Not quite working right

I'm happy to report that I am still improving every day, even if the changes are small. Today I felt very fatigued so I may still be overdoing it. However, now that the crippling fatigue has lifted, I am realising that my brain isn't quite working right. I'm sure there are some of you (like my siblings) that are chuckling away thinking that it has never worked quite right, but I am aware of a few deficits.

Obviously these deficits aren't that obvious. I'm more than able to hold a conversation, write a sentence and so on. But the OT in me has been noticing a few other things.

I am having some issues dealing with too much noise. Almost like a sensory overload. Friday I had a very busy day. I went early to our local shops and had a haircut (my first one in about 8 months thanks to blobby) and then we went to medicare (yet again) and did some other shopping. So I was already tired before I got to the bigger shopping centre. I found the noise just overwhelming, and struggled to focus on too many different things at once. My hearing seemed to drop and I simply couldn't hear very well. It was very strange, and I have noticed it at other times too.


I've also noticed that my memory and recall are terrible. I was aware as I was getting sicker that recalling names was difficult. I completely forgot my nephew's names for a day, and while I was in hospital there were a few days when I couldn't remember Angus' name. I just pointed and said "the boy one". The nursing staff would start their shifts by saying "Hi I'm..." and then walk out and I wouldn't have a clue who they were.

I thought that this had improved, but my memory in general is still a bit affected. But I am also realising that my general planning skills are a bit sketchy too. On Friday, I tried a new recipe for butter chicken. (a new favourite dish; but I hadn't been able to find a recipe to my liking). It was a fairly complicated recipe with lots of ingredients. And I struggled. I had to read it many many times. And then I had to break it down into steps, get all the ingredients out lined up for each step. Read the recipe again. Double check the ingredients. It doesn't sound like much, but it isn't like me to not be able to easily put a recipe together. Of course the fact that I could compensate and do those extra steps means that my brain is working it out, it's just a bit slower than usual. And the butter chicken was delicious!

I'm not overly worried about all of this. More amused, given that the OT bit of my brain is trying to analyse what is happening. I've read about experiencing cognitive deficits alongside the fatigue that occurs so it is hardly surprising. I'm still too tired to do much reading, but I should start doing  some puzzles to really get the grey matter working. In the meantime, don't ask me to read a map, put groceries away (James has re-organised the pantry and I cannot yet see the method to his madness) or any other major event planning. I could do it, but it may take a while.