Anyone else suffer from a "fuzzy head" or brain fog?

[sweetdreams]

Hi,
I haven't been officially diagnosed yet but I've had IBD symptoms for the last year along with high calprotectin levels so I'm due a colonoscopy soon and I won't be surprised if they find evidence of inflammation. My question is, does anyone with IBD suffer from brain fog? It's very difficult to describe but essentially it sometimes mentally feels like I'm under water. Like my brain just won't snap into gear. Sometimes I also feel a little dizzy and nauseous but in general I just havd difficulty focussing my brain on tasks. So, for example, Im a writer and I find myself easily distracted and unable to focus. Sorry, it's a really difficult thing to describe but I'm hoping that perhaps some of you can relate? If so, is there a way of getting rid of the foggy brain feeling?

Thank you

 

[theysayitscrohns]

I honestly was convinced I had ADD X 10000000 . my ability to focus was absolutely horrible. I think allot of that had to do with the fact that I was extremely dehydrated with a lack of nutrients. Slap a little lack of sleep on there and I was a zombie. According to the reading I have done, confusion and cloudiness is extremely common with IBD . Wish u all the best

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I have brain fog due to stress and fatigue from fibromyalgia but certainly crohns stress, fatigue and malnutrition can result in temporary mental impairment.

 

[D Bergy]

Brain fog is a common symptom of Lyme disease, but there are likely several possible causes.

Rodiola Rhodesia is a pretty effective supplement that increases mental clarity. Good for depression also.

Check for any possible drug interactions before using it.

Dan

 

[Alvinodino]

I deal with dizziness and fog on a constant basis. I Don't think it's from my Crohns but probably from the anti-depressant I take for major anxiety which I developed from constant worrying from having Crohns.Ive been taking humira for 4 years ,which I though could have contributed, but my understanding is it doesn't break the blood brain barrier.
Best of luck

 

[mackraslo]

I deal with this issue as well. I have my first colonoscopy on the 30th, so hopefully I will get some answers soon. I am hoping once I start to treat my Crohns issues, the mental issues will find some relief as well. Feel better soon, all the best,

 

[Malice67]

You don't mention your meds. Some of them end up causing brain fog... for example if you supplement with folic acid too long and are also B-12 deficient it eventually impairs your cognitive abilities. Certainly there are many other examples. I would get your primary (or pharmacist if you have a good one) to check all meds for contraindications, especially if seeing multiple doctors.

 

[SamG]

I was diagnosed with Crohn's 14 years ago and suffered from significant and worsening brain fog symptoms for the past 7 years or so. A couple of years ago I started an experimentation process during which I tinkered with every dietary variable I could think of, and experimented with literally dozens of supplements to try to alleviate this issue, and the thing that has helped me the most has been reducing my fat intake.

I was eating a relatively high fat diet (I regularly added oils after cooking, consumed generous helpings of high fat snacks almost daily, and my #1 protein of choice was the highest fat salmon I could find), and a few months ago when I turned my attention on the fat variable, and decided to cut fat containing foods to assess how it might affect my brain fog, the results were dramatically good. Quite simply, I find the lifting of the cloud on my thinking, memory etc to vary directly with limiting the fat in my diet. I am a different person now. And while I imagine most people would not characterize their diet as being high fat necessarily, I believe this might help those of us on a "normal" fat diet too. I now eat a low fat diet, as low as I can go really, and when I deviate, I feel it, I find that to that degree the fog comes back.

After my discovery I found an article that might very well contain the scientific reason/support for it. Since I'm new to the forum and haven't yet made 10 posts it's not allowing me to post the direct link but Google "zombie-diet-way-you-eat-causing-you-lose-brain-cells", it's an article by Shape magazine from 11/30/2015 if you want to see it. And the article links to a study "High-fat diet prompts immune cells to start eating connections between neurons". While the article isn't specifically about IBD it makes sense that the impaired ability to properly digest/absorb fat and the inflammation might cause the exacerbation of what it's discussing (and the study specifically references chronic inflammation as the underlying culprit).

I would note that despite that high fat diet I used to consume (for several years, I think the genesis of it was just the idea/fear of not consuming enough calories to sustain/increase my weight), and the normal fat diet I was on before that since my diagnosis (at age 16, I'm now 29), none of that fat was sticking around, I've always been somewhere on the moderately underweight (when not flaring)-severely underweight (when flaring) spectrum.

Best of luck to all
Sam