I googled brain fog and the list is endless of disease that causes brain fog.

Can't help you here, but since becoming de-ironed, I have noticed I do not misplace things and my thinking is much more clear.

I do know with ADHD you do become distracted easily and it's hard to stay focused. That's exactly how I was before becoming de-ironed.

It very well could be the iron. I was diagnosed in 2006 and couldn't retain a thought. Once I was de-ironed my cognitive acuity was no longer an issue. Since moving and not having as frequent phelb my iron levels have risen. I have begun the process of lowering my iron. However, right now I am living in a fog and have difficulty retaining a thought let alone what I have done an hour or so ago. It is horrible but I know it will get better after getting de-ironed.

Also, when I read your entry I thought of my daughter who is 20 and second year of college. She graduated the top of her class in H.S. and is enrolled in an engineering school. Her first year she did well but began to have some memory problems this past year. We took her to Mass Gen in Boston and then Mayo Clinic in MN. We were told that menstruating would be a natural prophylactic against iron overload but not so. The end result is that she inherited the mutation for hemochromatosis. Like you this past year when she began to have memory problems in school she was told that she is ADHD. She was wondering if she should even go to college. Now that we know she has excess iron levels we agreed she should take decreased units until she is de-ironed.

We all respond differently from excess iron. What impacts me the most is my level of serum ferritin.

Iron could very well be the culprit in stealing your memory retention and overall cognitive functioning. Check the numbers with your doctor.

Good luck. I probably won't remember writing this after I log off!

Stype ,its called brain fog ,it seems most people with high ferritin suffer the same thing ,we all know you are not stupid ,we all are there or have been there ,my memory is getting better slowly ,short term is by far the worst ,I get up to do something and by the time I reach the point of where I was going I forgot even where I was going plus what I got up for .Before being de-ironed I even forgot simple math ,its all coming back ,I forget names also ,plus how to spell ,its not as severe as it was but none the less it still takes me longer to figure things out ,even simple issue of what time to leave my house to get to doctors in time ,I have to get up an hour ahead of time just to get my thinking straight .Dont feel alone on this ,Queenie

I have the same thing. Before high school I would read all the time. I read an entire encyclopedia and could remember most of what I read when I was 10 years old. Scaning a page for a single word was a breeze. As I look back this ability started to lessen in my early teens around the same time I was diagnosed having which seems now to be a nonexistant liver disorder. (Hep B) Now I can't remember what I read even though I understand every word. At times reading seems to be a chore and am almost repulsed at doing it. I am on a heavy dose of Adderall to keep awake and functional. I have been overdoing it a bit so I can earn enough to feed myself. I am careful and get my BP checked often and it is always still quite low for my age. I will be very happy to get off this merry go round and get on with things. I know I can be so much better and this is really ticking me off.

Thanks guys and gals. This place has really helped. It's such a good outlet and it always helps to know I'm not the only one.

Lol, I was talking to a coworker just a second ago and made mention of a disorder my cousin had. Then in the next sentence I couldn't remember what it was called even tho I had just said it.

ANNOYING!!!

One thing I should add also. I have mentioned this in ealier posts. I moved from a place with low iron content in the drinking water and to a place with probably the highest in the country 16 years ago. I did notice a difference and now even more so when I look back.
Light physical work no makes me feeble in about a half hour or so and I take a break like right now. My wife says it is just that I am getting older, but I will be 57 shortly and I recall my days of extreme physical work in the the heat and I could go for hours at a time.So did the "older" people around what is my age now. They drank like sailors comming into port. I don't do any of that and feel like crap every single day now.I am certain it is all about iron and I bet many other disorders have similar connections with iron.

I LOVE THESE POSTS!!! LOL I feel like I have fallen off the brain wagon! In 1989 I had IQ testing and became a member of MENSA. I quit paying annual dues so I'm no longer a member. HaHa... That certainly isn't the case now!!!!!!!! I, too have trouble spelling - even simple words (if/when I can come up with the word I'm looking for). I love the spell check feature! Memory is shot, too. Concentration and sometimes comprehension is slowed, to say the least. I have to re-read the posts to bring me back to what HAD been said and by whom:) Sometimes it's funny, most of the time it's TOTALLY frustrating. I am SOOO looking forward to becoming de-ironed... kinda feel like a kid, anticipating Christmas!

And the joy of being half way back to normal will be the best gift ever

Being diagnosed and de-ironed has been very elusive goal.It is getting closer now.One person who has seen the difference in others said "You might end up being better than you ever have experienced". I will settle for much less, but what ever I can't wait.
My day today has been working in one hour spurts followed by 2 hours of time out for both my brain and energy levels.
I have worked so hard to build my business to the point where it is at now and this is all I can do. It is frustrating that my future has been in the hands of the Three Stooges"

I am experiencing Brain Fog as well. Some days I wonder how I get thru the day at work.
Good Luck.

Hello everyone! I am new to this site. I was just diagnosed with HH after several years of misdiagnosis and many doctors. For the past 4 1/2 years I have been treated for Rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus! I have sever arthritis at times but I hate the brain fog the most! I had to quit my job as an RN because I didn't trust myself to be safe anymore and I couldn't take the risk of making a mistake and hurting a patient, or worse. I have become used to the pain and fatigue, but I will never get used to the brain fog. I have not begun phlebotomy yet because my docs are still sorting things out. I'm just so glad to know what has been causing all my symptoms and hopefully I will be able to get treatment and start feeling like myself again. I look forward to the support from this site. It is great to not feel so alone! :)

TerryMer ,I had already had to quit work but I also became too scatter brained to trust myself driving in fear of harming others ,I felt so slow in response time but I am now back to driving with no fear ,it is a very scary feeling ,my job also required long distance driving .This month makes my first year of phelb treatment ,what a world of a differance from last year at this time to now . Good luck and dont waste time waiting to start phelb treatment ,I stress to everyone that if for some uneducated reason that your doc puts you on hold for more than a couple weeks to start treatment to seek out a blood donation center asap ,dont wait if its due to some red tape reason(insurance) , .Its not going to hurt to get a head start because you will have many many more blood tests to follow your process .

May be worth getting your Vitamin B12 levels checked. The old brain fog problem is sometimes related to low levels of this which is important for brain cells and nerve tissue. Good quality fish oils (esp. DHA) may help too.

I understand completely and experience the same. I since have been diagnosed as bipolar but I really feel so much of this is attributed to the iron level. I also have googled so many things including brain fog, now I'm giving this a try.

I get brain fog too and am so relieved to find out that it is a part of the hh - thought I was going senile at just 39.
I have now had 3 phlebs and am already feeling better, not back to normal but certainly on the way and the difference is noticable.