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i haven't seen much discussion of this, so i'd like to start a discussion about cognitive problems in chronic illness. #NEISVoid
brain fog is real and terrible, sure, but what do you call it when you set your oven on fire and then try to feed your cat an empty plate for dinner on the same day?
i think part of the reason it's not discussed much is shame. it's easy to feel embarrassed when you make what some people might consider a 'stupid' mistake.
i think we also don't talk about it because we don't want it to undermine people's opinions of us.
we think they'll think less of us if they know about it, and unfortunately we aren't always wrong.
we think they'll think less of us if they know about it, and unfortunately we aren't always wrong.
but it's not our fault, any more than any other symptom, and it doesn't make us incompetent or bad.
it makes us Disabled, and in need of adaptation and accommodation.
it makes us Disabled, and in need of adaptation and accommodation.
i've never had a car but i used to ride my bike everywhere.
eventually i took myself off the road, not because i didn't have the energy to ride any more. that was later.
i no longer feel safe on the road due to a several second delay processing what was happening around me.
eventually i took myself off the road, not because i didn't have the energy to ride any more. that was later.
i no longer feel safe on the road due to a several second delay processing what was happening around me.
i used to be someone who valued my academic achievements and loved to read and study just for fun as well.
cognitive issues have been the most devastating and debilitating part of my illness.
cognitive issues have been the most devastating and debilitating part of my illness.
so i just wanted to open up a space for people to talk about their own experiences with it.
oh right, the other thing i wanted to say but forgot because im a space cadet today:
for me the biggest problem has been that i can't tell how badly it's affecting me.
for me the biggest problem has been that i can't tell how badly it's affecting me.
if i could just know 'okay im super dopey today, better not use eg the oven', that would be so much easier.
but i don't KNOW i'm really out of it until i set the stupid oven on fire and try to feed the cat an empty plate.
but i don't KNOW i'm really out of it until i set the stupid oven on fire and try to feed the cat an empty plate.
my policy now is to assume it's like being drunk - you're always more drunk than you realize.
so i try to assume i'm always at least 40% more cognitively impaired than i know.
so i try to assume i'm always at least 40% more cognitively impaired than i know.
