Those cognitive moments....

[Lazarus]

I copied this story from another site to get us going!

"I fend off cognitive testing myself. I don’t want to see in writing what I already know and perhaps see worse. My cog problems come and go. I recall one day I was furious because I could not find the aluminum foil. My wife hollered from the den its right there in the pantry where it always is. Well that should have been my cue but it wasn’t. My rant went own. Finally she came to the kitchen and alarmingly said your looking in the refrigerator. As for me, I was clueless.

Or when I put the bread in the refrigerator and the mayo in the pantry and thought nothing about it until one of my sons pointed out my blunder in a only a son can do."

[Lazarus]

This is the post I made about cognitive issues:

Linda Lazarus October 15, 2014 at 6:13 pm #
Cognitive issues with me come and go—like many other symptoms I have. Thinking problems are distressing to me….such a loss of who I was. But, I am happy that things change all the time for me. At the moment I am having swallowing problems but my balance is particularly good. I would be most disturbed if the variety of symptoms did not shift.

Sometimes when I am driving home, within a half mile of the house we have lived in for 40 years, I suddenly do not know where I am. I have learned to hang on and think it through. So far, I always end up at home.

Thanks for this particular post. These issues are particularly frustrating.

[Lazarus]

This is another response about cognitive issues that really gave me a laugh.

"The fact that you walk down to the kitchen, get coffee, and then trek back upstairs to work is commendable. This disease pushes us hard physically and mentally even in our sleeping hours. Give yourself a break. It’s ok to be just damned tired. When you hold the water glass to your ear to answer the phone you might want to consider the testing."


ok...SOME OF YOUR STORIES WOULD GIVE US ALL A CHUCKLE AND A COMMUNAL FEELING THAT WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BATTLE....

[SalpalSally]

I am blessed not to have too many cog fog moments, Except when I am first
waking up from a nap or whatever. Then I'm in a fog, until I sit and stare for
awhile. I may think the phone is ringing and pick up the "TV remote" to answer
it.. Or pick up the phone to turn down the TV.

[Virginia]

Good Post Linda!

When I have cognitive problems it does bother me. I think living with someone and living alone determines how much it might bother a person. Having only me to rely on it scares me. Also, not having anyone to laugh with about it makes it worse. If I mention it to a friend they react with something to the effect - I have the same problems sometime or that happens to everyone. That's when I know they just do not get it. I also have to stop sometime and think "now where am I going", or "what is the best route home from across town." Never mind that it is somewhere I have been going for years.

[Howie]

Virginia, I have only my two wonderful cats to keep me company, and I think it's a big help. They made me get up this morning to feed them. After that, I do the litter boxes, and whatever house chores I have to do. Then the rest of the day, we all just hang out. Consider getting a cat or two. They are such good company.

[Lazarus]

I have had a horribly bad 24 hours. All ready to go to farmers market...I had six beautiful bushels of beans that I had picked, exquisite red peppers, radishes of two kinds and small potatoes. All organic. All picked and dug in days leading up to Friday. Fantastic plants from the greenhouse.
Got a bad cold...real bad..must have activated my ms...this morning left leg would not work..at all. Damn!

We are lucky to have a good weather day and beautiful crops at this point in the season. I did not go to market.
after 6 hours my leg started working. Sort of. But all day I have made the silliest moves. The old refrigerator bedroom night table swap for milk, cupboard kitchen drawer swap for almonds and can opener...and there were more. All day.

Very unusual day. I am feeling better but ouch! All that work sitting in my trailer and not sold at market.

Left hand is dropping things too so it must be a temporary left sided attack induced by horrific cold. I feel like I faced the devil of Christmas yet to come. But Scrooge had a chance to reverse things.

[agate]

Linda, it sounds as if you'll have lost all that wonderful produce. Any chance someone else can help out?

Looking on the bright side (there is one, trust me, but I'm not sure I've found it yet), it's good that your leg did start working again.

Many months ago my legs started wobbling around a lot. I never knew what direction they might suddenly decide to pitch me forward in. I've tried to do more walking on the theory that maybe it was a disuse problem. I don't know what it was but it's actually better now. It could have been the hot weather, which is now over and done with, I'm thankful to say.

So some of these problems do get better but often take their own sweet time about it.

Virginia, I thought everyone did have the kinds of cognitive problems you describe. I just assumed that I was having a few more of them when I'm tired because of the MS and age. Worrying about them may make them worse. I don't know but I try to bluff my way through if the cognitive problem involves other people--and then try to forget about it because thinking about it is painful.

I like Howie's idea of getting a cat or two, or three. They won't let you forget when it's their mealtime.

[SuzE-Q]

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I have had a horribly bad 24 hours. All ready to go to farmers market...I had six beautiful bushels of beans that I had picked, exquisite red peppers, radishes of two kinds and small potatoes. All organic. All picked and dug in days leading up to Friday. Fantastic plants from the greenhouse.
Got a bad cold...real bad..must have activated my ms...this morning left leg would not work..at all. Damn!

We are lucky to have a good weather day and beautiful crops at this point in the season. I did not go to market.
after 6 hours my leg started working. Sort of. But all day I have made the silliest moves. The old refrigerator bedroom night table swap for milk, cupboard kitchen drawer swap for almonds and can opener...and there were more. All day.

Very unusual day. I am feeling better but ouch! All that work sitting in my trailer and not sold at market.

Left hand is dropping things too so it must be a temporary left sided attack induced by horrific cold. I feel like I faced the devil of Christmas yet to come. But Scrooge had a chance to reverse things.

Linda, are you taking anything that could cause PML? I know an infection can certainly have a deleterious effect on your health, but with so many sudden and severe functional-losses being impacted over a short period of time, you may want to be sure that PML hasn't interfered with your MS picture, if it's a risk factor for you, given the treatments you've been on. You can never be too careful.

Do you have a group of friends who would be happy to barter for your wonderful fresh organic veggies? I'm sure we all would if we could...

[renee]

Cognitive testing.
I would never do it again.

The first item on the report was my IQ.
The last entry was that I need a shrink.

I have never wanted to know my IQ du jour and, JC,
I know I need a shrink half the year.

If I'm losing ground it doesn't take a well-connected neuropsych
with a good nose job and a barfly blouse to test me 5-6 hours
to figure that out AND make me feel stupid.

I'm bright. 40 watt, 60 watt, 75, 0r 100?
And a light bulb, too.

No consideration of the individual except,
"Patient presents herself as clean and casually dressed."

I didn't follow directions and touched the lines with my pen.
Sheesh.
You don't tell art students and Montessori-leaning pre-k teachers to stay between the lines.

Poor decision on my part.
Unless the neuro has a plan and you have thick skin don't go
for neuro psych testing.