Is it the aging process or temporary brain fog?
I'm now in the final week of being sixty-eight. Next Friday, I'll turn sixty-nine years old. Nice! Save all the other off-color jokes for then and the following three hundred and sixty-five days.
It seems as if it was just a short time ago that I hit the big SIX-O. I remember that on the morning of that birthday, I was reading a group email that announced the death of a friend while crossing the Metra train tracks. I was in my own thoughts, not paying attention to anything but that email when I heard the repeated sound of a loud horn to let me know that a train was coming...and fast. I scampered across the track; no harm except to my nervous system.
That day may have been the first time I noticed having brain fog. But, I took it as a one-off thing so I didn't focus or obsess over it.
A few years later I noticed it occurring more often. At the time I was a couple of years into the Parkinson's journey. I knew that brain dysfunction/dementia was something that could be a part of that trip. This time I obsessed! My doctor ran some tests and found out I had a thyroid issue. He gave me a prescription, said to take them for the rest of my life and you're done.....for now. And, it worked...for now.
But that brings us back to year number sixty-eight. While my body has been slowing down and changing in the last few years, I've noticed it more in the last year. The constant minor aches and pains don't go away nearly as fast as they used to. A good night's sleep, while making you feel somewhat feel better, isn't going to make everything go away. I don't walk as fast or as far as I did even a year ago.
And, I'm okay with all of the above, sorta. I'm realizing it comes with age, sorta.
And along with the physical, there's the mental impediments, too.
I've noticed I'm more forgetful than in the past. Before I leave the house, I check my pockets multiple times to make sure I have my keys. Seeing them once isn't enough. I usually need to see them three times before I'm secure enough to shut the door. Even doing that, I've locked myself out twice this year, and we haven't reached the halfway point of 2021 yet.
This one may be more funny than concerning, but do you ever decide to look something up on Google and then when you get to the site, you've forgotten what it is you were researching? That happens to me multiple times...EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!!!
Lately, I've been having issues with words. There are times I can't figure out the right one to use in a specific situation. That's a huge problem for someone who writes a lot. Good thing computers come with dictionaries and thesauruses. Too bad they aren't handy for when you're having a face-to-face conversation.
This whole thing came to a head earlier this week. On Tuesday, I had a colonoscopy. No big deal; everyone in my age range has had one. This was my third. The recovery in the past has been easy. The first two times, I even talked my way out of needing a ride home by telling them I'd take a cab. Don't tell my doctor, but the cab was really the bus....shhhhhh. Even though they tell you not to go back to work or make any huge decisions, I could have done both immediately after the first two procedures.
Not after colonoscopy number three!!
Besides being exhausted and sleeping most the day, all the issues I brought up earlier seemed to surface. All of them! Yeah, I know it was probably due to the anesthesia, but it took longer to recover than usual. For instance, I came up with the idea to write this on Wednesday, but it took until Friday to get this started because I wasn't anywhere close to ready to mentally put the words together. Some may say I'm still or never will be ready (eyeroll).
Look....I'm sure I'm overstating this, but that doesn't mean I won't be stressing and obsessing about this. I'm sure I will and by writing this, I've probably started. I guess what this means is it's time for my yearly visit with my neurologist, except I currently don't have one, but that's a long story for another day (He retired and I haven't found another one. I guess it wasn't that long a story. Hmmm...is that another sign of this?)
Look...I realize things could be much worse. I don't even know how many hands it would take to count the friends, relatives and acquaintances that are no longer around and would love to have the chance to deal with issues like this. When you realize that, you have to consider yourself lucky.
So is it aging, is it a brain fog or is it something else? I don't know right now, but all I can do is deal with it on a day-to-day basis. That's all I have. That's all any of us have.
Related Post: Simon Says
Type your email address in the box and click the "create subscription" button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.