We met with neuro-psych today and received the results from my testing that I did in January [ http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2017/01/30/c-bananas-w-chopsticks/ ] Basically, I failed several of the tests, on the left side of my brain.
To be honest, this is actually a relief to hear, it upsets me, but it’s information. I wish they had done this IN THE BEGINNING!? [rant over] This is a baseline of where I am now. It’s many pages of info, some of it is “background,” etc, and notes, I’m not publishing it.
Here are some highlights:
- Diagnosis words she used: Aphasia [language skills loss, i think she threw spelling into this category 😉 ], … lots of words to describe the brain clot, lots of word to describe the “migraine” and w/ & without migraine and my personal favorite… IRRITABILITY
- Things she noticed: I like to talk 😉
- It appears that the items that I did poorly were reading, colors, numbers, remembering longterm, remembering LOTS of things at once, and doing anything fast, and a few other visual items. Most of the stuff is all “left brain” related.
- I did ok on a few things. She noted that I said I had done some before which indicates that my long term memory is intact. What’s weird is that I tested “left hand dominant” on several of the skills. I’ve told ya’ll I’m ambidextrous, only write w/ my right hand but I’ve been slower about everything since clot. However, she had to test how fast i did some things with my fingers and my left hand was faster???
- Recommendations:
- I could benefit from COGNITIVE REHABILITATION. we asked what this meant, it’s a bit more than just speech therapy because it will take itno account “where i was before” not just whre is the average person. I don’t know how to dexcribe this without sounding arrogant but here goes. The “average” bar is about 6.5 and in my opionin, right now, I am testing at 6.4-6.6. Well, I wasn’t qualify for “thereapy” because I am above average and therefore did not need therapy. But in my opinion, MY BAR used to be 8.5-9. Based on her testing, this puts me into cognitive rehab, because it takes WHERE I WAS into account and tries to help me get back to that point. Even a little bit can offer some benefits. Cognitive Rehab encompasses, speech, spelling, reading, mental exercises, tips on how to use “other” pathways, etc. [She didn’t use #’s as I did, she held out her arms as “my bars” but that’s too hard to explain in a blog 😉 ]
- She wrote a list of recommedations for doctors to take when they meet w/ me: ie. WRITE THINGS DOWN, get me to repeat it back to you to see if I understand it the way you think you said it, verify that I have someone with me “that can translate” for both of us [this list of recommendations was for me to follow for my docs as well]
- I will need assistance w/ complex tasks. She wrote stuff like: paying bills, sorting meds, writing a list of today’s chores. [Jeff pays the bills now :-(, I’ve always been pretty good about the meds & have a sorter, and we all share calendars on our phones, hence the iPhone controversy you might here me rant about but THAT is why I have an iPhone… so I can be supervised in my tasks]
- I might be able to remember info better if I try to “store it” w/ a picture rather than w/ words. If his name is Bob, think of something bobbing up down in the water. [She was saying this and all I could think was: “Hello, my name is Joe…”]
- Benefit from listening to Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief w/ guided exercises for managing pain
- Reducing medications, specifically topiramate. [Topimax]
- daily exercise, other techniques to improve sleep and help with general health
On a complete side note… I have a follow up neuro vascular who is gonna be my primary [http://blog.scottsontherocks.com/blog/2017/02/14/neuro-vascular-021417/. My head has been bothering me for a few days and no, haven’t had chance to get the “other new med” cuz insurance is being a pain about it. So, while I’ve had this opportunity to revisit my “oh my aching head” for the past several days and again last night and I took all these med and “what’s the point of taking all thse meds, if I’m just gonna be up anyway” Im thinking of suggestion to just NOT… NOT be taking all these meds? So I have no Thyroid… need that one. Have a brain clot… need that one. Have the funky thing going on w/ my left arm getting cold and “this new med” MIGHT work if I ever get to take it… so MIGHT want that one….. SO WHAT WOULD BE THE HARM IN NOT… NOT TAKING ANY OF THE OTHERS!?!?! My head hurting? cuz i’m taking them and my head hurts, so if you say my head will hurt if I don’t take them…. ok….
I feel poisoned… let’s reboot. THIS neuro-psych is NOT a prescribing doc but when I said these words to her today…. her eyes said YOU SHOULD DO THAT. See that bullet item on her list “reduce medications”….. I think neuro-vascular will be open to this suggestion. Former neuro lady doc did not like this idea…. but I’m sick of the drugs, I’m thinking, if I’m gonna be in pain anyway… why am I taking the drugs?