# Recently diagnosed IBS C and have SEVERE brain fog... I need help



## alisaamarie (Jan 9, 2015)

Hello everyone,

I want to start out by saying I am a 24 year old female who was recently diagnosed with *IBS C* about 6 months ago. I was diagnosed almost immediately after I started a new job in NYC. I've always had trouble with constipation, but it wasn't until I started this new job that I developed severe stomach pains, chronic constipation, bloating and gas. Even went to the emergency room after terrible chest and stomach pains. I believe that my IBS was brought on by stress of working a new job in a new city, being far away from my friends and family, and also my daily commute from NJ. I can usually manage my symptoms with Linzess or Amitiza, but one of the worst symptoms I have experience (that medication doesn't help with) is brain fogginess. I haven't been able to think straight since I started this new job, and it is affecting my work and personal life. I can't form the sentences I am thinking of, I can't think of the words I want to use, I can't remember ANYTHING, I can't hold a conversation without getting confused and I can't function the way I used to. I feel so dumb. I will talk to my boss about a project and within seconds I forget what we were talking about, and I think she is concerned that I just don't know what I am doing, which is not the case. This is extremely debilitating to me as I am just trying to start off my career. I just received good news that I will be working closer to my home, so I am hoping that helps with my symptoms. If anyone could please please provide any advice or input on how to help with my brain fogginess it would be so greatly appreciated.* I am desperate for help.* I just want my life back. Thank you.


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## postmortem (Nov 11, 2006)

Hi,

NYC-er here. I wish I could help, but I don't know how to make the brain fog better either. It's incredibly frustrating career wise for sure. I just wanted to let you know you're not alone even though that probably doesn't help much lol. The brain fog is crazy and I feel so darn dumb sometimes because of it too. I remember being "smarter" before this but nobody really believes me because I'm constantly forgetting things and derping out now. What I do to minimize it the best I can is eat very soft foods during the week and take a strong laxative during the weekend so that way I can at least get in 3 functional work days before I get so friggin uncomfortable again. This ain't life though and I'm looking for an alternative as well.

Hopefully working closer to home will help. Best of luck.


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## Blastocuntis (Jan 23, 2015)

I feel your pain, I've had a lot of problems with brain fog. I am a security systems engineer and have to deal with technical faults, all day, every day, imagine that with brain fog.

I have been battling IBS related problems for six years now, and I have learned so much along the way.

There's a few things you can do to stop the brain fog, the first one is CHANGE YOUR DIET, removing gluten, sugar, and dairy from my diet had a MASSIVE effect, the second is ENEMAS, get yourself an enema bag, they're very cheap (I picked one up from Amazon), and try doing coffee enemas, they really work to clear my head.

Your problem is probably bacterial, so I would also find a nutrionist, or functional medicine practitioner, who can arrange a three day stool sample test, the one I had done was by a company called 'Genova', and I would also get tested for SIBO.

I believe brain fog is cause by toxins that bacteria produce, and enemas are the only way to get rid of them fast.


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## ibsgirl40 (Feb 15, 2015)

I have had the brain fog issue (in an extreme way) for the past 2 years. I finally started getting written off as chronic fatigue syndrome. My psychiatrist (who is also a functional dr.) did all sorts of stool tests but really nothing ever turned up. You know that you have more neurotransmitters in your gut than in your brain right? Anyway after a whole lot of research I found two things that might be interesting to you. For starters look up LDN (low dose naltrexone). I lot of people with these symptoms fine relief on this drug that at such low doses is really more of a "supplement". You just have to find a Dr. who is knowledgeable about it. Unfortunately this didn't work for me either so I finally found some research on ADHD drugs and chronic fatigue syndrome brain fog. Since I had two kids with ADHD my Dr. had no problem trying it for me. I still can't believe it but the ADD drugs take away my brain fog! I am skeptical that it is a long term solution - but I had tried all of the food eliminations etc. I think that is definitely a safer place to start.

Ok that was very rambling but I am having some brain fog this morning lol! Hopefully you get some ideas though.

Good luck!!


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## seahorse (Feb 4, 2015)

Ive had brain fog for quite a while and it only got worse. it got to the point where people always had to repeat themselves 2 or 3 times cause I couldn't make sense of what they were saying and me not being able to say things correctly. my memory has also gotten terrible, I sometimes even forget my friends names or can't think up of certain words that I know.

I'm going to try acupunture for this and for my ibs -c. will report back if this helps.


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## jza (Oct 4, 2016)

When I have flare-ups, I have the same issue. I have issues with brain fog, short term memory, and fatigue. I sleep at least 8 hours a night now and can often feel like I only slept a few when I'm constipated. I didn't make the connection until I started reading more about SIBO and saw that it's a common symptoms.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

I have that chronic fatigue feeling every morning, right after my first BM. It usually lasts a few hours. I hate it.

I think once I get some good health insurance I'm gonna get a prescription for a stimulant. I take half a Sudafed a day and chew nicotine gum, but that only does so much. (...And I almost forgot: Sometimes I have a Coke too.







)

....And dark chocolate, which also revs me up but OF COURSE also makes me more constipated than I normally am.


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## Raw015 (May 9, 2017)

seahorse said:


> Ive had brain fog for quite a while and it only got worse. it got to the point where people always had to repeat themselves 2 or 3 times cause I couldn't make sense of what they were saying and me not being able to say things correctly. my memory has also gotten terrible, I sometimes even forget my friends names or can't think up of certain words that I know.
> 
> I'm going to try acupunture for this and for my ibs -c. will report back if this helps.


did you try the acupuncture?


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## Chinara (Sep 2, 2017)

Hi. I am new here but just wanted to say I drank diet coke for 20 plus years and loved it. Lately the brain fog got to be horrible. After searching online for a couple of years I finally decided to stop drinking it and the worst of it went away. The more of it I drank the worse it was. I am convinced it was the acid and not the sweetners because as a type 1diabetic I use sweetners in my coffee, yogurt and a few others. I also developed a nose bleed every few weeks in my left nostril. The nose bleeds have completely stopped. I am ibs c although I haven't been diagnosed yet.


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