Do you know exactly where something is, can you get it with your eyes closed in the dark. Can you tell me a complete stranger where to get your medicine. I only have one now so it is easy, but back in the Trigeminal days it was much longer. When I had Overdosed and I had to to tell the paramedics it was much longer. It makes life a lot easier when you say, " go into my office, on the bottom left corner of the computer desk, there is a list of what when and how much, the medicine is right behind the list". Who would have thought they would be grateful for this. Or being able to tell somebody by phone exactly where the sponges are in the kitchen.
I really do have a point and that is, being newly diagnosed you have a fantastic opportunity to transform your life. You CAN and SHOULD start adapting things so that in your less than 100% functional moments you can operate without thinking. For that morning when you do not want to think, but you have to put on underwear, you know get out of bed turn left three steps second drawer left hand front corner there they are. Turn left half a step backwards lean against the wall lift right leg step through pull slightly up lean to the right now left leg, pulll your undies up.
You see me don't you. A habit done without thinking and f I had to tell somebody else, I can. These are small things that help your brain to build new pathways, with a little practice you can start to make life easier just by paying attention to how and what you do on a daily basis. You need never lose your keys again because it always goes in the same place always.
Make habits for yourself and achieve something new, pretty soon you will start to find all sorts of little things that you can do to make your life easier, It also lets you have more time to notice the really cool world we live and the inspirational messages everywhere.
Look, see, remember, and pay attention.
Royce,
anybody seen my socks?
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RoyceNewton
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Well I’m going to have to say no I can not tell anyone where to find anything right now. I just got my meds 2 days ago and I have no clue of where I put them. I have the package and the ups box but not the meds.
You know how it goes you’re looking for something and you will never find it, but when you stop looking for it you will find it. Why is that? You can look in the place a million times and never see it then when you’re not looking for it, it’s in the same place you looked before. Can someone explain the craziness of that?
I do have more of the med I recently misplaced thank goodness for that.
I started doing that years and years ago cuz i always thot in the back of my mind that some day i may be blind. So no matter where i lived i had a system of where everything went. From keys to purse to bandaids.
Had no idea it wud come in handy for cog fog! I sometime wonder if God had been preparing me for this all along
I have an Aunt how was blind most of her life. I always figured that wud be me
Feeling the same way... I try to take care of everything immediately and put in it spot. I am having trouble excepting the fact that I can now misplace things very easily. By having a “home” for everything it takes away the anxiety and extreme sadness and irritation with myself because of misplacing items.
Losing focus/getting sidetracked is another issue that is so frustrating to me. I will start a project (ex. straightening up, laundry, vacuuming) in one room and have to take something to another room. I will end up seeing something in that room that needs attention. Next thing I’ll be in that room doing stuff forgetting that I have stuff 1/2 done elsewhere.
One thing I have figured out to help that is not to walk away from the area that I’m working on. I now take a laundry basket with me when I am straightening/cleaning an area, so if I do have anything that needs sent to another area I just throw it in the basket. Once finished in that area I can drop off those items into there space.
Oh yea, another thing...
When I had my last MS exasperation I had such bad “mushy” brain. I had numerous nurses asking me what meds I took and I for the life of me could barely remember. I could barely remember anything.
While in that hospital stay, I was reading one of the MS magazines. An article said that you should keep an updated list of pertinent information about your medical history and medications. This way you could just hand that over to your doctors/nurses and don’t get anxiety over the fact you can’t remember anything.
I immediately started to make a list of all these. I keep the lists updated every time something changes and print them out and hang them on the wall in my office area. That way I will be able tell someone right where it is. I also take it to all doctors appointments so I don’t have to fill it out on their paperwork.
I know where I put things. When I lived alone, I could find anything in the dark right down to a toothpick. Now, my brother and sister live with me. My sister had a habit of cleaning things up. I can't find anything anymore unless it's in my room. I can still pick up anything in the dark.
RoyceNewton Your suggestion reminds me of the old adage, a place for everything and everything in its place. With the cognitive fuzziness that descends with MS, organization and the habit of remembering to return things to their place are survival strategies, especially for those of us who live alone. Before I was diagnosed, I often laid something down where it didn't belong. When I realized that I was growing careless, I developed a system. Sometimes it fails, like when I toss my keys on the counter in my rush to get into the bathroom (we won't discuss the number of times I have peed on the doormat), but almost all the time, I can find the things I use and need.
I have a bright yellow folder at eye level just inside my back door. Inside the folder are the names and numbers of people to contact and my end of life directive. The folder is labeled in case of emergency...I hope it won't be needed anytime soon, but if it is, there it is!
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