Okay, so all of us who have MS that are impacted with our cognitive issues, have all said something along the lines, "I forgot"... and it's like an every day saying for me. I try to keep a "to-do" list of things that need to get done, then I forget to look at the to-do list all together. What good does that do, right?
I've been trying to do so many things to help me remember things that I'm supposed to do... but nothing seems to be working. The best things I've found to do is set up alarms on my computer calendar and my phone... but I need to get it set in my head to make those notifications right when I think about it, instead of trying to remember later on, which won't happen.
Like, my Urology follow-up... I was supposed to re-schedule it, forgot to do that. I forgot to contact my lawyer for Social Security to update them on a medication change. I forget to pay bills (big oops there). I forget to do things my husband asks me to do, then I feel bad, because he is the one out there working and I am asked to do something simple, and can't even get that done. I know he understands why I "forget" to do these things, but I can tell that it does frustrate him sometimes. Not so much that I personally forgot, but the fact that my MS causes the things it does.
There needs to be like an MS Reminder App or something, that way it will be like "Ashley, is there anything you need to remind yourself of?" and it does that on a timer, or something.... that way I don't have to depend on my family or friends to ask me this, I could be like oh... "there's an app for that" lol I should totally see if I could make that app, if I can remember to...
The thing I'm learning with my cognitive issues, is to stop saying SORRY... it's literally NOT my fault that I forget to do these things.... even though I feel bad that I personally forget to do these things, it's not my fault that my MS causes it.
I mean I could be talking to someone about something or getting on the internet to do something and I forget right then and there, so it's not something that with a little bit of time passing that I forget things, it can happen within a minute or two.
Am I on medications to help with my cog-fog... yes, do meds ALWAYS make everything 100% better, that's a big fat NO! Just like any other medication that I'm on, it just "helps out" it doesn't make the symptom disappear, even though that's what some people like to assume.
So what do you do to help yourself remember? and I'm not just talking about a thought and/or idea, I'm talking about... like EVERYTHING... like where you put things (I'm the WORST at that). I lost my house keys a while back, still can't find them. I always lose my car keys too... not the best thing to "forget" where I put them either.
Ha, as I'm doing this blog, an alarm reminder just went off on my computer about my neuro appointment tomorrow! Sorry, I had a laugh about that one.
What really gets on my nerves, is I can't remember if the dishes in the dish washer are clean or dirty... so I just run the wash again, to be on the safe side. Oh, sometimes I can't remember if I took a certain medication... that's a big OOPS, because it's like I just can't take it assuming that I didn't... but then if I really didn't remember to take some of my meds, I'll find out soon enough.
I swear, if it wasn't for Facebook, I wouldn't remember ANYONE's birthday! So thank you Facebook for making my life a little bit easier. I forget what day in the week it is... how can I remember when someone's birthday is! I feel bad on that one... people tell me they understand but it doesn't make me feel any better if I forget to tell someone happy birthday.
Mailing stuff off that needs to be mailed off in a timely manner, ya no good at that either. It's like... sometimes, it's not just the painful symptoms that get to us the most, it's the mental ones as well. I'm sitting here trying to think of things I need to bring up at my neuro appointment tomorrow... which I will probably forget some of the things that I thought about a while ago, then remember right after the appointment and do a palm to the head kind of thing.
Alright, now that I remembered some things I needed to do, as I was doing this blog, I'm gonna write it down NOW.
xoxoxo
Ashley
I started doing odd little things to help me remember...I keep my medications in my room and put them on the bathroom counter in the morning...if they are still there later I know that I haven't taken them yet, because they go immediately back in my room after I take them. After the dishwasher is complete a light comes on to tell me that they are done, so if I open it to take one thing out I do not close the door completely so that the light stays on until I put all of the dishes away...one of these days I keep telling myself that I am going to post a note on the front door reminding me to grab my cane, cell phone, etc...I couldn't tell you how many times I walk out the door without them and have to unlock the door to go get them...well I could tell you how often if I could remember...
ReplyDeletei had to get a new cell phone and my hubby made me get the one with voice recgonitoion (siri) so as i was walking through the store today and i saw a book i wanted to read i told it to remind me to remind me about it at a certain time. so i decide when i want to be reminded about something and i need to be reminded several times...pretty much until the task is completed so i just keep repeating that we'll see if it works. i like that i don't have to deal with typing on it
ReplyDeletekate truesdale