Hi Pinky - This thread is almost 2 years old. I moved your question to a new thread Called "pinky256 asks..."
I have been newly diagnosed with MS as early as Feb 2012 and i am finding it ver hard to figure this out,i am a 33 year old mom and so far most of my normal activities have had to change,i have the dizziness,headaches,body aches,my eyes go funny and many more symptoms,can anyone direct me to a place where i can get info when these things happen as to weather or not its the MS acting up without calling the doctor,lol!!!
The confusion is very difficult to deal with. I think out of all the symptoms, it made me feel the most helpless. Cog fog was hard too. I couldn't trust any of my thought processes, because I kept losing track of what I was doing.
I kept having this problem, and it wasn't getting any better. I had my neuro-psych exam - lost 30 IQ points. I just couldn't get my brain working, even with video games and exercise, which is what they recommend for neuro-plasticity.
The psychologist recommended Aricept - surprisingly, she'd had a scare the year before, with symptoms resembling MS. The test results were inconclusive, but she was left with cog fog, and took Aricept for a few months until she felt more like herself. So I argued with the neurologist and got a prescription for Aricept.
I think current research supports that Aricept does not *fix* cog fog. And I agree - it didn't 'fix' mine either. What it did was the equivalent of turning the water up when you're watering the garden and need more water pressure. My brain felt like it still had holes, but I now could find a way to get around the holes and think my way out of situations.
They say that neuro-plasticity is rerouting the brain. The brain finds a new pathway, but that pathway is longer and less established than the old one. I think that's one of the reasons why MS patients are so fatigued - the brain is having to work twice as hard to do the same things. So I have to wonder if Aricept helped me rewire my brain.
Every month I waited to fill my prescription until I could tell a difference between my brain on Aricept, and my brain without. About five months after taking Aricept, I found that my brain was quicker and more adept. I could participate in conversations and follow topics better. I could remember what I was doing from one moment to the next. I could even count change and catch errors at the grocery store! So I stopped taking it.
I recommend it for everybody that's having problems with cognitive function.
Alex, thank you for your concern, I appreciate it.
I know, I'm not the only one dealing with "issues" this Winter.
This forum, helps to remind each of us, that we are definitely not alone, nor the only ones dealing with this disease.
I pray we each find comfort, in this knowledge.
-- Socrates2k1
Socrates,
Sorry you are having such a bad time of it.
Alex
I spent years thinking I had SAD - seasonal affective disorder. Now I wonder if it's part of my MS ... I don't have the aches, but I definitely feel like something is going on that shouldn't be.
Lu