Brain Fog

[mar]

So my son made his first Communion yesterday and all went well. He was nervous bout no tics surfaced. I am so proud of him. Anyway, Igave him a piece (less than an inch thick) of plush horse ice cream cake. I though I would let him get away with it on his big day! Woke up completely stuffy and sneezing like crazy. Walked into my room saying " mom I think it must be the cake". Looked alot better when he got home from school. So my daughter had the cake tonight and ds asked for it again. Gave him a smaller piece then yesterday and within an hour noticed some stuffiness but this is where the scary part comes in. I told something (about twenty words) to grab something and head upstairs to bed and he turned around and said he didn't hear half of what I said. I was like what do you mean you can't hear me. I said do you hear me know and he said yes but he did'nt hear half of what I said prior. He was then just standing there so I was like "go upstairs and brush your teeth". Once again he turned around and looked at me and said I can't hear what your saying. This really freaked me out!! I was like do you hear me now and he said yes, so I said why do you keep telling me you can't hear me and he said I don't know and tears started running down his face. We went upstairs and he and I asked again if he could hear me he said yes but said maybe we shoud clean his ears. Anyway could the cake (food sensitivites) cause this brain fog or whatever you would call this. It's like he was confused. There was no anger just confused. Gave him som benedryl and when he went to bed he seemed fine. No ticcs from the cake just congestion and sneezing.

 

Mar

[Chemar]

Hi Mar

 

one of the first signs many people get of an allergic reaction is the brain fog

 

my son has multiple chemical sensitivity and this is always his first symptom

[mar]

Hi Mar

 

one of the first signs many people get of an allergic reaction is the brain fog

 

my son has multiple chemical sensitivity and this is always his first symptom

 

 

We learn somthing new everyday. He woke up with no sneezing and less congestion and seems to be doing much better. The brain fog really scared me. Thanks for the reply!

 

Mar

[faith]

mar,

dairy is sometimes a culprit for stuffiness, its like a sensitivity, as dairy is mucous forming. that's why its recommended not to consume milk when you have congestion or a cold. Also, the sugary stuff, I'm guess he had more than just the cake.....the sugar is like an initial 'high' (energy) and then your blood sugar plummets, so that's where the 'low' comes from........I know I get foggy and feel a pull downward toward depression when I consume sugar......It's good to keep an eye on those things, you never know what causes what..

 

Congrats on First Holy Communion!

 

 

Faith

Edited May 6, 2010 by faith

[mar]

mar,

dairy is sometimes a culprit for stuffiness, its like a sensitivity, as dairy is mucous forming. that's why its recommended not to consume milk when you have congestion or a cold. Also, the sugary stuff, I'm guess he had more than just the cake.....the sugar is like an initial 'high' (energy) and then your blood sugar plummets, so that's where the 'low' comes from........I know I get foggy and feel a pull downward toward depression when I consume sugar......It's good to keep an eye on those things, you never know what causes what..

 

Congrats on First Holy Communion!

 

 

Faith

 

Thanks for the reply Faith, Yes I do now know that milk causes the mucus but that wasn't his issue at the time. He did'nt have anything out of his diet at the time. I made him his own dinner and appetizers. The cake was the only thing out of his diet that day. It is a huge Wow!! That that caused that reaction. That is the first and only time he acted like that. It is crazy!! Thanks again for your rely and info.

 

Mar

[faith]

That is great mar, that you can make a good observation like that, at least you know for next time, and if you see something like that again, than that just bolsters it......

 

 

on another note, we've discussed the 'restless leg syndrome' around here, (which is kind of related to TS and movement disorders) and I have come to the conclusion that mine gets pretty ramped up at night after consuming ice cream...interestingly, it doesn't seemto be milk or other dairy, but for some reason, ice cream will give me a night of real heebie jeebies and I am moving my legs all night.......last night it was really bad....and what did I have after dinner? ...ice cream....I'm telling you it happens every single time, doesn't matter the flavor, altho coffee seems to be the worst........I havn't gone as far to figure out all the ingredients and what it could be, but there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that ice cream worsens it. other nights I do not feel it much.....

 

and yet, I continue to eat ice cream.........

[mar]

Faith

 

Thanks for the reply. Your post got me wondering. DS has never ever complained of leg pain but DD who just tuned 5 has had several episodes of crying at night because her legs hurt. This has been going on for years with her. It does not happen all the time . She will wake up crying say her legs hurt for one day or maybe two in a row and go for months without any complaint. It's has been driving me nuts!! I have had restless leg as I child I recall and then had it a couple of times after one of my pregnancies. I know I had it a couple of times which the change of weather. But really only had it a couple of times in the last five years. But anyway she really scares me sometimes with this leg pian at night. She will cry and say her legs hurt. Then she will wake up in the morning and it's fine. And like I said its not very often. Actually is was more often a couple of years back but now she goes several months even 4 months without complaining. People tell me its growing pains but I still wonder. In the last year she occasionlly says her legs are tired throughout the day and this last time it did coincide with her pain at night. One more thing to make a mother go crazy with worry!! Also she seems to be clumsy. I swear she is always bumping into things or tripping. She has always been like this. Don't know if this could have anything to do with TS. She has always complained of belly aches also. Which are usually short lived. Either she has to go potty or they disappear within 5 minutes. I am having her allergy tested on the 27th. We will see. Hope everything is good on your end. Thanks for listening!!

 

Mar

[laurena82]

Hi Mar,

 

Two thoughts re: the cake/hearing/brain fog:

 

1. if you completely avoid a food allergan long enough for it to clear your system (over 3 days...more like a week is better), then add it back, ....generally one meal will be OK, but the SECOND time you eat it (within 24 hours or so)----you'll get the same symptoms that food allergy causes in you--but GREATLY maginified.....(that's why a food elimination diet is so useful---> it really leaves *no* doubt in your mind that THESE symptoms came from THIS food, LOL!)

 

We did food elimination diets, for example my DH had frequent head aches...when we added back corn, he had HORRENDOUS head ache, ....my son had some mild asthma, ..when we added back corn, he had SEVERE (very scarey! I'd never seen him like this) wheezing. For myself, I'd been having some occasional "extra" heart beats, ...after adding the corn back, I had an episode of PAT (rapid heart beating)...........anyhow, there was NO DOUBT in my mind that THAT food caused THOSE symptoms.........> they are all "more severe" versions of what it causes usually.............(for some reason, if you eat the food regularly, your body must "calm down" the response...and it's not as severe....but it's still there...)

 

So....the "good news" (if you chose to view it this way)......is....----> YES!<---- That cake causes those symptoms, and milder/chronic symptoms are most likely caused by (whatever offending food) is in that cake.

 

2. re: the not hearing you: Another son of mine had allergies show up PRIMARILY by LACK OF HEARING due to fluid in ear ---> for him, it was more seasonal (spring)...........he barely had a runny nose (just a little) ---------> but we'd laugh, because it would be like an old man on a sit-com, always mis-interpreting what you said....---> he'd think you said some other word that kind of rhymed with it, because he couldnt hear right ......(he had no pain or anything, and was completely unaware that he wasnt hearing correctly....he was probably about 5,6,7 years old at the time)

 

anyhow, being as how the symptoms come on so much more severely in situations like the "rare" piece of cake for your son, .....my thought is "part" of his difficulty hearing/understanding you might be some fluid he had in his ear as a result of that as well.......

 

(then he had episodes a year or so later where he thought he heard "nasty voices",---which at first freaked me out re: schizophrenia or something.---but dr told me lots of kids with fluid in ears like that hear a kind of funny echo with voices that scares them---fortunately it went away when we got the allergy under control)

 

 

 

Anyhow.....your description of situation reminded me of my son's situations in those regards, so wanted to add that experience for you to consider when trying to figure out your own....

 

BEST WISHES!!