Debilitating 'brain-fog' and other problems. Complex case.

You can ask our experts questions here that don't fall into one of the categories below.

Moderator: talkhealth

Locked
3 posts
psycoconnetic
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2013 6:00 pm
Quote

by psycoconnetic on Sat Jul 13, 2013 7:23 pm

Debilitating 'brain-fog' and other problems. Complex case.

I'm 21, male. I have a history of health problems stemming from bad guardianship(bad diet/lifestyle) as a child. This meant chronic systemic inflammation - bowel, joints, eyes, muscles; chemical sensitivity; tiredness, and other bowel discomfort(felt like worms to me but I was just a kid) etc... Doctors only prescribed paracetamol.

Through control of diet and adaptation of lifestyle, which was a very rocky path as I had to learn myself from nothing and had no money at first for food etc, I have been able to stop the inflammation, but I still have the tiredness and chemical sensitivity and general weakness/illness(as well as having developed some new problems along the way); and poor stool quality, mostly loose/runny..(Note, this transition to healthy diet/lifestyle was rocky, as I said, and included a period where I was eating lots of raw animal products - including pork, fish, wild game - and I also did weird stuff like eating dirt, and raw dirty organic vegetables, and living in the woods...)

I started taking probiotic yoghurt last year ~November some time. The effect was that it hardened my stools up, which was great, but I would also get some mucus farts, and when I would feel the need to defecate coming along, my brain would lose energy making me feel spaced out/drunk-ish, until I passed the stool. The effects of the yoghurt did not last if I stopped taking it.

Inspired by the bowel-hardening effects of the yoghurt, I decided to try kefir, which is a diverse colony of bacteria and yeasts, so they are much more robust and can colonise the gut. After drinking the kefir, I'm not sure how long it would take, but I would get the spaced out/drunken feeling. I would also get the solid bowel movements, and the mucus farts. I think it took a few days, up to a week, but after a short time consuming this kefir I began to have the spaced outness/drunkenness/brain-fog/whatever you want to call it, ALL the time! I also developed a skin reaction on three fingers of my right hand, which would get worse the more kefir I would consume(until it would crack and bleed), and better the less kefir I consumed.

I did not stop the kefir right away because I was happy about the stool-hardening effects, it gave me fairly regular bowel movements and I was tired of having running stools all the time... After some time experimenting with this kefir, I dropped it completely. This was several months ago now, maybe 3 months, and there is no noticeable change in my brain-fog, I still have it constantly and it is debilitating. I am unable to work or study... The skin condition has cleared up to the point where it is of no hindrance whatsoever, but it is still visibly wrinkled i.e. the reaction persists but at a much decreased severity.

I have been seeing a doctor since January but she is completely incompetent - I have provided her with all my observations and she has not been interested in making a single hypothesis aside from asserting that I must be imagining it. I have been in a daze unable to do much since the brain-fog started. I have been able to be more active the last few days in pursuing treatment, such as writing this post, because I have been consuming several thousand calories worth of fat per day(mostly in the form of cream/butter) on top of my normal diet, which has allowed my brain slightly more functionality, for whatever reason....

I have had an ultrasound on my gallbladder and some sort of standard blood test, both apparently showed normal, except that the blood test showed a slightly depressed immune system. Unfortunately I cannot be more specific as I have not been allowed to view the results of either test myself despite asking...

I will now give a list of observations to help with diagnosis:

***Outstanding symptoms I had up to the point of taking the kefir:***

Severe varicoceles.

After running for ~10 minutes I develop a pain around my gall-bladder, which prevents me from running any more until at least the next day. This does not improve with training.

I have not put on any weight, even if I have eatem huge amounts of food and done no exercise. Instead, if I eat more food, it feels like it just rots in my guts rather than being absorbed, and I get gas/bloating/rashes/itchiness.

General slow recovery from exercise, and exercise causes me to get rashes/itching over my body.

After eating some foods I would get a feeling like they would become stuck in my gut as if my digestion/motility had stopped(improved/dissappeared with kefir). This was accompanied by nausea.

Runny stools(dissappeared with kefir)

Fruits would feel like they were fermenting in my gut, and I would get itching/rashes and jitteriness from eating them.(dissappeared with kefir)

***Outstanding symptoms appearing since taking the kefir:***

Relentless brain-fog, inability to work/study, feel spaced out, as if there is not enough blood/nutrition to my brain.

If I walk around etc after eating more than a small amount of vegetables(potatoes/carrots etc...), my eyes become tired and watery and I feel generally ill.

Extreme hunger, not satisfied by eating. If I am temporarily satisfied, I will soon become hungry again long before I have finished digesting my food. This hunger was reduced when I went for a few days where the only carb source & plant food I consumed was ~100g of crucifers(cabbage) as an experiment.

Slower digestion.

Decreased body temperature/thermogenesis.

Low level acid reflux.

Solid stools, often black and hard.

Extreme thirst - drinking water to satiety often causes kidney pain.

Mucus farts(only when I was taking the kefir).

Note: My current diet is based on 'The Perfect Health Diet' by Paul and Shiou Ching Jaminet. I have no dietary deficiencies, and I also get adequate physical activity and sunlight. I also get plenty of sleep, am not actively(as in, obviously my body is under some stress, but not from anything I'm doing now) stressed out or anything like that. Anything going wrong is going wrong inside my body, not from what I'm doing with it or putting in it now. I only adopted this diet since the brain-fog in order to rule out any dietary possibilities(i.e. grains/legumes often cause problems for people with bowel problems). Before that I was eating similarly but also with sourdough bread and sprouted/soaked legumes. I switched from sourdough bread to porridge after starting the kefir. This change ended the 'food stuck in my gut not moving' sensation, and reduced the severity of my itching/rashes... I would've liked to just have gotten proper medical attention in January when I first went to the doctor, but seeing as it's been 7 months now I've done some messing around/tinkering and researching of my own...

Note 2: I do not notice any negative reaction to milk/cream/cheese(dairy).

***Some hypotheses/ideas(based on my observations):***
1) Bacteria from the kefir have colonised my small intestine, and are consuming my food, particularly carbs, before I can. Not only is this depriving me of energy and other nutrients, but waste-products from the bacteria are also entering my blood stream through a 'leaky-gut'.

2) I have a long-standing parasitic worm infestation. These worms are producing metabolic waste which I used to pass in loose stools. Since improving my colonic bacteria with the kefir, I am now absorbing this metabolic waste into my blood-stream.

I hope you will show more interest in helping me out than my doctor has. Please ask any further questions as required.

Kind regards,

Miles.

User avatar
Debbie Stuart
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Sep 04, 2012 1:42 pm
Quote

by Debbie Stuart on Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:14 pm

Re: Debilitating 'brain-fog' and other problems. Complex cas

Your post is very detailed and gives an overview of a somewhat troubled life to date. I would suggest that you ask your GP to refer you to a dietitian specializing in gastrointestinal disorders; their nutritional expertise may be able to give you some explanation of the symptoms that you describe. You may also benefit from some psychological support as you have identified some guardianship issues in your early years.

It is common for people struggling like you to start to self analyse out of sheer desperation. This can make any consultations with doctors /health professionals difficult due to the sheer volume of information. It can be helpful to identify 2 or 3 points that you consider to be the most debilitating from your complex medical history to focus on when you next meet your doctor.

I hope that this is of some help to you.
Debbie Stuart
Chartered Physiotherapist

User avatar
Julie Thompson
Posts: 94
Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 2:24 pm
Quote

by Julie Thompson on Mon Jul 15, 2013 6:03 pm

Re: Debilitating 'brain-fog' and other problems. Complex cas

Hi Miles
The first step I would advise is that you have a look at the self care plan for people who have, or suspect they have IBS, this plan will tell you what your symptoms might be and what tests you should have before a diagnosis of IBS is made. Your history is complicated, some people with IBS report brain fog, which has been reported by some people to have resolved to some extent by following a Low FODMAP diet. I am not suggesting that your diagnosis is IBS, but the plan will give you other possibilities to consider. Your chemical sensitivity might be due to histamine or food additive sensitivity perhaps, I would not rule this out, but this will not be resolved by following a Low FODMAP diet, other exclusions would perhaps be better for you. Some people with wheat allergy have an anaphylatic reaction when they excercise - this is VERY rare, however your skin reactions need to be diagnosed, ask to see a dermatologist - this could be an allergic reaction, or if the rash is very itchy, it could be dermatitis herpatiformis (a reaction to gluten that resolves when following a gluten free diet.) Consuming high amouts of fat might not be helping your diarrhoea - diets high in fat tend to cause diarrhoea in those with sensitive digestive systems, cutting back might be a better option, although you do need some fat in your diet. I am afraid I don't know the diet you are following and that would suggest that we do not have a hugh amount of data of the benefits it can provide. Has you doctor tested you for coeliac disease? You need to ask this question. Were you eating foods containing gluten at the time? (this is needed to ensure you have a positive test, avoiding gluten will cause a false negative test.) I strongly suspect you have a food intolerance or even perhaps a food allergy - although food allergies are rare in the general population. Ask your GP for a referral to a gastroenterology dietitian, ensure you complete a food and symptom diary before you have your appointment as this can save time in clinic.

http://www.theibsnetwork.org/the-self-care-plan
Also have a look at the following website http://www.allergyuk.org
Julie Thompson
Gastroenterology Specialist Dietitian - BSc (Hons) Dietetics

http://www.talkhealthpartnership.com/on ... ompson.php

Locked
3 posts