Juggling Life with a Poor Memory

Have you ever injured a finger/thumb, hand, arm, leg, or foot, enough that you couldn’t use it for a for a few days or longer? When that occurs you have to come up with strategies for doing everyday tasks in a different way.

That’s what long term chronic carbon monoxide does to your memory. ME/CFS sufferers and TBI patients can also relate to this. You have to learn to juggle the daily tasks of life with part of your memory out of commission.

If the movies “Memento” or “50 First Dates” come to mind, you get the idea. For some of us it’s not quite as bad, and for others it’s much more severe.

I was fortunate enough to have an excellent memory before my chronic low level CO poisoning. Sometimes I surprise myself at the odd things I can remember. So I believe my long term memory is there, but the retrieval system took a hit. As for my short term memory, that’s another story. I have definitely improved over the years, but I’m still quite scattered. It can be very frustrating.

Life is full of appointments and deadlines that have to be met. Here are some strategies that have been very helpful for me.

Magnetic Wipeable Calendar: (pictured above) I am always in the kitchen cooking (or eating), so the refrigerator door is in my sight line multiple times a day. I found a magnetic wipeable calendar on Amazon (see opening picture above). Having it on the refrigerator insures I see it often. Every appointment and deadline for the month goes on it. Also birthdays and events are put here. Everyone in the household has access to it. (A paper calendar would be just as effective.)

Pocket Datebook: I keep a datebook in my purse. I write every appointment, deadline, event, birthday here as well. This way I have my memory device with me when I’m not home. This is much easier than holding on to appointments cards the doctor/hairdresser/etc. gives you. I lose those anyways. I could use the calendar on my phone, and sometimes I do for extra back up. But I like having the entire month at a glance. You can often find these in dollar stores.

The trick has been to remember to translate appointment times from the pocket datebook to the fridge calendar. Over time I have gotten better about this. I still have the occasional slip up. Oops.

Smart Phone: I set an alarm on my phone the night before an appointment for an extra reminder. For a 2 pm appointment I might set my alarm for 1pm. So I have time to get ready before I have to leave.

Checkable To Do List: I also use a checkable to do list. The trick is to write the task down as soon as I think of it (otherwise I forget). I keep this in the same spot everyday on the kitchen table. I also keep a scrap sheet of paper next to it for a grocery list. Always kept in the same place so I don’t lose it.

My suggestions when using these types of strategies are:

First, keep them in the same place everyday so you can train yourself to remember where they are.

Second, get in the habit of writing the task/appointment/grocery item/etc down when you think about it. You gotta take advantage of the current moment, otherwise it’s too easy to forget.

Finally, using your phone calendar and alarms as a back up reminder can help you not miss the big stuff.

What strategies have you discovered? Feel free to share.