Foggy brain

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rella1965
rella1965 Non-active member Posts: 34
edited 16. Feb 2009, 07:39 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi

I am under investigation for RA. Went to the rheumy appointment today to collect my blood results. He said (very tentatively) that I may possibly be starting with early RA. That was the best I could get out of him.

He has also referred me to an endocrinologist as my vitamin D levels and Parathyroid levels are low (have had most of my thyroid surgically removed 10 years ago and also kidney stones for 20 years ). I have been feeling very distant and foggy lately, but I put it down to the painkillers etc. Anyone else had this as the rheumy seemed a bit confused with it all and didnt know if it was in anyway linked to RA.

Anyone else experienced this? Thanks

Comments

  • bailey27
    bailey27 Non-active member Posts: 689
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hi, i dont have these symtoms. but thought i would pass on my best wishes to you. i joined th forum only recently and have had some wonderfuly advice and encouragement. hope you get hte information you are after.
  • kazpaz
    kazpaz Bots Posts: 103
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hi

    I have RA and possibly a lupus overlap as well. I had symptoms of foggyness and low mood for months and was found to be severely vit D deficient. Treatment completely turned those things around though and I now take calcichew D3 Forte tabs twice daily and haven't looked back. I probably had the problem fr ages but nobody picked it up. I believe RA can be associated with Vit D deficiency, although I'm not sure if anyone completely understands why, or why it happens to some people and not others.

    Don't despair. Hopefully with some treatment you will feel a bit better soon.

    Best wishes

    Kaz
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    kazpaz wrote:
    Hi

    I have RA and possibly a lupus overlap as well. I had symptoms of foggyness and low mood for months and was found to be severely vit D deficient. Treatment completely turned those things around though and I now take calcichew D3 Forte tabs twice daily and haven't looked back. I probably had the problem fr ages but nobody picked it up. I believe RA can be associated with Vit D deficiency, although I'm not sure if anyone completely understands why, or why it happens to some people and not others.

    Don't despair. Hopefully with some treatment you will feel a bit better soon.

    Best wishes

    Kaz

    Kazpaz I discovered last November I, too, was deficient in Vitamin D and am on Calcichew - I now have no knee pain after 23 years and the pain went away the 2nd day I started taking Calcichew - they're my miracle drug - even if it's coincidence I can't believe it :shock: The weird thing is I still get some pain in all my other joints :?

    ............I can't say I've experienced a foggy brain though and if I have I've put that down to my age :wink:

    Luv Legs :D
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • kazpaz
    kazpaz Bots Posts: 103
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hi Legs

    Vit D deficiency is a most interesting problem as it mimics quite a few of the RA problems. I had a lot of muscle pain that disappeared very quickly too with the calcichew. I understand exactly why you think it is a miracle drug. Now you sat it, I suppose it was in a way for me too. I still have multiple joint pains and destruction but the picking up of my mood was the best thing for me. Depression is a well recognised symptom and that just went out of the window.

    I have often wondered how many people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and depression and other symptoms might have Vit D deficiency? I had seen 2 rheumatologists before the one who diagnosed it and I doubt it had crossed their minds! I could still have it today had I not been referred to him for consideration for anti-TNF. I thought he was so awful though I never went back to see him again! :x He did me one favour anyway, getting a diagnosis right. :wink:

    I also read recently that anywhere north of Birmingham lacks enough UV light for adequate synthesis of Vit D in the skin, so probably loads of people are at risk of this.

    Kaz
  • rella1965
    rella1965 Non-active member Posts: 34
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Thanks for your replies, at least there are enough people out there with foggy brains for me to not to get too worried i'm losing my marbles!

    Liverpool is definately north of Brum and I havent seen the sunlight for at least a couple of years as far as I can remember. Funnily enough my husband spoke to an old colleague of his who moved to Spain 5 years ago. She had RA and is now off all her meds and feels fine except when she returns home. Maybe we should all move somewhere sunny. :wink:






    kazpaz wrote:
    Hi Legs

    Vit D deficiency is a most interesting problem as it mimics quite a few of the RA problems. I had a lot of muscle pain that disappeared very quickly too with the calcichew. I understand exactly why you think it is a miracle drug. Now you sat it, I suppose it was in a way for me too. I still have multiple joint pains and destruction but the picking up of my mood was the best thing for me. Depression is a well recognised symptom and that just went out of the window.

    I have often wondered how many people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and depression and other symptoms might have Vit D deficiency? I had seen 2 rheumatologists before the one who diagnosed it and I doubt it had crossed their minds! I could still have it today had I not been referred to him for consideration for anti-TNF. I thought he was so awful though I never went back to see him again! :x He did me one favour anyway, getting a diagnosis right. :wink:

    I also read recently that anywhere north of Birmingham lacks enough UV light for adequate synthesis of Vit D in the skin, so probably loads of people are at risk of this.

    Kaz
  • colinone
    colinone Non-active member Posts: 1,039
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hi rella and all

    Hi I have the foggy brain and suffer with RA and PA I have always put it down to the methotrexate. But I read these posts now with great interest. I’m on prednisolone and was put on calsichew quite a long time ago. However I have a kidney stone that they will not remove because of my immune system I’m on the enbrel too. It says on the calschew not to take if you have kidney stones and that was the advise from the renal Dr.
    I know nothing about Vit D nor lack of it. I put all my what I call side effects down to the drugs I take. I am going to start on the calsichew tonight and see how it goes.
    Colin
  • colinone
    colinone Non-active member Posts: 1,039
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hey Rella
    Just thought i would let you know I'm in
    Kirkby on the Alt
    Colin
  • Wonkylegs
    Wonkylegs Non-active member Posts: 3,504
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    very interesting thread!

    My hubby suffers with problem skin, and we were wondering if this was stopping him from absorbing enough sunlight. He also has a 'foggy brain' although funnily enough it seems much worse at home than at work! :wink::wink:

    He asked his GP the other day, if taking a vitamin D supplement would help ....... and she said with the current meds he takes that it wouldn't be safe for him to do so.

    just wanted to sound a note of caution in case everyone went out there to buy a 'miracle' and got more of a curse.

    hope those of you who can take it get a great improvement though!
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Wonkylegs wrote:
    very interesting thread!

    ....................He asked his GP the other day, if taking a vitamin D supplement would help ....... and she said with the current meds he takes that it wouldn't be safe for him to do so.

    just wanted to sound a note of caution in case everyone went out there to buy a 'miracle' and got more of a curse.

    hope those of you who can take it get a great improvement though!

    Hi Wonky,

    Wise to put a cautionary paragraph in there and to add to that it was my Rheumy who prescribed calcichew after a blood test showing my Vitamin D inadequacy and this was after he'd seen struggling to get out of a chair.

    Luv Legs :D
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • kazpaz
    kazpaz Bots Posts: 103
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Yes, Wonky, it is fair enough to put a cautionary tip on all of this.

    Let's face it though, how many times do any of us get any tablet that has a really positive effect and no side effects!! :D

    It is a simple blood test although no every lab does them and I know that when my GP did a check level, after I had been on the calcichew for 3 months, it had to go to London for assay.

    I still get muscle aches and pains all over the place from the RA, but nothing like I had with the Vit D problem.

    Kaz
  • rella1965
    rella1965 Non-active member Posts: 34
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Thanks everyone to my worries over the foggy brain thing.

    I spend the weekend googling and have found a lot of links between kidney stones, thryroid probs and RA. Blood tests reveal low vitamin D, low calcium and low parathyroid hormone.

    Amazing that any of my doctors didn't mention this before considering my kidney stones and thyroid probs go back twenty years now.

    Anyway its made me feel a lot better that I obviously suffered conditions that are linked to each other rather than random complaints.

    Anyone else out there with similar? I would really be interested to have a chat.

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