Finding Humor In "Brain Fog" and other symptoms

[Colleen]

I can’t wait to read the responses to this topic! Honestly, I don’t know how my son and our family could have survived all these years without humor! We have made each other laugh during serious situations which to any outsider must have appeared that we where all going crazy!

Here is my favorite humorous memory of when both me and my son where experiencing brain fog at the same time! When I read this post I made to his Caringbridge that day it still makes me laugh out loud! Even the first paragraph was funny after the fact, an example of something others wouldn’t find humor in at all.

“I got get a game from the library, but when I returned he wasn’t in bed. It really startled me so I yelled his name, not realizing the poor kid was just next to the privacy curtain trying to untangle himself from all his leads, tubing, etc.. He didn’t hear me walk in and he just about hit the ceiling, “Oh my God mom, NEVER do that to someone with PH,” as he clutched his chest. He wasn’t on his monitor at the time but I can imagine his heart rate was going wild. Way to go mom!

When he has to go to the bathroom we have to unplug a bunch of plugs and wires then plug him back in when he returns. He was already all undone so I grabbed everything and started leading him to the bathroom. Now I’m standing inside the bathroom, he’s standing outside of it and we are staring at each other. I ask, “What are you doing?” He asked me, “What are YOU doing?” “I’m helping you to the bathroom.” He said, “I was coming back from the bathroom and TRYING to get back in bed.” “Then why did you let me walk you to the bathroom door?” “Because I thought that was your way of straightening out the wires.” So there is a little hospital humor for you for the day.”

[brittany-foster]

Omg Colleen!!! Hahahaha! I love where we can find humor in situations other people would find horrific. I have a funny bathroom type story of when I was in the hospital. Before my nervous system was more stabilized my heart rate would spike so high with just the simplest of movements. Well, let’s just say I was going to the bathroom and the nurses came running in because when I was having some GI troubles on the toilet my heart rate was going all over the place and the nurses were running in like “what’s happening!?” I yelled out “I’m just trying to go to the bathroom!” Hahahaha!

[Colleen]

Brittany, that is too funny, well, maybe not so much when it happened but now it is, right? Days after my son’s transplant, as he was starting to move around, all he wanted to do was go to the bathroom privately. Most nurses would allow me to stay behind the privacy curtain in case he needed help. However, there is always that one who will insist on following every rule by the book. She told him she had to stand there and watch him to make sure he was ok. He said, “Then I guess I’m just going to have to hold it until shift change because I am NOT going to the bathroom in front of you!” He was a 14 year old boy, I mean seriously, give him a break! LOL!

[brittany-foster]

OMG I can’t even imagine being a boy in the hospitals. It sometimes gets super awkward for me when the nurses are my age or younger and I’m like talking to them about my bowel and bladder habits or having them change the sheets if I get sick to my stomach. It just gets weirder as you get older, especially with children’s hospitals LOL there’s so many plus sides to being at the children’s hospital, but also I feel like so many of the doctors and nurses are so YOUNG and it can get awkward really fast. Must be way worse for guys though, especially when the nurses are good looking ! (maybe that’s not where their thoughts are running to when feeling sick in the hospital but still).

[Colleen]

Our group has been a little on the quiet side lately and I know one thing that gets us all going is humor. Let’s revisit this topic and share! I hope you all will have me laughing out loud!

[jen-cueva]

I love this, @colleensteele. It has been quiet, and I think humor is always needed.

The stories above are making me crack up. I guess I missed those back then.

I forget everything. Manny comes home and sees colorful post-it notes all over our house. It is not; I forget things. So, it’s been my way to hopefully not forget things I need to do or things we need to get at the store.

But just yesterday, I had a stressful day and was talking to my daughter. I was walking around the house like a maniac looking all over for my phone. Then I busted up laughing, and KK asked what’s so funny? I said I was looking for my phone, and I’m ON it!! She was, OMG, mom, you need a break, LOL.

I often ask myself why can’t I forget the things I instead NOT remember instead of important things. Can anyone relate?

The brain fog struggle is real, y’all.

[Colleen]

@jenc if it makes you feel any better I have done the – look for my cell what I’m on it, search.

My dear you are both a patient and a caregiver. If you didn’t experience some type of brain fog I would be surprised and envious because just as a caregiver I certainly have my moments!

[jen-cueva]

Hi @colleensteele, thanks for being so kind. Yeah, I’m still a caregiver most days. But the brain fog is no fun either way. But at least we can laugh about it.

I’m falling over laughing at the “butt light” – I’ll never think of it but anything other than a butt light from now on. LOL

[terry]

G’day,

Not sure about brain fog ,how about vacuum between the ears.

Back in the seventies I was riding my motor bike home late one night in pouring rain when a kangaroo jumped out in front of me resulting with me on the ground with the bike on top . Thank god I was drunk ,if sober might have tried to do something stupid like brake and hit skippy . On the other hand might have braked in an orderly manner ,na, I tell people that with quick thinking  I threw the bike into a slide . Anyway you know how your invincible (stupid) when drunk ?  Couldn’t lift my right arm so asked a bystander to help me back onto the bike and notwithstanding bent handlebars, broken footrest and having to lift my right hand onto the throttle with my left rode the 15 mikes home. Fell off the bike at the back door and yelled to the misses to help with my wet weather gear. Instead I got a tongue lashing for being drunk. Pain was setting in ,probably sobering up, so misses drove me down to the brand new hospital a few miles away  where I was the only one in emergency . Actually it was empty. Eventually a young doc. came in  , had a look and told me I had a broken collar bone then walked out. After  a while I went looking for him and found him on the phone getting instructions on how to set a broken collar bone. Not good.
Thirty years later was getting an X-ray for something when the radiologist  asked if I have pain in the shoulder . Na I said only a dent in the skin and the odd ache. Break had never knitted together still broken ,still is .

Ha, Guess   which of the above was a fib. (Wink) .Catch ya later time to take my macitentan,tadalafil,diuretic,crestor,asprin,spiriva respimat before I forget…..I’ve forgotton something. Don’t  you love it when you walk into a room and forget why your there.

[jen-cueva]

LOL, @terry, you are a mess, my PHriend. I know you keep that lovely misses of yours on her toes, still today.

I’m scared to guess which was a fib in that story. I hope the being drunk part was true. I’m not 100% about the kangaroo, but I think that lashing was also true from the misses.

Take care, Mate, and I hope you and the misses are doing well this week. It’s almost holiday time again. Unbelievable!

Thanks as always for your entertainment.

[Colleen]

@terry you are so entertaining! Hmm, I am going to guess that the kangaroo is like the big fish that got away? Did your wife buy the excuse? No matter what is true or false – you are the best story teller!

Now what was I going to remind you to do? Oh yeah, go take your meds if you haven’t already!

[terry]

Got it in one Jen. Yep skippy was a Renault . I have to say I am astounded at the extra energy I now have since taking the diuretic as well as my other meds.each  morning.  I just mowed my front lawn and nature strip in 86f and 80 humidity without stopping ( 45 mins.) .I am still puffing a bit one hour later but boy it feels good to work up a sweat and not feel your going to collapse.

 

[jen-cueva]

Hey there Mate, @terry, the addition of the diuretic must be helping to rid the extra fluid. That always seems to help my breathing, too. But I am not outside mowing the lawn, LOL.

I’ll let my hubby do those things while I do short workouts and e-bike rides, hehe.

Too funny; I know you love to share your humor with us. Now everyone will know off the bat, which was a fib. Thanks for your humor, and may you keep sweating and feel good without passing out, Mate. Please be sure to make sure you stay hydrated after all that sweating, though. You don’t want to go in the opposite direction, either.

[kygon]

Our sweet little Kay had some real big brain fog moments that still make us laugh when we think of them here is one of my favorites; Kay calls my husband, “Dad I am buying batteries what is the difference between D2 and D4?” ( I can hear and I am already laughing) Bryan, “Kaylyn how many batteries are in each package?” Kaylyn “Oooh, Okay bye” (we both laughed for like 5 minutes)  One time my husband told a joke and we all laughed except Kaylyn, then 20 minutes later she just cracked up and we were like what is so funny and she said I just got the joke… LOL we still can’t remember what the joke was but its a fantastic memory!

@Jenc my husband looks for his phone when he is on it too! My favorite brain fog thing is the keys! He will be franticly looking for them and 9 outta 10 times they are in his left pocket (lack of feeling on his left side from the stroke; even when he puts his hand in there he can’t feel them) so I usually just walk over and pull them out and say something in reference to magic. However we have found them in some Interesting locations such as in the fridge or on top of the laundry hamper not in a pocket just right there on top) … I guess he just wants to keep them fresh and clean hahaha

[jen-cueva]

OMG, that’s too funny. Kay sounds like me at times with jokes. Often it takes me a minute or a few extra. I laugh at myself when we are with others, too, so we all start laughing again. Too funny about the batteries, LOL.

OMG, I put my phone in the fridge once while putting away groceries, then looked frantically like 10 minutes for it. Thankfully, it was fresh and had no issues, hehe. But Manny was outside looking and in my Jeep, everywhere. Then like you, he is like “Tada”- gotta love it!!

[Cris Dingman]

I totally understand about finding things where they do not belong. I don’t know how it made sense to my brain, but I found my iron in the freezer! And a brand new bag of dog food in the oven. God help me… But, I would much rather laugh about my illness than wallow in self-pity. Laughter is great medicine, “they” say!

[Colleen]

@crisincincy I laughed out loud at your brain fog experiences only because I have found things in crazy places before too. For me I think as I get older maybe I’m not multi-tasking as well as I used to. I can see me with iron in hand going to pull something out of the freezer for dinner and when I do, replace what I take out with the iron.

As far as the dog food goes, hope you found it before you started pre-heating the oven! Anyone smell kibble burning? LOL!

[jen-cueva]

LOL, @crisincincy, your brain fog moments are relatable. I have placed things in weird places and looked all day for them.

The iron in the freezer, maybe it needed to cool off. The dog food must have needed to be heated, LOL.

You’re right; it’s better to laugh than wallow in self-pity. However, I have my “pity party moments at times.

[Colleen]

@kygon sharing Kay’s brain fog moments has me thinking about how funny forgetfulness can turn into the best memories. I bet PH or not many people have funny memories of loved ones like what you shared. Laughter really is the best medicine – maybe even when grieving?

The difference between D2 and D4 reminded me of my “butt light” concern. That’s right, BUTT LIGHT! It’s a car dashboard warning light. Can you guess which one I’m talking about?

The few times that has popped up over the years I have forgotten what it means so I will call either my husband or son, Aidan and ask, “A butt light just popped up on my dashboard. What the heck does it mean?” To which they always laugh, sigh and explain…low tire pressure!

Sorry, but I think it looks like a butt! (.)

[kygon]

hahahaha this is awesome … I never realized it looks like a butt! that is hilarious, my truck has that right now,  I am going to tell my husband the truck has a butt light and see what he says!!

[jen-cueva]

LOL, @kygon, let us know what Bryan says to the butt light. He may think something else needs adjusting, hehe.

[Colleen]

@kygon probably why I thought of this, because the light is on in my car right now too.

[terry]

You are so right Colleen. Actually I have had a run in with two roos.  One into side of my car and one on a golf course . He wanted a punch up ,true. Mating season.

[Colleen]

@terry oh my goodness! I’ve no experience with roos. Never even seen one in person but I’ve watched documentaries and I guess they can get rather aggressive? Wouldn’t want to get in a boxing match with one!