get blood results from the lady that the neurologist emailed. I do hope they have found something out through the blood work. I don't think they will find anything specifically on CBC, but when it comes to As and Es, or what ever it was, and the thyroid one, I am curious to find out if they found anything weird with those tests. 

 

I'm not sure exactly, but I do think it has something to do with my Adrenal glands, and what you suggested as well. If it was  my adrenals, I think maybe Aldosterone specifically. The reason I think this is because I have the symptoms of dehydration. In addition, I have noticed that when I take a B-Complex tablet that after a week I begin to notice a weird tingling sensation in my fingertips and on my ring finger at the side of the tips. 

 

I have tried a supplement before which had helped me "slightly", after a weeks supplementation along with removing my anxiety and depression as I feel more "in control" of my thinking. The stuff I took was a supplement called, "pregnenolone" which is a pro-hormone supposed to help in creating hormones so thought I'd give it a go. I stopped it because it gave me really bad acne pretty much over night and took forever to go away!

 

Along with your salt recommendation, I was also thinking about trying something else, a supplement called Meclofenoxate but I'm not sure on if it's worth trying to see if it helps. I think as for the salt, I will need to buy some sort of salt measuring scoop and then I can use the recommended dose per day. If that works out still the same.

 

Thanks a lot. :-) 



#39 KieranA001

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Posted 02 March 2015 - 05:57 PM

Okay guys, so I just got a letter back from my doctor about my blood test results. It says that they have found a mild elevation in thyroid hormone. Would this explain the brain fog? :-) 

 

Thanks. 



#40 KieranA001

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Posted 29 March 2015 - 10:34 AM

 

Okay then, I did try and look for some slow sodium but cannot find anything for sale in the UK anywhere on the web. I will keep looking though just in case something pops up.

 

You'll probably only be able to get regular salt pills.  Slow Sodium is probably a prescription item.  You don't really need pills; they're just a convenience.  However, given that you want to add a teaspoon of salt or a bit more to what you're using already, the pills are pretty nice to have.  You could buy gelatin capsules and fill them yourself, but that's quite a pain in my experience.  

 

 

I had to go back to the doctors the other day for a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. They told me that my blood pressure is high for my age. I have tried taking the salt tablets what you suggested, and they do help a little. They did say I had a mild decrease in sodium as well, with elevated B12 levels. (probably because of B12 supplementation).. 

 

Anyway, although it's not "cured" completely, these strategies are kinda helping. Especially the C60 in large amounts. :-) if you have any other suggestions what could be linking the HBP to the brain fog, then please do, as I'm very curious to what's causing the high blood pressure..

 

Thanks.  



#41 niner

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Posted 11 April 2015 - 10:05 PM

I had to go back to the doctors the other day for a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. They told me that my blood pressure is high for my age. I have tried taking the salt tablets what you suggested, and they do help a little. They did say I had a mild decrease in sodium as well, with elevated B12 levels. (probably because of B12 supplementation).. 

 

Anyway, although it's not "cured" completely, these strategies are kinda helping. Especially the C60 in large amounts. :-) if you have any other suggestions what could be linking the HBP to the brain fog, then please do, as I'm very curious to what's causing the high blood pressure..

 

I doubt that the high bp has anything to do with the brain fog.   I still think that a lot of this has a vasovagal etiology.  The high bp might be your body trying to compensate for other factors that are inhibiting circulation, or it might just be caused by anxiety.  How much c60 are you using?  Are you using any nootropics?  There could be some bp interaction there, if you are.

 

You shouldn't have to feel this way.  You have a lot of symptoms for the right kind of medical person to chew on, if they're presented clearly enough.  Aside from a syncope specialist, I suppose a neurologist is your best bet.  I think you should print that post where I organized the symptoms and show it to them.



#42 KieranA001

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Posted 11 April 2015 - 10:53 PM

 

I had to go back to the doctors the other day for a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. They told me that my blood pressure is high for my age. I have tried taking the salt tablets what you suggested, and they do help a little. They did say I had a mild decrease in sodium as well, with elevated B12 levels. (probably because of B12 supplementation).. 

 

Anyway, although it's not "cured" completely, these strategies are kinda helping. Especially the C60 in large amounts. :-) if you have any other suggestions what could be linking the HBP to the brain fog, then please do, as I'm very curious to what's causing the high blood pressure..

 

I doubt that the high bp has anything to do with the brain fog.   I still think that a lot of this has a vasovagal etiology.  The high bp might be your body trying to compensate for other factors that are inhibiting circulation, or it might just be caused by anxiety.  How much c60 are you using?  Are you using any nootropics?  There could be some bp interaction there, if you are.

 

You shouldn't have to feel this way.  You have a lot of symptoms for the right kind of medical person to chew on, if they're presented clearly enough.  Aside from a syncope specialist, I suppose a neurologist is your best bet.  I think you should print that post where I organized the symptoms and show it to them.

 

 

Hey niner thanks for getting back to me on this. I think it has something to do with vasovagal etiology as well. The nurse said I had high blood pressure for my age, yet when I spoke to my doctor on the 4th of April he said that the 24 hour blood pressure wasn't high, so now I'm confused. He wanted to be sure on the thyroid function so he did a blood test for thyroid, vitamin D and liver function and CBC, I just need to get results.

 

I'm currently seeing a neurologist and she didn't seem to pin point it all together that well. I generally find that in the summer months I get a load of nosebleeds as well. I put about one dropper full under the tongue (not the actual size of the dropper) but just one suction from the pipette. I find that if I take a bit more it kinda helps better. It's good stuff.

 

But, sometimes I notice that my vision goes blurred and not only that I'm finding it harder to read, to just make sense from paragraphs and /or spelling. Or understanding what people are asking me to do. I don't think it has been this bad before, unless I'm just becoming more aware of my mistakes. :/

 

But, in general it's a lack of awareness, focus on what's going on. My environment seems very foggy and it affects my social abilities greatly as it's harder to talk to people, plus the confusion doesn't help. I'm not taking any nootropics. At the moment, I have been taking a mixture of Spirulina, Chlorella and wheatgrass to see if a good toxic cleanup might help. I have been on it for a week now and I feel a bit better in relation to mood.

 

The last nootropic I have taken was Centrophenoxine about a month ago, which helps me a bit with focus, motivation and mood. I try to stay away from fizzy drinks now to lower my blood sugar, as I've heard that consuming too much sugar might cause brain fog?

 

I doubt the blood test results will reveal much as I've been down that road before, and have the same tests undertaken but he just wanted to make sure. I have tried taking Lugol's iodine which did help me a lot in both my brain fog, my mood and my general thinking, although I stopped taking it because after awhile it made me feel tired and started to slow me down if I take it in the morning. After a week though I did feel a lot better after using this stuff. I think it was a suggestion on here or something:

 

http://en.wikipedia....f_consciousness

 

Most of the symptoms of clouding of consciousness sound very similar, especially about the impairment of work activities, social interactions, and driving (in which I don't want to drive, because I feel that it would be dangerous to both myself and others.) 

 

But, thanks for your help. :-)



#43 niner

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Posted 12 April 2015 - 01:33 AM

No problem.  If Lugol's helped but made you feel bad, you might want to try a lower dose potassium iodide tablet.  Lugol's has a form of iodine that is an oxidant, and could be causing problems.  Potassium iodide is very gentle but still provides all the iodine you need.  The amount of c60 you're taking is not huge; it's probably slightly lower than average, if anything.  I take about 7.5mg once a week.  Some people have used as much as 50mg per day.  You could try taking 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) all at once.  Use it like regular olive oil, pouring it on salad, vegetables, or pour it in a plate, add salt and pepper, and dip bread in it.  Lots of possibilities.  Then see how you feel about a day later.  That amount would probably last you for a week, but you should play around with dosing to see how it affects your condition.



#44 KieranA001

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Posted 12 April 2015 - 08:04 AM

No problem.  If Lugol's helped but made you feel bad, you might want to try a lower dose potassium iodide tablet.  Lugol's has a form of iodine that is an oxidant, and could be causing problems.  Potassium iodide is very gentle but still provides all the iodine you need.  The amount of c60 you're taking is not huge; it's probably slightly lower than average, if anything.  I take about 7.5mg once a week.  Some people have used as much as 50mg per day.  You could try taking 1-2 teaspoons (5-10 ml) all at once.  Use it like regular olive oil, pouring it on salad, vegetables, or pour it in a plate, add salt and pepper, and dip bread in it.  Lots of possibilities.  Then see how you feel about a day later.  That amount would probably last you for a week, but you should play around with dosing to see how it affects your condition.

 

Yeah on Lugol's I had a stronger mental status and felt more happy and less emotional. Just brought some potassium iodide as suggested, will let you know how I get on with that. I have tried taking a lot of C60 at once, up to about a full pipette which is about 2 tablespoons (I think) and it did seem to help more than average. It generally helps when I take a large dose before bed because I wake up feeling less brain fog. :)  I could re-dose in the morning I suppose and see if it helps even more.  



#45 KieranA001

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Posted 17 April 2015 - 07:02 PM

Okay, so I have just been to the doctor. It looks like it was my last visit... I have got my FBC and 12 hour blood pressure monitor tests back, if anyone wants to take a look over them and help try to diagnose this cause of memory issues, fogginess of thought etc. Here they are: 

 

Full blood count - FBC

(ANP4753) - Normal - No Action

 

Haemoglobin estimation  153 g/L  (135 - 180)

Total white cell count  7.9 10*9/L   (4.0 - 11.0)

Nucleated red blood cell count  0 10*9/L  < 0.1

Platelet Count  208  10*9/L  (150 - 450)

Red blood cell (RBC) count  5.08  10*12/L  (4.50 - 6.50)

Haematocrit  0.437  (0.400 - 0.540)

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)  86 fL  (76 - 100)

Mean corpusc. haemoglobin (MCH)  30.1 pg  (27.0 - 32.0)

Mean corpusc. Hb. conc. (MCHC)  350 g/L  (310 - 360)

 

Differential white cell count 

(ANP4753) - Normal - No Action 

 

Neutrophil count  5.3 10*9/L  (2.0 - 7.5)

Lymphocyte count  1.9  10*9/L  (1.3 - 3.5)

Monocyte count  0.6 10*9/L  (0.2 - 0.8)

Eosinophil count  0.1 10*9/L  (0.0 - 0.4)

Basophil count  0 10*9/L  (0.0 - 0.3)

 

Bone Profile

(ANP4753) - Normal - No Action

 

Serum calcium  2.51 mmol/L  (2.15 - 2.55)

Serum adjusted calcium conc  2.35 mmol/L  (2.15 - 2.55)

Serum inorganic phosphate  1.13 mmol/L  (0.81 - 1.45)

Serum alkaline phosphatase  65iu/L  (40 - 129)

Serum total protein  72 g/L  (66 - 87)

Serum albumin  48 g/L  (35 - 52)

Serum globulin 23 g/L  (18 - 36)

Serum urea level  6.1 mmol/L  (1.7 - 8.3)

 

Thyroid function test

(ANP4753) - Normal - No Action 

 

Serum free T4 level  20.1 pmol/L  (12 - 22)

Serum TSH level  0.73 mu/L  (0.3 - 4.2)

 

!VIT D, 25OH, TOTAL, SERUM

(ANP4753) - Normal - No Action 

 

25-HYDROXY VITAMIN D, SERUM  172 nmol/L  (50 - 120)

 

 

I hope some of this helps you guys pinpoint the cause, if anything related. :-) 

 

Thanks



#46 KieranA001

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Posted 17 April 2015 - 07:18 PM

TIME      SYS   DIA    PUL   ERR   EV

 

1 10:30   .          .          .         1

2 10:42   .          .          .         7 

3 10:43  116    88       96

4 11:02  244   111      56                 0

5 11:31  175   159      42                 0

6 12:01  110   82        86     

7 12:31  169   110      67

8 13:01  143   118      85

9 13:30  176   91        50

10 14:01 136  101      102

11 14:31 147  76        100

12 15:01 129  70        126

13 15:30  129  79       103

14 16:01  160  57        96

15 16:30  150  61       107

16  17:01 177  62        92

17  17:30  150  82      79

18  18:01  134  72      90

19  18:31  123  62      78

20  19:01  124  84      81

21 19:30   124  70      96

22  20:00  124  75      66

23  20:30  122  82      62

24  21:00  125  65      64

25 21:30   120  50      56

 

INTERVAL 1   7 TO 22 HOUR

SYS AVE = 144   S.D = 29.2

DIA AVE = 82      S.D = 23.8

PUL AVE= 81      S.D = 20.6

 

TOTAL 

SYS AVE = 144  S.D = 29.2

DIA  AVE = 82    S.D = 23.8

PUL AVE = 81    S.D = 20.6



#47 KieranA001

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Posted 04 June 2015 - 08:34 AM

Okay, I think I have found the cause of my brain fog. I just did a 23andme DNA test to see if I have any genetic mutations that could be causing the brain fog I have been experiencing. The results are confusing to me and was wondering if someone can go over them for me and tell me what I need to do to treat the brain fog. 

 

Basically, it says I have a BHMT-08 mutation, and VDR Taq mutation. It's a full mutation of the gene. I also have a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease because I have 1 APOE e4 gene. 

 

 

So yeah any help is appreciated. I have attached an image generated from Genetic Genie based on my raw DNA data downloaded from 23andme. The image is attached. :-)

Attached Files



#48 KieranA001

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Posted 04 June 2015 - 10:13 AM

This might also be useful to you guys in helping me. 

 

https://livewello.co...?for=kierana001



#49 KieranA001

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Posted 04 June 2015 - 11:59 AM

Sorry the link won't work because you have to be logged in here is the PDF instead. 

 

Thanks :-)

 

 

Attached Files



To book this BIOSCIENCE ad spot and support Longecity (this will replace the google ad above) - click HERE.

#50 CognitiveNeuro

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Posted 27 June 2015 - 06:00 AM

 

Well, the doctor had a chance to examine you, and we haven't.  The doctor probably has a lot more clinical experience than anyone posting here, so we should at least consider the possibility that the doctor is onto something.  However, your constellation of symptoms does not sound at all like typical depression / anxiety symptoms.  It sounds organic to me.   Have you ever been formally diagnosed with a mood disorder, significant anxiety, or other mental illness?    Tell us about your diet, sleep, and exercise habits.  Do you use any medicines, recreational drugs, or supplements?

 

Hi,

 

I have been diagnosed with having anxiety, depression and some other phobias e.g. Social phobia and agoraphobia. However, I feel that when my brain fog got better, my depression lifted, my mental state felt different in which I actually felt positive and happy despite how I, in some ways, hate my life style. Although, I think my lifestyle might be the cause of some of the depression.. Plus I generally how low self-esteem coupled with not really getting any pleasure when talking to people. I don't know, it's like I want to talk to people more, I just feel as if they don't really want me being apart of their life so I tend to drift away from people and try not to love them too much because I know I'll only get hurt. Not only that, because of the brain fog or not being able to think, I don't really know what to say most of the time anyway. It's like my brain is not really focused on my environment at all...

 

But, in general my diet is pretty poor. It consists of a typical Sunday roast, with either chicken or red meat. Saturday it's chips and pie, etc basically loads of processed food and carbohydrates and I don't really eat much fruit and veggies. My boss seems to think it's my diet, although I don't really know what to buy when I go into a supermarket because everything you see is packaged anyway..

 

I'm not sure, all I know is that I went to the beach for one day in the hot sun, drinking nothing but loads of water and coke, didn't really eat anything because I didn't feel hungry (due to sun) I just felt jittery and by the time I got home I had some chips and a glass of milk. My mood was better than usual by far, like everything had meaning and happiness to it. I felt less stressed out and didn't worry as much. It made me enjoy life.

 

Next day, wake up and my brain fog was gone, I had painful sunburn to the slightest touch but my fog was gone for two days and then slowly faded back to visual impairment again... I have just started taking B12 capsules with folic acid and they seem to be improving my mood a bit, although it could be placebo..

 

My sleep isn't disturbed at all. I go to sleep at 11:30 and wake up at 5:30 (due to work), although sometimes I go to bed at 10:30 and wake up at 5:30. Try to go to bed as apparently your body detoxes between 11PM and 2AM. I do weights twice a week sometimes. Just when I have the energy to lift them. Normally though, I get more energy after I have been trying to lift them for 10 / 15 minutes. My brain fog goes away a bit, and the next day I feel more energetic for some reason. Less lethargic. Still cannot focus on my assignments though, and get distracted easily or side-tracked. 

 

The only thing I take is a B-complex, and some fish oil. I have tried a mineral mix before, but stopped as it felt weird when I took it. My body felt a little off balance and rush-full. (don't know any other word to explain it).. Apart from that, nothing. Have tried Tianeptine, Kratom and other stuff to help. Nothing does.


All I know is that my vision is seriously messed up when I walk home from work, 40 mins each day in the cold. My brain fog gets better, just very off kilter. My vision moves with my head movements.

 

 

I have read most of your posts and ALMOST EVERY SINGLE THING I can relate to (the visual static/visual snow, the description of feeling at a lower level of consciousness, the confusion, finding it harder to read, to just make sense from paragraphs, the difficulties in social activities, the HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE FOR MY AGE, the lightheadness, the fuzzy feeling, the dizziness when walking, the black cloud like vision sometimes). It's like myself talking.

 

It started suddenly a couple months ago. The only time it went away (the Visual Static) was when I went to the beach as well and basking in all the sunlight and MAYBE when I slept a lot for a couple of days but it most likely just decreased significantly. I also have anxiety, depression, and social phobia.

 

I drink ALOT of water as well...probably about 20 cups of water a day. I'm always thirsty. I feel dehydrated a lot. All of my blood tests and imaging have been normal. Doctors can't seem to figure out what's going on as well.

 

I myself am thinking it's a long the lines of being an adrenal issue. One thing I couldn't relate to (or maybe I missed it) was that I gained ALOT of weight since it started, probably around 20 pounds. I don't know it is related to the actual issue medically or if it just due to the anxiety and depression (because I've stayed home a lot more.)

 

It all really started a couple months ago when I began to notice like circles spinning around (now I see it is called Visual Snow/Static.)


Edited by CognitiveNeuro, 27 June 2015 - 06:29 AM.






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