toothless
31-01-17, 10:51
Hi, I wanted to know if anybody struggles with a foggy head and slow cognitive function because of it?
I will start with a bit of history, I have had mental health issues since I was a teenager and remember having the occasional foggy head then but I was able to do school and work as I got older.
In 2012, pregnant with my fourth child I found out at 20 weeks he was very poorly and after tests he was found to have a terminal condition. This is where all the stress started, I was heart broken. I decided to carry him full term knowing there was a 50% chance of still birth and death during labour, it took it's toll on me emotionally for the next few months I became anxious and with drawn.
Amazingly he was born alive and we had 6 weeks with him which I will never forget, even though he was disabled he wasn't that much different to look after than an ordinary newborn, I loved him and bonded straight away. He was such a calm peaceful baby who slept most of the time, but it was always there the fact he would die and it was hard to bear.
When he died it changed me forever, I felt traumatised, I loved him so much, I just wanted to die, my three other beautiful children kept me going but I suffered badly.
This is where my foggy head came in, I felt completely spaced and like the world wasn't real, I think my brain shut down. After a year I started having panic attacks when I went out and I could only cope with looking after the children and doing the school run, I lost the confidence to drive anywhere but school and anything different like appointments I couldn't deal with, I did go to the doctors who referred me to counselling but I couldn't cope with going.
I also developed health anxiety with my other children. Around this time I also started to become very ill and run down catching lots of colds and had a mini breakdown but I thought I was just physical and was diagnosed with post viral fatigue possible chronic fatigue but looking back my mental health played a massive part.
After a coule of years I started to feel abit better and got a job as a dinner lady at my children's school which gave me confidence but I ended up catching every bug going and had another breakdown both physically and mentally, I develped severe anxiety with severe physical symptoms.
This is where I finally got help, I left work, got counselling and started medication and 8 months on I feel lots better, I have more energy, I've started tai chi and meditation and mindfulness, I enjoy life more. I still pick up bugs alot though and my head is still foggy.
I have even started in a charity shop, I love the stock room but I find the till hard. I find the foggy head makes it's hard for me to concentrate and after being on there for a short time the fogginess is a hundred times worse, it makes me feel frazzled, I feel like I'm straing my brain. I don't notice the fogginess when I'm at home as I can do everything on auto pilot but I am forgetful and absent minded.
Im sorry for the essay but do you think I will always have this fog? I worry I will never be able to do a job which has cognitive aspects, I found the dinner lady job was lots of doing and not much number etc
Does anybody know of anythong to help?
Thanks for reading
I will start with a bit of history, I have had mental health issues since I was a teenager and remember having the occasional foggy head then but I was able to do school and work as I got older.
In 2012, pregnant with my fourth child I found out at 20 weeks he was very poorly and after tests he was found to have a terminal condition. This is where all the stress started, I was heart broken. I decided to carry him full term knowing there was a 50% chance of still birth and death during labour, it took it's toll on me emotionally for the next few months I became anxious and with drawn.
Amazingly he was born alive and we had 6 weeks with him which I will never forget, even though he was disabled he wasn't that much different to look after than an ordinary newborn, I loved him and bonded straight away. He was such a calm peaceful baby who slept most of the time, but it was always there the fact he would die and it was hard to bear.
When he died it changed me forever, I felt traumatised, I loved him so much, I just wanted to die, my three other beautiful children kept me going but I suffered badly.
This is where my foggy head came in, I felt completely spaced and like the world wasn't real, I think my brain shut down. After a year I started having panic attacks when I went out and I could only cope with looking after the children and doing the school run, I lost the confidence to drive anywhere but school and anything different like appointments I couldn't deal with, I did go to the doctors who referred me to counselling but I couldn't cope with going.
I also developed health anxiety with my other children. Around this time I also started to become very ill and run down catching lots of colds and had a mini breakdown but I thought I was just physical and was diagnosed with post viral fatigue possible chronic fatigue but looking back my mental health played a massive part.
After a coule of years I started to feel abit better and got a job as a dinner lady at my children's school which gave me confidence but I ended up catching every bug going and had another breakdown both physically and mentally, I develped severe anxiety with severe physical symptoms.
This is where I finally got help, I left work, got counselling and started medication and 8 months on I feel lots better, I have more energy, I've started tai chi and meditation and mindfulness, I enjoy life more. I still pick up bugs alot though and my head is still foggy.
I have even started in a charity shop, I love the stock room but I find the till hard. I find the foggy head makes it's hard for me to concentrate and after being on there for a short time the fogginess is a hundred times worse, it makes me feel frazzled, I feel like I'm straing my brain. I don't notice the fogginess when I'm at home as I can do everything on auto pilot but I am forgetful and absent minded.
Im sorry for the essay but do you think I will always have this fog? I worry I will never be able to do a job which has cognitive aspects, I found the dinner lady job was lots of doing and not much number etc
Does anybody know of anythong to help?
Thanks for reading