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Brain Fog

Hi
I am starting the tx. this Friday. I have been reading alot about brain fog.  There has been some incidents of people driving and not knowing how they got there. That's scary. I drive to work - will i know it.I know this is a dumb ?? but do we know we have brain fog. Or what? thanks
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Avatar universal
i read aloud the whole epic of your friend trying to wash the car to my husband just now, and his reply:

"well, look at all the things she got done!!!"
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1562823 tn?1295112132
I know the feeling of "Brain Fog" oh to well..that is what mademe finally take this serious. It was even affecting my speach and i was having muscle spasims I guess u would call them..

I was diagnosed in Jan 09..Did not take it seriously..Just got my Genotype 1a..My doctor put me on Folic Acid and Niacin which is B1 for my brain fog...Hepatic Encepalophathy most likely..I also take St. John's Wort,  Milk Thistle and Acai Berry and an Activia a day...Gotta make sure those bowels are working !!  Brain is much clearer now..

I have not had a liver biopsy..waiting fo insurance..
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Avatar universal


brain fog.  I'm ashamed  that I have brain fog NOW, and cannot blame it on tx as I'm NOT on tx.

As HepC Gen1, bx in Aug, fibrosis (stage unknown), i've had brain fog exceedingly serious starting 1 year ago in summer.  I felt it was Alzheimer's.

Your friend's day was exactly like my day last Tues.  I was literally running in circles, not accomplishing anything and exhausted by mid day.

So, my question is:   Can i now blame brain fog on my present condition?  What do u think?

thank you.
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Avatar universal
I quit driving about 6 weeks into tx simply because of my riba rage. It's not so much that I didn't know where I was going, it was more "why are all these people in my way and where the heck did he come from?"  So for public safety, I don't drive.  
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374652 tn?1494811435
what a great post from going to enjoy the sun to doing everything under the sun, thats pretty much how I function w/o treatment
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1431734 tn?1421011671
hi tam; my experience with brain fog; worse in the first month than later, maybe i got used to it. as for driving; dont multi task, be sure u know where u are going with concentration and focus. i expect u have driven to work lots and are familiar with route. allow time and even avoid hi traffic if possible esp if prone to impatience. you should be fine. i found easier to get lost in new places and unable to do more than one thing at once like fix heat and drive. be ready when u start out. good luck and yes a sense of humor is a help, babs
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87972 tn?1322661239
Hi Tami—

The great majority of us seemed to be able to get from A to B in a car; however there are days where you might not *feel* so much like going. It’s rare, in my opinion for people to feel incapable of driving themselves around. Think cold or flu; that might give you a picture to hold in your head.

There are instances of brain fog that are disabling; people with very advanced liver disease suffer from improper protein metabolism; this is known as ‘hepatic encephalopathy’. It can severely affect motor skills and cognitive function to the point of coma; however, this only occurs in late stages of cirrhosis.

If you’ve had a flu in the past, it’s not likely to be too much more disabling than that. I found the first shot symptoms similar to an old fashioned whiskey hangover; they lasted for a few hours into next day, and then abated after a hot shower and some coffee. I never felt that poorly again; just the day after the first injection.

Good luck; let us know how things go; if you like, log on to the forum, and perhaps some folks will follow along with you in real time.

Be well—

Bill
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Avatar universal
Many people report very tolerable side effects and there lives mostly go on as planned while on TX.  My husband is one that has very bad SX (possibly due to cirrhosis)  and he definitely gets brain fog on TX, but it isn't like he drives somewhere and doesn't know how he got there, it is more like he drives some where and doesn't care how he got there and every one on the way makes him mad:>(        He is usually a mellow guy but his interferon personality is not quite as charming.  You may have little or none of these SX.  It would be reasonable to remain positive at this point.
Best wishes,
Ev
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Avatar universal
Hiya!
Many of us have experienced IIADD (Interferon Induced Attention Deficit disorder -and yes, the is a real medical term) in varying degrees while enduring treatment. It is my personal belief that the hemolytic anemia (when the drugs began to rip your red blood cells apart faster than you can make them) is the biggest culprit as the fewer the red blood cells you have to carry oxygen, the more difficult your thinking process become.
You will have "signs" of onset...When you find yourself looking for an item (e.g. car keys) and find them in the fridge; when you realize you've just placed your milk in the cupboard; when you've attempted to use hair spray and discover it's underarm deodorant; when you KNOW you've taken your meds (because they are missing from the pill box) but cannot for the life of you remember taking them; or when you've spent all day trying to clean the house and it still isn't done, but you know you've been busy and you're exhausted...This is when you have brain fog.

I have a friend of mine who told it like this...
This Tuesday afternoon, my husband took the kids to the park and left me with a peaceful, quiet house so I could nap. After my nap it was sunny outside and I wanted to wash the car. On my way outside, I noticed I'd left a 1/2 filled coffee cup on the dining table. When I emptied the cup and went to place it in the dishwasher, I noticed the dishwasher needed to be emptied. So I put the dishes away, placed the cup in, and picked up a dish cloth to wipe the counter where I'd splashed water. A few condiments had been left out after breakfast, so I put them away too. While doing this, I saw the sun outside and was reminded I was on my way outside to wash the car. As I exited the front door, I spied the mail box and realized I had not put the mail out, so I went back inside, got the mail, and noticed I needed to put on stamps. I went to the secretary, and while reaching for stamps, noticed it had become cluttered with papers. I put the stamps on, thinned the paper clutter, closed the secretary, and took the mail outside to the mail box. Again, I noticed how nice it was outside and remembered I was on my way to washing the car. I returned to the foyer to get my car keys so I could get the car out of the garage and remembered I was supposed to have called my doctor to make an appointment. I dialed the number and made an appointment. I didn't write down the date or time and I had to call back and I realized I'd called my gynecologist rather than my liver doc. So I called the gyno back, canceled the appt, and called the liver doc and made one. I realized I was thirsty and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. While drinking the water I looked out the kitchen window and saw the sun, reminding myself I was going to wash the car...It was lunch time, so I made 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, put stuff away, took my riba dose, and couldn't find my water glass. I went to get a fresh one. When I got the fresh glass from the cupboard, I noticed some dumb bunny had put the peanut butter in with the drinking glasses...

She never did get the car washed that day...LOL

My advice for brain fog? -Treat it with humor and a bit of respect. Frequently re-evaluate your limitations. Not everyone gets it bad, and many people just breeze through treatment with minor sides. Have a back-up plan for finances or transportation if you become too weak to work or too ditzy to drive and have well-meaning people to work as your "feedback" systems. Good luck and good health! :) ~MM
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Avatar universal
The degree of brain fog is relative to how the person reacts to the medications.  People don't go into a trance -  they usually experience some memory problems due to fatigue, anemia and other chemical changes within the brain.  Many times people take other medications such as antidepressants anxiety or pain meds which can also effect congnitive ability.   Generally, most people do fine.  Who knows better than ourselves what we are capable of but most who undergo antiviral therapy realize things change and we try to rearrange our priorities because daily tasks tend to become more difficult and our patience level drops considerably.

Trinity
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