Couch 219: The Goose Drank Wine

Anyone ever see a neuropsychologist and have a memory test? I did Wednesday. I feel so judged and stupid. First he said he didn't think I have BPD because I'm not an angry person. Then he said I didn't have social anxiety because I was pleasant to be around. I didn't have depression because I could smile and laugh. And he reduced my sample pool from some college to high school because I didn't take classes full-time nor finish a degree.

L says that reducing the sample pool might actually skew the result. She said I'm high functioning and above average smart and have informal education (therapy, talking with my dad and H). So compared to high school knowledge, I'm probably going to score above average or at least average and they might not see the memory problem. She said if that happens, she wants to talk to him herself and get him to change the sample pool.

I also felt really stupid on the test. My memory worked really well for some things, but failed miserably in others. I was really good if I could find patterns (blocks, naming words that start with a particular letter, memorizing a list of words that were composed of sets i.e. 4 animals, 4 furniture, etc.). But remembering facts of a story or drawing a picture from memory, things like that tripped me up. Defining words or pronouncing words is what made me feel stupid. I did well on pronouncing until we got to words I've never seen before. And defining words, I just blanked out.

I'm mentally exhausted, and I had an emotionally draining week. My brain is fried!

Next week is eeg and MRI. I really hope they find something; something that can be fixed.

Hugs, Scarlet. That doctor sounds really clueless about mental health--people with depression smile and laugh all the time (I know I do). And social anxiety doesn't make someone unpleasant to be around. And how could he tell if you're an "angry person" in one appointment?

In terms of the tests, you are probably better at certain types of memory than others. The drawing a picture from memory is more visual memory--there's probably a more specific term for it. But it would use a different part of your brain than memorizing words, for example. Or remembering something you read vs. what someone told you. I imagine that's part of the idea of the test, to figure out which specific areas you might have deficits in. I know for me, if someone, say, tells me directions on how to get somewhere, they're gone the second they tell me. The same can happen with someone telling me their name, unless I sort of repeat it to myself a few times in my head and really focus on it. But if I see directions or someone's name written down, I can remember them.

I'm afraid of annoying people. They make me want to hide behind a tree. Run away! Run away!

Hugs, Scarlet. I agree with LT that dr does sound rather clueless about mental health and how on earth could he make all of those pronouncements in one appointment?

Momma is home. Baby is in the NICU but they say he's strong and healthy and just needs help breathing until he develops enough to do it on his own. We're working on how to best support her so that she and her partner can spend time in the NICU and the littles at home too. I"m heading out to do some shopping for her in just a few minutes.

From the top of my head.You're probably already doing this, but providing cooked meals for her would be one less thing to think about. Same with cleaning up a bit for them.

Would it be possible to look after the other littles at yours so they could have alone time.

It takes as long as it takes. You always have to run your own race and try not to compare your progress with others.

A match made in heaven.

I googled her for the first time.

I don’t believe ability to memorize anything is indicative of intelligence or anything else for that matter. I personally can’t memorize anything. You know how you have to look at a phone number and then dial it? I can’t remember more than 3 numbers in a row. My memory sucks in other ways too. Like if there’s no logic to it I can’t memorize it. It has nothing to do with my intelligence or ability to function. I’d certainly not feel stupid not being able to memorize.

Hm figuring out patterns is related to cognitive ability rather than memory related ability.

"Person, man, woman, camera, tv." 5 completely unrelated words, all burned into our poor little brains!

Lovely ideas, Lemon. You are so thoughtful. The littles at mine is such fun for me too! I really did enjoy having them here while she was in the hospital, and my boys just blew me away with how sweet and lovely they were to the little ones. They want a parent at the NICU at least 4-6 hours each day, so we're working out a schedule so that at least once or twice a week she and her partner can go together.

You family sounds lovely. I can feel the love from your words.

My secret is that I've spent a lot of time on another forum which is mainly for mothers but they also have lots of other subforums- everything from brexit, to feminism, weight loss, relationships and budgeting. I read this one thread a
short while ago about what made the best gifts for new parents. It was simple things like one person turning up with three days worth of ready meals including pudding.

What was the best gift you received as a new parent? | Mumsnet

i sure need to find some support for dealing with h and his chronic illnesses (both real and imagined). I'm looking through the other forums here and not sure where something like this would belong. today it is a real concern, I believe anyway. before his endoscopy the other day he had to go off his xarelto for 3 days (he's on it for a DVT that happened in 2012.) he forgot to take it after his procedure so he missed 4 days. his calf is swollen and painful and I'm concerned that he should go to the ER. the last time this happened when the dr tried to take him off the med, the swelling and pain were worse, and the dr didn't hospitalize him then, just told him to prop up his leg and restart the xarelto so he's propping up his leg and has been back on the xarelto since thursday night. the swelling has come down since yesterday, and his leg doesn't hurt as much as it did yesterday, but it's still swollen and a little painful. If we have to go to the ER i would rather go now during the day than wait until 3am or something. but he won't go because he wants to watch baseball. so that makes me think that he somehow knows it's not serious. but how do we know? i feel like i am so much part of the problem. I worry about him so much, I never know when it's hypochondria or when it's real 90% of the time, even today, I think it's real but then he thinks watching baseball is more important so does that make it not real? I feel like I am going crazy when it comes to him. I just don't know how to deal with his health stuff. i feel guilty for trying to work on my homework when maybe he needs to go to the hospital but then he won't go so I don't know. I'm so confused.

I would put the baseball watching down to being possibly less frightening/giving him time to prepare/hope for miraculous recovery rather than that it means it is not serious. I slept standing up for 4 days once rather than go get something looked at (finally went to an urgent care -turned out to be diverticulitis and they gave me a lot of pain pills and
antibiotics and told me to go to a gastro-intestinal person which I have not done - 3 years later I have flair ups but they are not terrible enough to cause me to submit to the horrors of western medicine/practitioners). There is really nothing you can do to make him be different if he doesn't want to be. Go on with your day and let him be responsible for himself and for telling you when he is ready/willing to go.

Also, some people, not mentioning any names, just enjoy watching baseball. Especially the last weekend of the season when their team’s playoff chances are on the line. Crazy, huh?

Completely crackers. But my mother (and possibly father -he is a fan but not as rabid as my mother about baseball) would be telling us to hush and to leave her alone until the end of the game.

Its all that smoked meat rotting in your gut. I just like saying that. How come you couldnt lie down? Dizzy and puking?

Hugs, Artie. I hope your H is OK. Have you talked to your T at all on ways to deal with his pronouncements that he's just declining now, and you have to accept it? Because I don't think that's fair to you. I mean, unless his doctor says, for example, that he has something terminal. He should at least be trying to make some sort of effort for you (and for your son). Or, if he's not going to be willing to make the effort, to deal with whatever consequences that could bring, such as separation.

A great deal of pain that got measurable worse when lying down. And a couple of other unsavory symptoms. I was a tad dehydrated by the time I got to the urgent care and they gave me a couple of bags of fluids, which, somewhat surprisingly, did help some with general malaise.

Ah yes. There have been times when any movement involved in exiting the bed created a hazard in itself.

Now, Depends - i usually have more Poise about me. Ah ha ha. Maybe i can get the new site owners to sponsor me.