This really bothers me!

March 28, 2021

Since being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, sometimes someone will remind me when I have already told them something. I really HATE when this happens. It is not as if I am doing this on purpose. I can't change what is happening in my brain so other people around me are the ones who need to change. They need to change how they react when I repeat things or when I am searching for my words. I should never be made to feel badly that I have repeated something or when I am struggling to find my words.

I will never apologize for these things because none of this is my fault. There is a problem with my brain and I can't change that. If I could do anything to prevent these things from happening, I would do that. It is not fun searching for my words. Sometimes the MCI can make me feel so bad about myself and I wish that wasn’t happening. The memory impairment can make me feel dumb even though I know that I am not. This is not my fault!

There are times when my daughter tells me that I have already told her something. Because I hate conflicts, I have not told her how this makes me feel. I just keep it to myself.

I wish that people who don’t have a memory impairment knew what it was like for me. I think that if they understood more about what it is like, that they would be more understanding and compassionate.