I set fire to a grill. Not a normal fire that you would expect to see when grilling, but a fire I wasn't sure we would be able to control.
Let me explain. My mom has a grill that can also be a roaster or a smoker, it's official name is The Big Easy. She keeps the accessories for it inside the grill and when we go to grill we just take the basket out before turning on the grill. Unfortunately, I forgot to do that last night and I ended up creating a huge fire because the stuff inside was burning. Every time we opened the lid, the air from outside would just fuel the fire more. Eventually, the fire did die down, but the whole incident opened my eyes to the seriousness of brain fog.
Obviously, last night was terrifying and overall very upsetting. For lack of a better word, I feel stupid (even though I know it isn't necessarily my fault). I just keep thinking about how I could forget to take the stuff out of the grill when I have been doing it for years. Two words. Brain Fog.
Brain Fog or the more medically appropriate term, cognitive dysfunction, is the loss of brain function when it comes to thinking, remembering, reasoning and concentrating on a daily basis. Vanderbilt University's Autonomic Dysfunction Clinic has found that 80-90% of POTS patients suffer from brain fog.
It is important to know, POTS patients are not the only ones who suffer from brain fog. In fact, most chronically ill people suffer from some sort of brain fog with different degrees of seriousness. An even more interesting statistic is that a completely healthy person can suffer from brain fog. However, when brain fog happens to a healthy person, it is exhaustion and it is excused. For people suffering from POTS, studies have shown brain fog can happen from prolonged standing (and sometimes prolonged sitting), dehydration, fatigue, lack of sleep and fainting.
Up until last night, brain fog wasn't really something I worried about. Of all the POTS symptoms I tend to deal with on a daily basis, brain fog has never affected me too much. The only issue I have ever noticed was I would not remember talking to my mom about a specific topic. Suffering from memory loss, forgetting safety issues or having trouble functioning on a daily basis has never been an issue with me and my experience with brain fog. In fact, most POTS people I know laugh at brain fog and talk about the funny incidents that have happened when trying to interact with their family and friends. The fact of the matter is, chronically ill patients go through so much you have to be able to laugh when you can at silly situations.
I'm lucky. I'm lucky to have a mom who is understanding and knows what I am going through. I'm very fortunate the fire did not get any bigger than it did last night. I am blessed to have a neighbor who is a firefighter and could come check out the fire. ;-)
I didn't write this post to scare anyone. I wrote it to inform people. Like I said in previous posts, I want to share what I go through so maybe other chronically ill people can know they are not alone in the sometimes daily trials that people with chronic illness can go through. The fact of the matter is, I have been doing fantastic health wise. Of course I am going to have a few setbacks, and I am going to go ahead and count last night as my one set back for the month. Brain fog is a serious issue and I hope I have helped shed some light on the subject so those newly diagnosed with a chronic illness and their loved ones will know it is not an uncommon issue.
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