I feel so out of it lately. A lot has to do with a postponed Remicade infusion due to snow. My ankylosing spondylitis took the delay as a cue to flare, and the pain in my SI joints and in my neck has been intense. I've had near constant migraines and a facial twitch that is driving me insane. I'm a week post-infusion and starting to feel human again. My brain function may be returning as well. For a while there I was finding it difficult to form a complete sentence and failed to make obvious connections in many facets of life that should have been apparent. Anyone else have issues with pain-induced brain fog?
The good news is that I didn't have the massive PsA flare I'd prepared myself for when I had to postpone my infusion. I think we finally found a dosage and schedule that works for me, even if it gets delayed a bit. I kept moving, eating good foods, and attempting to get as much sleep as possible and I think that helped a lot.
Hopefully this means I can be a bit more active here than I have lately. I've been reading, but not posting much.
I have brain fog but it does not seem so much pain induced as inflammation induced. When the bios stop working for me my brain is the first to go! I have been on Remicade for 14 months now and it is not working any more. I see my Rheumy again in March and will need to pick out another bio. The brain fog comes creeping in as the bio ceases to work whither I have pain or not. The only time I got facial tics (actually ticks all over) was before I started an SSRI. When I have tapered off the tics, as well as the depression, has returned so now I stay on it. when the brain fog happens I become very embarrassed by it which seems to make it worse. Luckily my husband knows it is not "me" and is very supportive when it happens which helps ease my anxiety about it some.
My brain fog is usually a result of inflammation rather than pain. The pain and inflammation often go hand in hand, but not always! Pain tends to cut through the fog for me.
Sorry to here you spondylitis had been kicking up. Hope the snow clears soon and you feel better.
I am currently waiting on my new biologic, Cimzia. I am failing Humira. My SI and neck have really been flaring. For me there is a twitch is in the top of my right foot that is so irritating I thought about kicking something .. or maybe stab it with a fork just so the pain might drown out that damn twitch. But it might earn me a trip to the psych ward ;)
Stoney seems to have a more reasonable approach than mine ... Botox, hmmmm?!?
Thanks everyone. I'm still twitching! LOL It's to the point, I think, where I'm beyond being annoyed by it and am just amused by it. I'll definitely bring it up with my doc and see what he has to say. Botox ... I guess I could add that to the list of things I never in my life thought I'd do and ended up doing! :)
Glad you’re on the mend again, Nym. My brain fog seems to be a function of inflammation as well. When I went on Enbrel, the first sign I had of its working (before I had any physical relief) was the lifting of the fog.
Botox is good for far more than wrinkles! I have a friend who had botox injections to mitigate her hyperhydrosis (profuse underarm sweating). Worked a treat!