Life through my Eyes

My Journey; Autoimmune Diseases: Brain Fog and Blurry Vision

   

My Journey with Autoimmune Diseases: Brain Fog and Blurry Vision

I want to share my experience with brain fog and blurry vision. It could be something entirely different other than the usual things doctors think they could be. Like for example, my optometrist thought I might have a brain tumor. I thank God that it was something I ate, something so simple that no one ever guessed it.

I had been getting sicker these past three years than I had in a very long time. Especially my eyesight and memory seemed to be getting worse every day. I had no idea about Hashimoto’s or, matter of fact, any other Autoimmune diseases. Although I had suffered from them all my life, it turns out. The difficult years have been the past three years. I have been fighting brain fog, extreme dry eye, hot flashes, and everything in between.

I’d moved in with my son in 2015 until I could find a place of my own, but in the meantime, he lost his job. We decided that I would stay until he found a new job, which meant that we were only living on my SSI income. We had to cut corners on everything, and that included eating what was cheaper. At that time, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's that same year, and the doctor never told me what I had to do. I didn't know about autoimmune diseases or the special diets that I was supposed to be on, so we eat dirt cheap, eggs, pancakes, top ramen, spaghetti, etc. All the things that I shouldn't be eating. I didn't lose an ounce of weight; instead, I ballooned to a whopping, well I won't say. But, I fluctuated back and forth from one extreme to another. Due to my diet mostly.

During the next five years, I would battle extreme brain fog, and it continued to worsen by the day. I also was losing my vision. It was different from day-to-day. Until last August, I was driving, and my vision blurred so badly a ran into the ditch. I was going to my eye doctor, of all things. Of course, he blamed it on TEDS he had been treating me for it for the past year. I started with extremely dry eyes at first and then developed ocular migraines and was getting worse by the day.

In February of this year, I dove off the deep end and did an extreme detox of my body. After two years of knowing what my body was battling. I found a doctor who was willing to help me better understand what was going on. He told me I had to detox myself in order to find my triggers completely. After seven weeks, I was detoxed, it was a hard journey, but I made it and was very proud of myself. I lost 47 pounds finally. I didn't have a migraine or blurry vision during the last four weeks.

The first week I decided to have my usual breakfast. Gluten-free, of course! I had toast, two eggs, and fried potatoes. Five minutes after I ate, I developed a severe migraine and passed out. I woke up 4 hours later, still with a slight migraine and blurry vision. Now, I have to figure out what the trigger was?

I decided to eat just three hard-boiled eggs the next morning because the gluten-free bread and potatoes had been on my diet. I blacked out again after eating them. Eggs were my trigger! I woke up four hours later, still with a slight migraine and blurry vision. Since then no more eggs and my brain fog has decreased back to almost normal... Yeah! My vision is increasing more every day, and I'm off all the medications he had prescribed, and no more eye plugs to help with the dry eye. My migraines only come around when I've eaten something that has gluten or eggs in it, or I'd been cross-contaminated. Oh, and the blurry vision returns as well.

There are reasons why brain fog, migraines, blurred vision happens. Just getting to the root of it is a journey well spent. Detoxing was my key to the answer. You don't have to stay there. It takes taking control of our bodies. I give it to God through many prayers, and He gives me hope, love, and the strength I need to get through this.

I have had seven autoimmune diseases in my lifetime. I didn't know that until this past year after doing some research about autoimmune diseases. By having one autoimmune disease you can develop more than one, in a lifetime. Battling this together with the support of God, my family, and the autoimmune group that I am a part of has helped me tremendously.

Note: In my autoimmune group, I wrote this so others would better understand the pain that one suffers from silent diseases and autoimmune diseases. Although some do complain to get attention, ones with silent diseases and autoimmune are really in pain. Here is how most of us who suffer from them feel. Most people dread to ask them how they feel because they feel you complain too much.

Nobody knows the unseen pain that some are in and will never understand it. When they ask you how you are doing and you say you're in pain they say you're a complainer, but when something bad happens they ask you why didn't you say something. One should not have to lie about how they are feeling because they are afraid you will stop talking or loving them. It is a vicious cycle for those who have unseen diseases. Many people walk away from them not understanding that is when their friendship and love are needed the most. ~Teresa Blakely

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