Monday, I wrote about being
diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment. They said it could be a precursor to dementia
but that is not necessarily the case. When they retest me next Spring, they
will have a better fix on that question. I am a little nervous about that
issue. If it moves into full dementia, what might I do that will embarrass myself
or my family? But there is nothing I can do about it, so I plow on.
In the meantime, I am
compensating in several ways. I rely heavily (perhaps too heavily) on Charlene’s
memory to ease me out of awkward situations. And I have become meticulous about
my calendar. I may refer to it several times a day to be sure I don’t forget
anything. Sometimes something sneaks up on me, anyway, serving as an incentive
to check it more often.
I keep lists. Everything I know
of that I need to attend to is on one of several lists on my phone. There is
the “Projects” list and the “Today” list. The word “Today” is used very
broadly, meaning soon. And there are lists related to various projects I am
working on with lists of things done and things still needed.
So far, I am coping. The docs
advise staying active. Check. Exercising. Check. Playing games that stimulate
your mind. Check. I go up the stairs in our building once or twice a day. That’s
95 stairs each way, and I am now working on speed. Charlene and I play a game
almost every meal.
I am preaching at the Roseville church
this Sunday and am trying to find people to fill the pulpit there each of the
five Sundays in December. One difference there is that I have written out the
entire sermon for Sunday rather than just notes to jog my memory. A note that
would have been enough for several minutes of dialog now sometimes doesn’t give
me a clue of what I had in mind.
And I have renewed this blog and am
planning to rewrite my first two books combining them into one and republishing
them. I will keep you posted on those efforts and the progress of the Mild Cognitive
Impairment. Who will win the battle?
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