Are We Playing Charades? The Reality of Brain Fog Conversations

One of the funniest — and most frustrating — things about living with brain fog is what happens during conversations.

If you've ever completely lost a word halfway through a sentence, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

The other day I had a friend over for coffee. We were sitting at the table chatting away, solving all the world's problems as friends do, when suddenly it happened.

I was right in the middle of a sentence.

One second I knew exactly what I was trying to say.

The next...

Nothing.

The word was gone.

Not hiding.

Not sitting on the tip of my tongue.

Gone.

I stopped talking and stared blankly into space while desperately trying to retrieve it from whatever mysterious black hole brain fog had thrown it into.

My friend immediately burst out laughing.

"Oh yay," she said.

"Are we playing charades?"

Without missing a beat she continued.

"Let me guess. Two words? Does it start with the letter P?"

And just like that, what had started as a normal coffee catch-up turned into a full-blown game show.

The thing is, people who don't experience brain fog often think forgetting a word is no big deal.

But people living with chronic illness brain fog know this situation all too well.

You know the word.

You know what it means.

You know you've used it a thousand times before.

You might even know what letter it starts with.

But the actual word itself?

Nowhere to be found.

So naturally I started trying to describe it.

"You know..."

Helpful.

"The thing..."

Even more helpful.

"The whosy-whatsit."

My friend laughed harder.

"That's not helping."

"The thingymabob."

At this point I was fully committed to the performance despite having absolutely no idea what the missing word actually was.

The hand gestures started.

The facial expressions came out.

I pointed at imaginary objects.

I made vague shapes in the air.

Surely if I acted it out dramatically enough, the word would magically return.

Spoiler alert.

It didn't.

The funniest part?

Neither of us ever figured out what I was originally trying to say.

We became so focused on solving the mystery of the missing word that somewhere along the way the entire conversation disappeared too.

Brain fog: 1.

Us: 0.

Honestly, I think that's one of the most ridiculous things about brain fog symptoms.

It's not just forgetting words.

It's forgetting what you were talking about.

Why you walked into a room.

What you opened your phone for.

What you were about to search for.

Or why you're standing in front of the fridge staring into it like the answers to life might suddenly appear between the milk and the cheese.

Living with brain fog means becoming surprisingly creative.

You find yourself describing things instead of naming them.

You know...

The food cold box.

The cleaning stick thing.

The loud hot drink maker.

The clicky TV thing.

Somehow everyone around you becomes responsible for translating your language.

And if they're lucky, eventually they'll figure out what you're trying to say.

Sometimes they don't.

Sometimes you don't.

Sometimes the missing word reappears three hours later while you're in the shower.

Or driving the car.

Or trying to fall asleep.

Suddenly your brain proudly announces:

"TOASTER."

Thanks.

Very helpful.

A little late, but thanks.

As frustrating as brain fog can be, moments like these remind me that sometimes you simply have to laugh.

Because if you don't laugh, you'll spend half your life being annoyed at your own brain.

And let's be honest, most of us have enough going on already.

So if you've ever forgotten a word you've known your entire life...

If you've ever called something a thingymabob, whatchamacallit or the thing that does the thing...

If you've ever acted out an everyday object in the middle of a conversation...

Welcome to the club.

Apparently we're not catching up for coffee anymore.

We're playing charades.

🤍

Do Brain Fog Moments Happen To You Too?

One of the reasons I created My Health Companion was to have a place to jot down notes, reminders, questions for appointments, symptoms and all those important things my brain occasionally decides to misplace.

If you're living with brain fog, chronic illness or simply trying to keep track of everything life throws at you, you can explore My Health Companion here: Choose Your Companion – Mind Ripple