How to navigate a relationship while living with MCI

July 20, 2017 (Chapter 13 Interaction with Spouse or Significant Other in my book)

I think that it is difficult for someone who doesn't have a memory impairment to really understand it. I know for me, sometimes my brain seems just fine, but then the fog rolls in and it is a not so pleasant reminder of the memory impairment that I live with.

If you are in a relationship, what I would suggest that you do is to just continue to educate them about what it is like for you. Explain how they can help you. Two months ago, I ended an almost five-year relationship with my now ex-boyfriend. Over the years that we were together, that is what I would do. Relationships are hard enough, then you throw a memory impairment into it, and that just makes it much more challenging.

One of the most challenging things that I found with having a relationship are the problems with my comprehension because sometimes it would cause a lot of hurt feelings and cause conflicts.