Brains, Pineapple and My Treadmill - It Was a Day of This and That

I had a really good conversation with my memory doc, who agrees with me - it's auditory instructions and commands that I have difficulty remembering. Written items are usually no problem and my problem solving skills are sharp. I have what's called Mild Cognitive Impairment, and we'll keep an eye on it. I'll take the tests again in a year because there is a slight possibility that the results were also swayed by any drugs or therapy I was taking for my cancer. Score one for me (well, maybe score 1/2 since there is some mental decline - LOL). 

The Doc stressed that the MCI does NOT mean I'm 
one step away from dementia or Alzheimer's. In fact, 
he thinks some of it might have been tinged by my 
cancer and the treatments for my cancer. So we'll keep 
an eye on things and I'll go back and play games again 
in another year. I loved the exam, there were parts that were 
a bit of GRRRR, but in general, I thought it was great fun. 

It was a very productive day off, too. I made a HUGE batch of my baked fruit - that's part of my daily breakfast and I was down to a single container. The refrigerator is now packed! LOL I also did two loads of DH and household laundry that I hadn't had the time for on Wednesday, and I cut up and put two pineapples into my dehydrator. I started today out, even before my treadmill, by taking the dried pieces out, washing the shelving, and putting the dehydrator back into the cabinet where it belongs. I now have two lovely containers of dried pineapple to munch on. 

I had purchased two beautifully ripe pineapples 
earlier in the week with the intention of tossing 
them into the dehydrator. I love dried pineapple 
chunks and my dehydrator does a GREAT job 
with that fruit. 

I had put a bunch of $1.99 ebooks into my B&N shopping cart, and then DH called me upstairs to watch some of the hockey playoffs with him. By the time I got back to my cart, the 24-hour special pricing had expired. I pulled all of the books off my shopping cart and only got the few I had planned to buy anyway. Rather frustrating, but I'll probably be just fine without the additional books in my TBR list. 

This is my baby - my Matrix treadmill. I love it, I use 
it three or more times a week, and it's what's keeping 
me sane during all of this mental and cancer junk. I 
might not have all of my marbles any more, but I'm toned 
and fit physically - LOL. 

I also gathered together the information requested for my treadmill and sent that off to Customer Support. I texted Elizabeth while I was in this process, thinking that I might need a copy of the invoice. It turns out that I did need one, but that the very first Customer Service person I had texted had responded with the next steps as well as a copy of the invoice just in case. Great people! I got all of the information emailed out to the appropriate people, and hopefully I'll hear back from them soon. The treadmill works just fine, but there are a couple of things I'm noticing that I want checked out and/or fixed. 

I hope you have a great weekend - one with friends, 
family, pets and fun. I'll be back on Monday to start 
off the week with all of you. 

So, as you can tell, I was busy, busy, busy. I think that's a good thing - LOL. Have an excellent Saturday and weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

Today I Get My Advanced Memory Test - I Scheduled This Almost a Year Ago!

I had SUCH fun distributing pink roses to people yesterday. I ended up with a total of 18 roses to distribute - 12 to the Radiology people, 4 to the receptionists at the Breast Cancer Center (I got a hug for that one from one of the girls, and big, BIG smiles), and two to the receptionists at the after-care treatment facility that I was at last week. The two receptionists at that last center were SUCH a hoot when I was there waiting. I loved their interaction with each other, and their personalities in general. One of the two said she loved me and wanted to marry me because I gave her a rose - LOL. Great personalities - exactly what is needed for anyone dealing with cancer. 

The sales girl and I had discussed many different 
options when I was purchasing the roses. I had 
forgotten that I ordered pink (for breast cancer) 
instead of red - because red are usually the least 
expensive. In this case, they charged me the same 
price, no matter the color. I ended up adding 
another six to the bucket. I would have loved to 
add another dozen, but my pocketbook isn't 
endless. 

Today I suspect I'll be getting the opposite side of the spectrum. Today is my extended memory exam and assessment in Minneapolis. First, I'll have to drive to Minneapolis during rush hour and I absolutely HATE that drive no matter what hour of the day, but rush hour is the worst. Then I'll be with DH which always increases my anxiety levels, and I'll be trying to prove that I'm not losing my mind - that it's a combination of circumstances and the fact that right now DH and I are having a really rough spot because of our work tensions. We'll see. There might be some cognition issues, but I think they are exterior motivated, not internal. 

I'm not very happy about today - I know I'm 
not as sharp as I used to be. But then again, 
I don't think I'm as dull as DH and Chickie 
seem to think either, so maybe this test will 
put their attitudes back into a dark cupboard 
where they belong and I can get on with my 
life and my work without constantly being 
watched and questioned. 

I have to be at the center for an 8:30 appointment, and we have to get the store ready for Chickie and Chickie Mama beforehand so they can actually get through the doors without tripping the alarm system. It's no big deal - I had a couple of times during radiation therapy that I had to do that for Chickie in any case, so she's used to it also. I'd feel a LOT more comfortable with this appointment if I wasn't with DH, but I didn't want to bring Chickie along with me because right now, she's becoming part of the problem, not part of the solution. 

I feel rather like this tapeworm (photo taken for the 
annual Microscope Photos competition). I'm totally 
unable to hide and being examined from all sides. 
It's uncomfortable. 

I feel rather like an amoebae, being looked at carefully under a microscope by any number of clinicians. I can handle the doctors - I'm paying them to do exactly what they're doing. But DH and Chickie are absolutely certain I'm losing my mind. I don't think so. I think when I'm having problems finding an item it's because it's been moved over three shelving units and isn't where it's been for the past 20 years. We've been bringing absolutely ALL inventory up from the warehouse, and things have been rearranged - a LOT. I spend most of my time in front of the computers, and don't deal with customers as much as I used to. So it's a bit longer to find things sometimes. I suspect anyone in my situation would have a similar problem. 

This is a photo of an embryonic chick brain that's 
been colored with a "brainbow" genetic technique. 
It's pretty nifty and amazingly attractive with the many 
colors and color variants. If you're interested in looking 
at all the microscopic photos, here's a link. These two 
were taken from the 2017 competition. 
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-microscope-pictures-year-nikon-small-world-2017-10

So, we'll see. I might have the beginning of memory loss, but I suspect it's not nearly as bad as DH and Chickie are thinking it is. Of course, if my brain isn't a problem, then maybe the problem is actually them???? Hmmmmm ... what a thought! Have an excellent day and if I survive today's traffic and tests, I'll be back tomorrow. I'm off to the pool. Slava Ukraini. 

Starting Out In A Rush - Not All Days are Smooth as Silk

Today actually didn't start out badly. I awakened 10 minutes before my alarm went off, and had a lovely meditation. But after I was finished with that and thought about the day ahead, I realized that I was behind schedule a bit. Things I usually do the night before for a swimming day ahead, didn't get done last night. Add in the fact that it's a "day off" and a "laundry day" and a day of errands, and I'm only grateful that this is the Winter That Missed Minnesota. I won't have to deal with shoveling the driveway or any extreme snow or ice conditions getting to the gym in a half-hour. I can be grateful for that. 

I feel quite fortunate this year. So far we haven't had any 
extreme weather conditions. If we avoid serious thunderstorms 
and tornadoes this summer, I'll consider this a weather year 
of fabulous weather. I'm really liking this winter - the winter 
of no snow. My trees are already budding, so if we have a 
deep frost in a month or so, we'll have some serious issues. 

I'm trying to think of what I want to make for my meals for the rest of the week. I really don't have to worry about that until Friday, I always do chicken on Wednesday, which gives me two meals. However, I'm usually ahead in thinking about stuff like this, and I'm totally NOT ... ahead, I mean. 

Tonight is a chicken night, that will give me my 
dinners for tonight and tomorrow. I can worry 
about the rest of my food on Friday, if necessary. 

No, I'm running a bit behind, today. That might cause problems. But I'll have a chance to breathe at some point today. And I'll settle on what I need at the grocery store after I return from the gym and have my breakfast. I have time. I have time to breathe, I have time to write my daily blog to myself (and any readers), and I'll figure the day out as I go, I guess. Not everything can be planned, nor should it be. 

There are some times when I have total brain fog. 
I can't afford the luxury of this often, so I need to 
chase the fog away with the sun of exercise. Off 
to the pool! 

So, I'm heading to the swimming pool, and I'll work a bit of this fog and frustration out of me in the water. That's one of the most wonderful things about my swimming mornings. I get to listen to my next book, and I get to work out some of my frustrations in the way I prefer - in the water. I consider myself to be a very fortunate person, most of the time. So I'll focus on the positives today and push the negatives into my mental "dust bin", at least for the time being. Have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים למען ישראל.