Is it kidney related or am I just getting stupid??

[Naynay99]

Hey. I was just wondering how much of an effect kidney failure has on one’s brain.  My memory and concentration have been total shiit lately.  I’m not on dialysis yet, still have some kidney function left.  But I feel like I’m in a fog or something.  I keep forgetting things, and I was having trouble doing basic math earlier today at work. 

Maybe it’s just stress, i don’t know.  But I feel like I am totally failing at being a productive human being lately.  I feel like I am doing a mediocre job at work, at least from my high standards anyway.   And I have been having some word recall problems.  Perhaps it is my mood? When I get depressed I think my IQ drops many points.... if it is my kidney, well it’s not like I can do anything about it but maybe it would make me feel better to know my brain is not also failing.  Idk.  I think I need a vacation or moratorium on worrying about and thinking about kidney stuff for a while.  If my one friend asks if my dr knows when I will need to start dialysis one more time I may have to hurt  him.   Anyway, just wanted to say hi and figured I would ask if anyone else has dealt with brain crap out.  Take it easy.   

[iolaire]

One sign of knowing when its time for D is being tired and lethargic - lethargic that's from the word (lethargy) see:
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/lethargy
lethargy
[leth-er-jee]
noun, plural lethargies.
1.
the quality or state of being drowsy and dull, listless and unenergetic, or indifferent and lazy; apathetic or sluggish inactivity.
2.
Pathology. an abnormal state or disorder characterized by overpowering drowsiness or sleep.

I could see how one person's lethargies manifesting as being tiered all the time (me pre dialysis and any weekend my entire life), yet another's manifestation be a brain fog. 

I don't remember being off kilter memory wise prior to dialysis but when I tried to work after dialysis sessions I was in a brain fog.  (Happily I did afternoon shifts and only occasionally did morning shifts with work afterwards.)

[Marilee]

Yeah, remember kidney insufficiency means toxic blood circulating everywhere (including your brain). My hubby became a bit of a zombie before dialysis.
Of course, it could be other things, too: I don't know about your other health issues (if any), but being in a fog is also part of blood sugar problems (too much and/or too little), dehydration, reduced levels of serotonin, lack of sleep...
Here's an article with more ideas, in case it's not your kidneys: https://www.healthline.com/health/brain-fog.

[Charlie B53]

I can think much clearer since starting dialysis and my labs improved, but I still have those days, especially after treatments, when all I want to do is take a nice long nap!

Some claim the brain is much like all the other muscle, that it will atrophy without regular use.  Aging can take a toll on brain function, especially for those that sit and vegetate in front of the TV.  Books, puzzles, and games that require concentration, exercising brain function does help sharpen thought.


I try, it can't hurt.

[Cupcake]

Prior to starting dialysis, my brain was definitely foggy. I couldn't concentrate, had no empathy, very irritable. Now since dialysis I'm back to normal, doing crosswords, reading nonfiction, and am my usual chipper self. I chalked it up to uremia. Didn't know how sick I was until I was better.

[LorinnPKD]

Yep.  I'd even venture to say it started for me at late Stage 3, early Stage 4.  No one warned me about that particular issue, and it happened so gradually, so it was hard to understand what it was going on.

During the lead-up to dialysis, I always felt better when I got plenty of rest.  I was working at home for most of that time, so I'd try to take a little nap after lunch so I could feel cohesive enough to work another four hours.

[kristina]

Hey. I was just wondering how much of an effect kidney failure has on one’s brain.  My memory and concentration have been total shiit lately.  I’m not on dialysis yet, still have some kidney function left.  But I feel like I’m in a fog or something.  I keep forgetting things, and I was having trouble doing basic math earlier today at work. 

Maybe it’s just stress, i don’t know.  But I feel like I am totally failing at being a productive human being lately.  I feel like I am doing a mediocre job at work, at least from my high standards anyway.   And I have been having some word recall problems.  Perhaps it is my mood? When I get depressed I think my IQ drops many points.... if it is my kidney, well it’s not like I can do anything about it but maybe it would make me feel better to know my brain is not also failing.  Idk.  I think I need a vacation or moratorium on worrying about and thinking about kidney stuff for a while.  If my one friend asks if my dr knows when I will need to start dialysis one more time I may have to hurt  him.   Anyway, just wanted to say hi and figured I would ask if anyone else has dealt with brain crap out.  Take it easy.

Hello and I am sorry that you feel like that at the moment, but the symptoms you describe are unfortunately a "side-effect" of failing kidneys. The thoughts become foggy and a bit scrambled, due to the fact that the failing kidneys are completely over-challenged and as a result the blood is not being "cleaned" naturally any longer. The process of getting into a kidney-failure-fogginess develops at first very slowly, almost insignificantly, but then one slowly "glides" fully into it. This fogginess only "clears-up" through dialysis and I was surprised how clearly I suddenly could think again after my first few dialysis-treatments...
Good luck and all the best from Kristina.

[iolaire]

Also I should note if this is a pre dialysis symptom then hopefully its something that is cleared up as you transition to dialysis.   Increased energy and overall feeling better is usually the first positive sign of dialysis working. But as you can read from everyone's stories new side effects might crop up.

[MooseMom]

I was actually pretty well during my long pre-dialysis years.  I was never anemic, and the meds I took protected me from a lot of side effects of progressing renal failure. 

Perhaps I am overstating how "healthy" I was physically and didn't realize at the time how renal failure was affecting me mentally, but what I CAN say is that the toll on me was FAR greater psychologically that physically.

I just remember years of trepidation and fear.  Every time I had to see my neph for my latest lab results, I was consumed with anxiety.  I knew that my numbers would never get better, rather, it was just a matter of seeing how slowly (or quickly) they were getting worse.  I spent 8 years in a state of high anxiety, so in my very humble opinion, any brain fog I experienced was probably due to having my brainspace occupied more by terror than by critical thinking or recall abilities.

I'm sure that all of the studies that show that bad kidney function results in poorer cognitive function are true, but until my dying day, I will insist that ongoing, unrelenting fear plays a bit part of it.  But doctors and researchers don't ask questions of that nature, do they?  When they study the decline in cognitive function, do they ever study the rise in the psychological burden that comes with knowing you have a disease that will end up putting you on a treatment like dialysis?  I'd bet not.

[Cupcake]

Well said, MM. That mind/body connection is strong.

[Naynay99]

Hey.  Thanks for all your replies.  Idk what this is.  Right now I am actually feeling like I am losing my shiit so the brain fog isn’t much of a concern to me at the moment.  Perhaps it’s the kidney, or stress, or terror as one of you said. Idk. Will see if it gets better or worse or what. 

Anyway right now my mood is total crap, I’m in a very dark place today, and depresson is taking over. (Thanks prednisone for that parting gift).  This strict renal diet I’m following has sucked all joy out of eating and I would almost rather just not eat at all than have all my favorite foods taken away. 

How do you people keep doing this everyday? I’m not even on dialysis yet and I can already say that if I don’t get a transplant for years and years that I will most likely opt out of all of this and check out early.  It’s too hard.  Perhaps I’m just seeing things thru gray glasses today and things will look up soon...?
Take it easy.   

[Cupcake]

After starting dialysis I felt much better physically and mentally. Hang in there, it gets better.

[Marilee]

My hubby's kidneys were damaged but stable for almost 20 years. We were hoping they'd stay at that level, but then he got dehydrated and that started the beginning of the downward spiral that resulted in dialysis. During that spiral, we were so gloomy, so sad. We were in mourning for what was being lost. We were also scared of what was to come. It was literally dread-full.
There's no magic words that I can think of to make it all better: It makes sense to me that it would be a time of mourning, and a lonely one at that.
But little by little, the shock subsided and we got into some routines. My hubby doesn't have the strength (or even hours awake) that he used to, and we both still get aggravated about that.
Our diet changes were emotionally tough, too, perhaps like yours. I felt lost and afraid, not sure what to buy at the grocery store, not sure what to prepare. It took several weeks but we finally got a new set of meals and foods that we like and that work for his diet.
It's not easy, it's scary, it's lonely, it's dreary. But it gets easier and less scary, and the more we can talk  to friends and family about it, less lonely too.
We're not waiting for a transplant - hubby says "no thanks" - so we're making this dialysis gig work as long as it can.
I think it helps that we're in this together, and I truly hope you have one other person in your life who can help - even just to talk to.

[Paul]

Anyway right now my mood is total crap, I’m in a very dark place today, and depresson is taking over. (Thanks prednisone for that parting gift).  This strict renal diet I’m following has sucked all joy out of eating and I would almost rather just not eat at all than have all my favorite foods taken away.

How do you people keep doing this everyday?

Believe it or not, you do get used to it. It takes a while, but eventually it becomes the "new normal". Not sure if that is good news or bad, but believe me when I say that the hell you are going through will pass.

As to the renal diet sucking. Look at the recipe section of this board. Research what you can and can't eat and make up a menu of the things you like best from this list. A lot of us search out alternatives for our forbidden favourites. Things that are similar-ish but lower in potassium and phosphorus. Also we find different ways to so things. For example I like stew. Meat, vegetables, potatoes, and lentils boiled up in the same pan. Sadly this would concentrate the potassium/phosphate in the veg and potatoes, and lentils are fairly high in potassium (not absolutely forbidden by my dietician, but I'm allowed so few that they get lost in a stew). I still eat this, but I select vegetables that are lowest in potassium/phosphate. I boil the vegetables and potatoes separately to everything else, drain them (this removes some of the potassium/phosphate) then add them to the meat at the last minute. The lentils I have replaced with rice, which is much lower in potassium, and has the same "mouth feel" to lentils (the difference in taste does not matter as it is boiled in meat gravy, so both taste meaty, it is the texture and shape that matter).

And I'll let you into a secret: Once you go on dialysis it will take the machine a few weeks to get your blood back to "normal", but when it does you can cheat a little. Not often, and not a lot, but just the occasional thing you like but shouldn't, it makes life bearable.

Hang in there, it is hell at first, but it does get better.

 

[KatieV]

Hey. I was just wondering how much of an effect kidney failure has on one’s brain.  My memory and concentration have been total shiit lately.  I’m not on dialysis yet, still have some kidney function left.  But I feel like I’m in a fog or something.  I keep forgetting things, and I was having trouble doing basic math earlier today at work. 

Maybe it’s just stress, i don’t know.  But I feel like I am totally failing at being a productive human being lately.  I feel like I am doing a mediocre job at work, at least from my high standards anyway.   And I have been having some word recall problems.  Perhaps it is my mood? When I get depressed I think my IQ drops many points.... if it is my kidney, well it’s not like I can do anything about it but maybe it would make me feel better to know my brain is not also failing.  Idk.  I think I need a vacation or moratorium on worrying about and thinking about kidney stuff for a while.  If my one friend asks if my dr knows when I will need to start dialysis one more time I may have to hurt  him.   Anyway, just wanted to say hi and figured I would ask if anyone else has dealt with brain crap out.  Take it easy.

I STILL have word recall problems even though I'm on dialysis.  Drives my husband nuts!     A common one is "I need my arm-thingie" AKA blood pressure cuff.  Sometimes I just can't come up with its name. 

[MooseMom]

Regarding the pre-renal diet, again, it takes an emotional/psychological toll, and that goes back to what I'd said about the effect of fear and frustration on one's emotional wellbeing.

I hated the IDEA of the renal diet.  On its surface, it seems so counterintuitive in that it bans the foods one usually thinks as being good for you.

And it is so negative.  You're drilled on what you can't have instead of being steered toward foods that GIVE you something nutritionally.

Being pre-dialysis makes you feel like you're out of control.  There's that emotional toll again.  I, personally, seized upon the restrictions of the diet like a lifeline.  I figured it was the one thing I COULD control, so I went all in.  I didn't have a potato for eight years.  I found the things I could safely eat, and I stuck to those.  The foods I had to give up became far less important to me than the ones I could eat and the sense of control over my life those "safe" foods gave me.  Control became more important to me than food.

Does that make sense?

I swiftly got to the point that I just didn't want the foods I knew would harm me.  It became easy to avoid them.

I don't think most people view it this way.  I didn't set out to turn to this mindset, rather, it just happened.  I'm glad it did because it made the whole diet issue into a non-issue. 

I'm telling you this because it occurred to me that maybe you could try to adopt this strategy, too.

[Charlie B53]

A renal diet does not have to be tasteless.  DaVita and Fresenius have a number of cookbooks available for downloads to show us how to vary our cooking methods.

[Paul]

DaVita and Fresenius have a number of cookbooks available for downloads to show us how to vary our cooking methods.

I think Fresenius have discontinued this but DaVita still provide cookbooks though, as well as several other people. There are a few links below. Most are PDF files, the majority of eReaders can cope with this, if you have a computer it may have a PDF reader as standard, but if yours doesn't, you can download a free PDF reader from Adobe (the creators of PDF). Or if you prefer - some browsers (e.g. Chrome) treat PDF files as web pages, if you use a browser like that you can read the cookbooks online without a PDF reader (or having to download them).

Free PDF reader for Windows 7 or above: https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
Free PDF reader for Windows XP, Mac OS, or Android: https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/otherversions/
For Linux etc.: They do exist but you will have to use Google as I've never used one.

Links to the Free cookbooks (if you want to download the books, then when you get to the pages with the books on them, you may need to right click and select "save target as" because some browsers, such as Chrome, will open the books in a browser window rather than save the file):

DaVita: https://www.davita.com/cookbook
NKF (British kidney charity): https://www.kidney.org.uk/help-and-info/books/books-foodwiththought/
Guy's & St Thomas': (British NHS hospital) https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/resources/patient-information/kidney/everyday-eating-recipe-book-for-kidney-patients.pdf (N.B. This link goes directly to the PDF file.)
DCI: http://www.dciinc.org/recipes/

[Naynay99]

         “I think it helps that we're in this together, and I truly hope you               
     have one other person in your life who can help - even just to talk to.”

Yeah, I would imagine it is easier not doing this alone.  I do have a good friend, and my Mom, who I can talk to, but they don’t understand nor live it on a day to day basis    It is just me and my kitties so I have to rely on myself which can be tough.  I wish I had somebody on my side to pick u the slack when it gets to be too much.

I think food is the same thing.  It’s just so much effort to look up recipes and food shop and cook and clean up every meal every day.  It’s not like I am cooking for a family- it’s just me.  I used to go out to eat a lot with friends and being on this diet sort of makes me feel like I am now seeing ppl less bc I am trying to avoid eating out, or else things just seem weird with me searching the menu for something I can eat and getting to watch them enjoy my favorite fooods.    It just sucks. 

I really do appreciate all the support on here, and ideas and links to recipes and cookbooks.  I have tried some recipes, I’m just tired of working so hard just to feed myself.  It seems easier to just not eat or have some cereal or carrots or apple and call it a day.   I I know I sound whiny complaining about dumb stuff like food. 

It amazes me how positive u all seem to be with dealing with this crap.  I feel like there is something wrong with me that I am so disgruntled and you all are handling this so well.  Bc I am a fuucking hot mess, at least inside my own head.  I can keep it together most of the time but sometimes it just seems so unfair, seeing all my friends without a care in the world. 

Perhaps it is so hard bc I have lived my whole life with a successful transplant that u start to take for granted being healthy, and i am now having to relive all that crap I had to deal with as a kid all over again.  Idk. I am rambling.     

I will attempt more recipes and work on trying to change my mindset.  I will. But right now i am gonna feel sorry for myself a bit longer and miss my old life of being able to eat chocolate ice cream or eggplant parm and having the freedom to leave the country at a whim...

Sorry for the rant.  Maybe I just expect too much but this chapter of my life is pretty much sucking.   And having no one in real life who gets it makes me feel totally isolated and alone and broken. 
Anyway thanks for the replies.  Take care.
. 

[MooseMom]

         “I think it helps that we're in this together, and I truly hope you               
     have one other person in your life who can help - even just to talk to.”

Yeah, I would imagine it is easier not doing this alone.  I do have a good friend, and my Mom, who I can talk to, but they don’t understand nor live it on a day to day basis    It is just me and my kitties so I have to rely on myself which can be tough.  I wish I had somebody on my side to pick u the slack when it gets to be too much.

Neither your friend nor your mom will be able to understand it, but that's OK.  They don't need to UNDERSTAND to know that you feel bad and frightened.  You don't have to actually have cancer to know that cancer is bad.

I think food is the same thing.  It’s just so much effort to look up recipes and food shop and cook and clean up every meal every day.  It’s not like I am cooking for a family- it’s just me.  I used to go out to eat a lot with friends and being on this diet sort of makes me feel like I am now seeing ppl less bc I am trying to avoid eating out, or else things just seem weird with me searching the menu for something I can eat and getting to watch them enjoy my favorite fooods.    It just sucks.

This is a tough one.  It's hard to go out with other people because sometimes your mind gets so filled with the fear and worry that there is just no ROOM for socializing.  And watching them eat without a care in the world...without having to think about potassium...just keeps reminding you of what you are losing and what may be in store for you.  You work hard to maintain some sort of emotional equilibrium, and then BAM...."There's always something there to remind you!"  You watch your friends eat stonking great baked potatoes, and there you go again, back into the abyss.  Who wants to torture themselves?  If you actually miss having more people around, could you maybe arrange something that doesn't include food?  The movies?  A concert?   

I really do appreciate all the support on here, and ideas and links to recipes and cookbooks.  I have tried some recipes, I’m just tired of working so hard just to feed myself.  It seems easier to just not eat or have some cereal or carrots or apple and call it a day.   I I know I sound whiny complaining about dumb stuff like food. 

There's nothing "dumb" about food.  It sustains us, nourishes us, pleases us.  People feast for a reason...to celebrate, to mourn, to share.  In saying that, though, if it was just me, I doubt I'd actually cook for myself.  I'd make salads or sandwiches and call it a day, too.  I have lunch on my own as it is, and that's exactly what I do.  The pre-renal diet gets complicated.

It amazes me how positive u all seem to be with dealing with this crap.  I feel like there is something wrong with me that I am so disgruntled and you all are handling this so well.  Bc I am a fuucking hot mess, at least inside my own head.  I can keep it together most of the time but sometimes it just seems so unfair, seeing all my friends without a care in the world.

I've always thought the same thing!  "How on earth can these people be so damn positive?" because believe me, I WAS SO NOT!  I was a "fuucking hot mess" and tried everything not to be.  Seriously.  I tried biofeedback, meditation,  psychiatry, counseling, everything but medication (I reckoned I already took too many meds and was wary about mucking about with them).  I DID find that exercise was the one thing that consistently helped.  Swimming, walking, anything that required me to get outside and MOVE.  Nighttimes were the hardest.

Perhaps it is so hard bc I have lived my whole life with a successful transplant that u start to take for granted being healthy, and i am now having to relive all that crap I had to deal with as a kid all over again.  Idk. I am rambling.

I apologize if you've already talked about this, but where are you in the process of getting a new transplant, because in my waters I knew that the only thing that was gonna help me was a transplant.  I can imagine few things worse than losing a transplant after so many years with a successful one.     

I will attempt more recipes and work on trying to change my mindset.  I will. But right now i am gonna feel sorry for myself a bit longer and miss my old life of being able to eat chocolate ice cream or eggplant parm and having the freedom to leave the country at a whim...

Sorry for the rant.  Maybe I just expect too much but this chapter of my life is pretty much sucking.   And having no one in real life who gets it makes me feel totally isolated and alone and broken. 
Anyway thanks for the replies.  Take care.

There were plenty of days when I awoke and realized immediately that this was going to be a hard, sad day, and sometimes I just couldn't fight it.  I finally gave myself permission to feel bad if, despite my efforts, that mood just would NOT shift.  It's ok.

IHD made such a big difference to me.  I know it is not real life, but it's a very good second choice.  I don't think most people are even aware that they know someone with failing kidneys or are on dialysis.  It's just not a medical condition that most people are aware of.  But we IHDers know all too well what it feels like, and you can post here at 3AM if you want!  When I was feeling especially horrible, particularly at night, I'd come to IHD instead of calling my husband or waking him up.  You can post whatever you want, whenever you want, and no one is going to judge you or make you feel bad for not being more entertaining.  Here, you don't have to worry about what anyone thinks, and you don't have to contend with people who secretly wonder just what you're on about!  You don't have to worry about making THEM feel bad or bored or whatever.  People in real life can be disappointing.
.

[Paul]

I used to go out to eat a lot with friends and being on this diet sort of makes me feel like I am now seeing ppl less bc I am trying to avoid eating out, or else things just seem weird with me searching the menu for something I can eat and getting to watch them enjoy my favorite fooods.

I eat out about once every week or two, and have take aways about the same number of times. Here is how I work it:

Visited the local eateries alone at first, looked through their menu and picked out the meals I could eat and noted them down. I now have a list of what local eateries serve something I can eat, and what it is.

Some places have nothing I can eat. So I ask if they can swap things round. EG "Can I have the lamb dish, but without the kidneys, and could I have rice instead of roast potato" I have never yet been refused.

With this list, when I eat out with a friend or relative, I go through it to find one that has both meals I like and my guest likes. Not as hard as you would think. Even in situations that seem impossible. For example my sister is a vegetarian, so we eat in vegetarian restaurants. Think how few vegetables you can eat, and think how hard it is finding an entire meal of vegetables that you can eat. Well actually, not too hard. Found an Indian vegetarian eatery that had a mile long menu, several things I could eat. Found a smaller vegetarian place, only one thing I could eat, but fortunately it was delicious.

Best result: Cafe just five minutes walk from home has a menu that lists everything they do by item rather than meal. I can pick items I can eat from that menu and make up a kidney friendly meal easily.

As I said, I eat out once every week or two. Occasionally I cheat a little, but most often I don't. It just takes a little research to find what you need.

Take away (take out) places are harder. Some have nothing I can eat, some insist on serving fries with everything, and bloody McDonald's insists on putting loads of salt on or in (or both) everything. Never had their ice cream, but I bet that has salt in it too! But about half of the places I have tried have at least one dish I can eat. A choice of one dish may seem boring, but there are several take away places local to me, all types, and that one dish varies from place to place. Plus some have more than one dish. So I get variety, I just have to eat at different places.

And only having one dish you can eat has it's advantages. There is one take away place that knows I only ever have the same thing. Occasionally I'll walk in and there is a queue. Usually the cook will see me at the back of the queue, nod to me, and put my order on to cook. So I get my food before people who are in front of me in the queue. Great service.

So please don't feel you cannot eat out. It takes a bit more work when you are on a special diet, but remember, a lot of people are on "fad" diets, many people have allergies or intolerances, so places that serve food are used to catering to a customer's difficult menu. True, a few don't, but you can always recognise them - they are the places going bankrupt! The good ones (IE the majority of them) will happily cater for you, but you have to know what you can and cannot eat. No good asking "What do you have that is low in potassium and phosphate". But say "Can I have item seven but without the sliced tomato, please." And that is what you get.

[Paul]

Just thought: If you are looking for an easier option. There is a fad these days for buffet type restaurants (usually "all you can eat for $XX" type deal), I have two within walking distance of my home (and I cannot walk very far these days). There are also places who do the buffet thing on just one day of the week (most commonly Sundays for some reason). These are easy for people with difficult diets. You take your plate to a table and pick the items you want from a (usually) large selection, so can just take what is OK for you.

Although watch out for pizza restaurants who do this. There used to be one near me (gone now) that offered slices of pizza. As many as you want for £9.99. Large selection of toppings to choose from. Only problem was, the only thing the did were pizzas, large choice of toppings, but every one on a thick tomato base - useless to us.

[Naynay99]

Thanks moosenom.
Your message made me feel better.  In some sick way it helps to know I am not the only person here who is/has been floundering thru this.

From reading some threads on here it seems like u all are adapting to this crap lifestyle so seamlessly. Maybe a lot are, idk. I do think people prpb try to be encouraging and positive when replying to someone who is struggling but sometimes it just comes off too damn positive and just makes me feel worse.  Like I can’t even do kidney failure right....!

So. Thank you for your honesty.  I do think writing here does help some.  I also feel like I need to reassure the healthy people who care about me and know about my kidney disease that I’m ok.  which is sick and twisted and true.  Why do these people bother asking how i am when they already know that I AM NOT OKAY.


Paul and everybody- thanks for all the ideas for the diet and going out to eat.  U give some really good suggestions.   I Will look at some places menus before going out so am more prepared.  Thanks. 

Alright, so this thread changed from being about brain fog to me being a crazy mess to me being upset at the limitations of a renal diet.   Its interesting tho, instead of being all sad and scared lately my current mood state is pure rage. Which is apparently not an emotion that anyone ever talks about.    the only thing that helps is driving while blasting really loud music or screaming in my car. Which makes me sound like a crazy person so I dont tell people.   Ah well. 

Anyway have a great night everybody. 

[Michael Murphy]

If your doctor has you on Beta blockers a side effect is they slow your thinking. After my first heart attack I was but on beta blockers and it reminded me of a old story and movie flowers for algernon.  Every day I got more stupid, doctor stopped beta blockers and for a couple of weeks I felt smarter and smarter.

[Naynay99]

Michael- I loved that book! Read it a long time ago. 
Stupidity could be from meds.  Who knows.  All I know is that I was working up to the Wednesday xword puzzle and I have now been demoted back down rto Monday.  Sigh.

Ah well.  It’s a good thing I started out smarter than the average bear, with my newfound stupidity I seem to blend in well with everyone else now!   Haha.  (Just kidding!)
Good nite.  Take it easy.