ME awareness week- Cognitive dysfunction

This week is ME awareness week. ME (also known as CFS) is generally categorised as fatigue lasting more than three months and not explained by another diagnosis. But it’s so much more than feeling tired, so this week I will be concentrating on a different symptom each day and how they affect me.

Todays symptom is cognitive dysfunction.

These problems are often referred to as ‘brain fog’ by people with ME/CFS. Commonly including problems with:

• short-term memory and working memory (the ability to deal with tasks quickly),
• concentration and attention span (especially affecting visuospatial tasks),
• an inability to plan or organise thoughts and problems with word-finding abilities
• anomia (difficulty in naming common objects) and dysnomia (the inability to give objects a correct name).

Cognitive dysfunction is exacerbated by physical exertion and stress. Its often severe enough to cause a substantial reduction in previous levels of occupational, educational, personal and social activities. 

The most visible way this effects me is loosing words or saying the wrong words. Also difficulty understanding what is being said to me and communicating in writing. This has a lot in common with migraines. I used to suffer them a lot as a teenager and loosing communication was one of the major warning signs for those.

Often the results of brain fog are funny. Apparently my brain thinks everything lives in the fridge. But usually its frustrating and sometimes dangerous. Having to run through the steps of a task one by one multiple times because you cant remember what you were doing a few seconds ago just wastes so much time. But when I'm stood with a packet of painkillers in my hand with absolutely no memory if I've taken them or not I'm faced with risking an overdose or facing the rest of the day in pain. Or I can get completely lost in familiar places as my brain just doesn't recognise anything.

I have coping mechanisms in place. I make sure I use a pill box so I can see if I've taken a tablet or not. I have reminders set for everything and notes in my phone for the things I'm likely to forget. Even using these I forget things and relying on these coping mechanisms uses a lot of energy

The worst thing about brain fog is that it takes away the joy in things. I often struggle to follow a conversation or the plot of a tv show. I cant read a book as I wont follow the story. I'm learning to play guitar but my brain just wont take in the information.  I often just cant do any of the things I enjoy. You feel like you are loosing yourself.

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