Your meaning of the phrase "brain fog"

[Synapse]

When many of you mention that you experience "brain fog" as one of your symptoms, do you refer to it as a general slowing of processing speed?  Or do you actually feel like your environment and thoughts are distant and in a fog.  (kind of like a dissociated state of mind).  I experience the second one and wasn't sure if it was how most people felt.

[demografx]

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[demografx]

I've heard "POIS brain fog" mentioned in our forums  _countless_  times since 2007.

Can someone please provide a good definition?

Thanks!
Demo

[Prancer]

Heyy Synapse!

Welcome! It's really great you found us and we're so glad you're here. I think that's a fantastic question. Brain fog is my #1 POIS symptom by far. For me, it's definitely both, a slowing of the processing speed (takes me longer to process information) and foggy thoughts. I also experience short-term memory problems. Now I guess it's possible that only one thing is responsible for the "brain fog" as a whole. For example, maybe the slow processing speed causes memory problems, or maybe the memory problems cause slower processing speed, or maybe the two problems co-exist without one causing the other! Omg! I'm almost confusing myself now. I hope those are some things that an fMRI can see and answer.

[Daveman]

For me, it's more like the detatched mind in a fog sensation. A sort of "not really there feeling". There is a component of slow thought and difficulty to grasp... that's sort of secondary, but not less important.

[Synapse]

I personally experience symptoms that could be described as those of a dissociative disorder.  I feel like my memory is incredibly poor and have a hard time feeling like I'm "in the moment" if that makes sense.  When I do things, it just feels like I'm not really connected with whatever I'm doing and have a difficulty recalling details of past events. I also find it incredibly hard to do day to day activities because my problem solving skills become horrific...  My automatic thinking also seems to be messed up.  When I think quickly, a lot of the time my thoughts are completely moronic and irrational, so when using common sense to do things like crossing the street, I have problems.  The strange thing is, I usually come in and out of this state randomly.  On the first day after orgasm, I'm usually almost always in this state.  However, as the days pass and I don't orgasm, these symptoms appear and reappear more rapidly.  During these days, I begin to spend more and more of the time without the symptoms. Anyone else have something like this happen to them?

[POISrival]

Hello!
I suffer from BOTH! I have hard time retaining information and at the same time I have a dissociated mind.

I personally experience symptoms that could be described as those of a dissociative disorder.  I feel like my memory is incredibly poor and have a hard time feeling like I'm "in the moment" if that makes sense.  When I do things, it just feels like I'm not really connected with whatever I'm doing and have a difficulty recalling details of past events. I also find it incredibly hard to do day to day activities because my problem solving skills become horrific...  My automatic thinking also seems to be messed up.  When I think quickly, a lot of the time my thoughts are completely moronic and irrational, so when using common sense to do things like crossing the street, I have problems.  The strange thing is, I usually come in and out of this state randomly.  On the first day after orgasm, I'm usually almost always in this state.  However, as the days pass and I don't orgasm, these symptoms appear and reappear more rapidly.  During these days, I begin to spend more and more of the time without the symptoms. Anyone else have something like this happen to them?

This is exactly what happens. However, Even When I dont orgasm, these symptoms are consistent but less severe than they are directly after orgasm

[Synapse]

Hello!
I suffer from BOTH! I have hard time retaining information and at the same time I have a dissociated mind.

I personally experience symptoms that could be described as those of a dissociative disorder.  I feel like my memory is incredibly poor and have a hard time feeling like I'm "in the moment" if that makes sense.  When I do things, it just feels like I'm not really connected with whatever I'm doing and have a difficulty recalling details of past events. I also find it incredibly hard to do day to day activities because my problem solving skills become horrific...  My automatic thinking also seems to be messed up.  When I think quickly, a lot of the time my thoughts are completely moronic and irrational, so when using common sense to do things like crossing the street, I have problems.  The strange thing is, I usually come in and out of this state randomly.  On the first day after orgasm, I'm usually almost always in this state.  However, as the days pass and I don't orgasm, these symptoms appear and reappear more rapidly.  During these days, I begin to spend more and more of the time without the symptoms. Anyone else have something like this happen to them?

This is exactly what happens. However, Even When I dont orgasm, these symptoms are consistent but less severe than they are directly after orgasm

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one experiencing this.  I'm sure that most doctors would diagnose us as simply having a dissociative disorder and tell us to take part in psychotherapy sessions. I'm confident now that it isn't just all in my head.

[Bulbo]

I too experience brainfog. I am very slow at processing information and I forget easily things and it takes a lot of time to remember things. This is very worse during POIS but  only a little better at other times.This brain fog is present 24*7 for me on all days

[Daveman]

Fortunately it's one of the things that niacin/viagra wipe out completely for me.

I have noticed in this last year or two, that my combination helps a LOT, but sometimes less than others.

Some things like brain-fog and cognitive conditions hardly ever appear, but the physical symptoms can vary, sometimes nothing, like my last two sessions, other times
nerve, joint and muscle pains.

But without the cognitive symptoms, even the physical is tolerable. There's something about the cognitive symptoms that make other things feel worse.

[LegatoMan]

Yes, I experience ALL the things people have described here so far.

A lack of mental speed, problem solving abilities, creativity, and memory.

I also get the feeling that I'm "in a dream"... like things aren't real, and I'm really drowsy.

[0002ppdnuos]

I experience both.

[berhune]

The descriptions of brain fog in this thread so far nail it for me.  Notions become "hard to grasp" as daveman said; words and names become difficult to remember, and snap judgments become nonsensical.  Attempts at complex thinking feels like wading through mud, and are accompanied by a distinct physical sensation of effort in the brain.

I experience an overpowering feeling of dysphoria.  I become frustrated with myself for being slow, but the frustration manifests as a kind of despair: what is wrong with me?  What does this mean for my future?  For my prospects?  I feel panic and if I'm alone will crack into tears.  If I'm not alone, I have to leave.  It takes me hours to perform a simple task, and those tasks are exhausting.

I'm writing this 14 hours after O, and I can feel the fog descending like a curtain.  I'm sure it's my imagination, but I can almost sense a point in the center of my skull seizing up like a muscle that's simply spent itself and can no longer contract.  Oh God.

[Colm]

Been off the board a while because of work busyness and fortunately (through age and discipline) managed to avoid O for two months, which is not ideal.

Then went on a few days vacation with my wife and children last few days. First day of hols, I had an NE and from feeling able to cope, and looking forward to time with my kids, the brain fog arrived (with other symptoms), and for me anyway some characteristics of Brain fog involves a slowing down of my thought processes, great difficulty in listening and understanding what others say, a dis-association in connecting / emotions, along with clumsiness and not being able to interact in the way I sometimes can, when 4/5 days away from an O.

[Going less Crazy]

For me brain fog refers to inflammation in the brain but in the frontal lobe part.  This is the fog I experience usually on day 1,2 and it goes away.  Right now it is not as bad because of the stuff I am taking.  But it definitely refers to inflammation of the brain for me.  I feel like I can't control that part of the brain that is "inflammed".  If it is in the back part of my brain (right after orgasm for me) I am irritable, totally upset like total suffering... however it than migrates to the front after the first day or so and than I feel like I can't focus at all.  This was my POIS before taking supplements, it is better now and usually I don't get the "frontal" part and the irritable part is the main problem that goes away.  Sorry I may sound a little crazy just in mad POIS right now.  Not sure if anybody else has the same exact symptoms that I do.

[overcome]

I once lost my car at a mall, I couldn't find my way to the parking lot I entered from. On the way in I tried to pay extra attention, knowing how bad I can be. I parked right next to the doors. I was in between two stores, and I took a mental note of the names of the two stores. I also looked at a map as soon as I went in and took note of what color was assigned to the section I entered from. So I gave myself literally every advantage I could to find my car again. Despite all the precautions, I ended up spending over an hour walking around the mall looking for that damned exit. The stores I was looking for seemed to have disappeared from existence, and cheking the map somehow kept sending me to the wrong place. I had to call my dad that was an hour a way to come pick me up and help me find my car. It took us like two minutes in his car to find it, and it was exactly where I had thought, between the two stores I remembered seeing as I entered. It was like I had been too mentally checked out to find my car, regardless of WHAT I did to make it easier for me. I do think this is something like a dissociative state.

[Samir]

The descriptions of 'brain fog' at the beginning of this thread nail it for me.  A sense of slowness, aloofness, disassociation, and not being present.  Couple that with clumsiness, bad automatic thinking, and severe short-term memory loss, and I'm not my normal non-pois self.

[Karcin]

Difficulty remembering for sure. Difficulty feeling "present" in a situation - like intellectually, I might be there, but I feel slow on the uptake and I feel physically sluggish (not necessarily related to energy levels, but as if I am somewhat detached from the actions of my physical body). Like if someone said "jump," I would understand it instantly, but take action based on that command feels slowed/delayed.

Interestingly, this may be one reason I spend a lot of time on internet forums; it gives me a mode of operating where sluggishness can be handled by taking my time and no physical action (aside from the minimal/automatic act of typing) is required.

[sleepy]

The descriptions of 'brain fog' at the beginning of this thread nail it for me.  A sense of slowness, aloofness, disassociation, and not being present.  Couple that with clumsiness, bad automatic thinking, and severe short-term memory loss, and I'm not my normal non-pois self.

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