 I wrote about “brain fog”—one of the most common & disabling symptoms of long COVID (and many other pre-pandemic conditions), also one of the most misunderstood. Here’s a deep look at what brain fog actually is, and what it’s like to live with it. First, what it’s not: Brain fog is not anxiety or depression. It’s not psychosomatic. It’s really nothing like a hangover, stress, or tiredness, and comments equating it to those things—“hey we all forget stuff”—trivialize what people are going through. Despite the name, it isn’t a nebulous umbrella term. It’s mostly a disorder of executive function—the mental skills that inc. focusing attention, holding info in mind, & blocking distractions. Without that foundation, a person’s cognitive edifice collapses. That’s why people w/ brain fog struggle with concentration, multitasking, & planning—which underlie EVERYTHING. It raises unconscious activities to the level of effortful consciousness, and makes easy tasks absurdly hard. Driving. Reading. Socializing. Unloading a dishwasher. Executive function problems also affect memory—the brain can’t effectively focus on what to store, or retrieve that info. Many people feel like they lose parts of themselves. Hannah Davis told me: “It feels like I am a void and I’m living in a void.” There’s a spectrum. Most people get better & can function normally—but below their old baseline and with many accommodations. Some have been sick since the pandemic’s start (900+ days). Others got brain fog from pre-covid illnesses decades ago. Brain fog isn’t unique to long COVID. The same specific problems affect many HIV patients, epileptics post-seizures, cancer patients w/ “chemo brain”, and folks w/ chronic illnesses like ME/CFS. Many of these conditions have long been stigmatized & neglected. There is much more in this piece about: the science of brain fog and how it explains these symptoms; why people with the condtiion are often dismissed; the problems with commonly used tests; the things that have actually helped patients, and approaches that might cause more harm. I hope this piece makes people who have experienced this symptom feel seen and heard. I hope it shows everyone else what it really means. - E  | 
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