My symptoms of cognitive fog and fatigue set in almost a full two years before I started getting strange pains in random places on my body.  I was in grad school and having difficulty making it through the afternoons, staying awake in my internship. It was embarrassing for me when my supervisor would catch me nodding off in a meeting. I kept trying to drink coffee at lunch to perk myself up to no avail. I would have word retrival difficulties for vocabulary that I used every day in my studies.  

My doctor kept checking my thyroid levels (which came back normal) and told me that forgetting the words was just part of middle age. 

This last year has been really difficult.  I've gained 35 lbs since I first started having the troubles with fatigue and the numbers continue to grow.  Most days in the afternoon I could only come home from work and rest, nothing else. I've been grumpy and depressed with my husband. 

Now that I know what I'm dealing with it's nice to have an explanation.  I'm not crazy and there is a reason why all this is happening to me. It's nice to be able to plan for when I might have fatigue and work around it. Plus I can better plan for social engagements and plan out when I need to get things done during the week and weekend. 

I have treatment options now  and my husband has been understanding.