Brain Fog?

There's a lot out there about brain fog. It seems to go along with several chronic conditions, including vestibular disorders like PPPD. My experience has been a little different and I'm hoping by sharing it I might find others who have had a similar experience.

I have never felt "foggy" in conjunction with the PPPD. I can think just fine. My problem since the PPPD began has been that thinking makes me tired. Still does. And I don't know what to do about it.

© 2005 paukrus, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio

As part of my appeal process for my disability insurance, I underwent a neuropsychological exam. If you are experiencing brain fog, you might be interested to have this done. It measures whether or not you are suffering from any cognitive difficulties as a result of your condition. It isn't easy. It's an 8 hour exam which for me took almost 15 hours over 2 days. It was grueling and needless to say, exhausting. But I wanted to know.

As it turned out, my memory and other brain functions were mostly fine. It showed some impairment of executive function. Oddly, there was no mention in the report about how long it took me to complete the tests, how often I had to take breaks or how many hundreds of times I yawned or put my head down. But actually I was glad my brain was working right for the most part. So why do I get so tired from thinking?

Since I am unable to work, fortunately I don't HAVE to think most of the time. There are occasions when I have to, like trying to select Medicare plans, prescription plans, etc. That was a treat! But it does hold me back. For example, I love puzzles and have several puzzle books, but I have stopped doing them because I noticed that I could hardly stay awake after doing one. Even spending much time on Twitter or my Facebook groups wears me out.

Anybody else out there? Has this happened to you? Because I really want to know. How do I make this better? I am feeling better physically now and am able to do more. I am seeing my grandkids more and am able to do some crafts. We even go out to lunch sometimes. But thinking still makes me tired.

I would love to hear from you. And as always, if you like this post, please share it using the buttons below.