Feeling foggy at work

Some time yesterday while I was at work, I realized that my brain was a little foggy. I work as a para educator in an elementary school. I was checking on some of the first grader’s writing assignments and I realized that I needed to read their writings a few times because it didn’t make sense the first or second time. Somehow, I was still able to get through my day. During the day and evening, the fog seemed to roll in and out, which means that sometimes my brain was pretty clear and other times it was not.

I think that the reason that I am still able to do my job at school is because mostly everything that I do is in my long-term memory. This is because I have been doing this job for about nineteen years. I’ve been doing my second job for almost five years.

Yesterday was one of my long days, due to the fact that I also had to work my second job as a cashier at a retail store. I think by the time I got to work at my retail job, I had probably forgotten about the fog at school. Then after waiting on a few customers, I noticed that it was taking me longer to count out the money and sometimes I wasn’t understanding the customer’s words. I had to really concentrate, so that I wouldn’t make any mistakes.

I couldn’t really tell you how often I feel this fog, because sometimes I don’t seem to be aware of it. When I’m a little foggy, it is sometimes more difficult for me to communicate what is happening. Sometimes it will take me a little longer to complete a task and sometimes I struggle with comprehension.

It has been almost eight years since my diagnosis. I will continue to try and educate people about what it is like to live with a memory impairment. I will continue to have a positive attitude.