It was a valiant effort

I tried my best but at the 13 hour mark I fell victim to a bunch of airborne germs that have been festering in my house ( I ain't mad at ya honey) . Paired together with some tooth pain and I didn't see getting very far in the readathon. From hour one I was reading at a snails pace but I guess if you choose a book that has a lot of Medical terms in it then you get what you ask for. I was reminded that having MS I will more often than not have cognitive issues and in those 'cog-fog's I can only do so much. Pair that together with the cold that I have and "Boom" the wheels on my mental train of thought re: reading will fall off and I'm forced to mentally pull into the station. Well it was fun while it lasted, I wanted to thank the cheer-readers that came and visited me, I want to thank the folks that stopped by to read my thoughts on what I had to say.

As far as future participation is concerned I have some thoughts on that, I do try to do my reading in the name of Multiple Sclerosis in order to bring awareness and understanding - I mistakingly choose books sometimes that are too technical and books that I shouldn't just breeze through, If I come back next April I would like to try something that doesn't require too much understanding, perhaps a Bio/autobio? Well regardless of my future choice I'm just glad that I tried.

For my fellow MSers http://24hourreadathon.com/


For fellow readers and non-reading fans http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx

I'm kind of excited in the final preps for tomorrows readathon, at the moment all that's left is final preps for some snacks and just to rest up for tomorrow. Being in a 24 readathon AND having Multiple Sclerosis isn't an easy task but I gladly participate In the name of MS Awareness and remind my fellow MSers that it's still fun to read something that isn't a computer screen, or maybe to try audiobooks. 

Participating is fun, you get to devote a huge chunk of time to shutting out noise and just diving into some good reading, After some coffee and an extra B12 pill tomorrow I should be raring to go, Having optic neuritis (or at least mild optic neuritis ) it is difficult sometimes to read  being involved in this event is really important to me, having MS - one the other issue(s) I face is cognitive, no real cure for that except maybe taking time outs and remembering that although it's supposed to be a 24 event it's not mandatory, What is important is to have fun and to try to write about it, whether on FB or your own blog.

https://www.facebook.com/readathon

http://24hourreadathon.com/

My choices for tomorrow!

the further adventures of Cog Fog Man!!

I have been enjoying a non-dramatic week, no negative things to report, the only thing that I thought I'd mention  was, I went to the Panera Bread shop to enjoy a chat with my mother, when it was my time to order - for the life of me I couldn't remember the words CINNAMON ROLL, of course it just serves as an example of what Multiple Sclerosis does to us. Regardless of how hard we try we cannot escape stumbling with our words. Thankfully the attendant was able to piece together what I was trying to say.

readathon is almost here

I thought I would do my part to continue to promote Deweys Readathon it is a fun way to celebrate the fun and joy of reading and for my part it's a way to bring awareness to disabled readers especially Readers who have Multiple Sclerosis. At times reading can be difficult for me because I have minor optic neuritis as well as  cognitive issues as a result of MS so focusing on reading that isn't on a computer screen is fun and a great way to rebuild from my disabilities. As I have previously posted the Readathon is on April 21st and it focuses on a 24 hour period, you aren't obligated to do the whole thing but it is fun. It helps to have your own blog or your own Facebook page so you can post about and discuss what you're reading. Check out the readathon page to get more details!

Further adventures in the cog-fog realm

Last Thursday while I was preparing to leave for this month's MS Support meeting I twisted the doorknob lock as I was walking out the door, as soon (LITERALLY as soon) as the door shut my brain did a silent scream of NOOOOOOO My keys both house and car were in a bowl inside in the hallway. I quickly alerted my father who carries a second set of my keys, my dad lives about two miles away from me so he told me to stay still because he was going to walk over. I may have RRMS and use a cane but my father is almost 72 years old and has his own health issues (beside that my neighbors dogs are unruly and loud and I didn't want to sit in the humidity listening to them bark at me) I had the excellent  idea of at least trying to meet him half way. About sixty feet from my driveway I tripped over a plastic reflector fastened into the ground. Luckily I was able to stand up and I continued on my mission.

that's about one mile, not bad for a guy with a cane and an A.F.O 

I was almost there when the amount of walking added to the heat added to the stress of not wanting to fall again my optic neuritis seemed to dance a bit (my eye would temporarily cross) I met up with my dad and I made my way back home. The way back was uneventful, aside from being a bit sweaty my eye returned to normal and I made my way to my support meeting forty minutes late. What have I learned? I need to keep extra set of keys around.

remembering the weirdest stuff

Having cognitive issues can be funny at times, this past week I was trying to explain MS and my current level of functionality to my cousin. In the process of explaining I couldn't remember PML  (Progressive Multifocal leukoencephalopothy) for the life of me I couldn't remember PML,  Meanwhile yesterday I was watching an old Val Kilmer movie and I recognized a character actor from the 80's, I wanted to look up the actor and I took a stab at his name William Atheron  And it turns out that I was right. I am amazed at the general nonsense that the brain can store but at the same time it can draw blanks on very important issues.  

something to keep in mind when it comes to reading what I write

I do my best to stay current and to inform people about what I go through and hopefully enlighten people. In my rush to try and type, my thoughts and ideas get garbled, not on purpose mind you but I constantly notice that my main thought/train of thought often gets derailed. Another bad habit of mine is bad grammar, I ask that people keep an open mind as I'm trying my best to not sound drunk as I type. It's mildly 'cog-fog' related more with the fact that I have un-diagnosed adult A.D.D.