More On Mild Cognitive Impairment

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?

Mild Cognitive Impairment

In October of 2018, a year ago, I was diagnosed with “Mild Cognitive Impairment.” They figured that out after I was interviewed and tested by half a dozen people over about two and a half hours. The way I realize it is as if the link between my awareness and my very short-term memory is sporadic. What I recognize about it most often is this: as I am a part of a conversation and have a thought I want to share, by the time there is a break in conversation the thought is gone. It will often come back to me later, but by then the conversation has moved on.

And it is hard for me to multi-task. I can’t really pay attention to more than two things at a time and often only one. Charlene and I play a game while we eat. I can do that pretty well by alternating tasks, but only because when I leave one of the tasks and then come back to it, my next step is obvious (e.g. the next bite of food or my next turn of the game). I don’t have to remember where I was. 

Charlene can do that and play another game on her phone at the same time. That would get me in such trouble. I really cannot pay attention to a TV show and have a conversation or try to write or read something on my laptop at the same time.

Slightly longer-term memory is also affected. Charlene will mention a place where we ate, and I will have no recollection of it. If we go back there, the setting might be familiar or not, but just from her description there will be no memory.

They are going to retest me in about March 2020 to see if it is getting worse or staying the same. For it to get better is fairly unlikely. 

I was tested because I asked to be tested. I was noticing the symptoms. I do notice a lot of older folks who seem to have the same difficulties I do but who have not been tested. I suspect the impairment is a lot more common than the diagnosis. If you want to follow my progress, stay with me on this blog and I will try to keep you up to date.