My Brain is Broken

Yeah, my brain is broken. How you say? Well, for one I have MCI - Mild Cognitive Impairment. That's the official name for CRS - Can't Remember Shit. I also have Adult ADD.

I've always had a bad memory and a hard time concentrating, especially in school.  As an incentive, my Dad used to pay me for getting A's - he never had to shell out a dime.  It was useless because my brain was doing the best it could, but the best it could do was shitola.  I remember (I remember!) my friends would never have to study for tests and I would kill myself trying to put all the mumbo jumbo in my head together. The only area I excelled in was English, and even though I still made crappy grades in honors classes, I was at least retaining some of that information. Maybe so I could write this blog. I never even went to college as I knew I would struggle to pay attention in class. The booze and drugs would have been no problem for me though.  

Over the past year or so I noticed that all of it seemed to be getting worse. I would have conversations with my friends and completely forget the conversations. I went to the movies with my BFF and then 3 days later asked her if she saw the movie. WTF right? I know. I was easily overwhelmed at work, unable to finish one task without starting another - same with cleaning my house - start cleaning the kitchen, go to the bathroom to get something, then start cleaning the bathroom, and so on and so on. Of course, this whole revelation brought on some anxiety for me...trepidation if you will. I started to want to do, see, and know less so I wouldn't forget it or I wouldn't get stressed out about it and that is no way to live. On top of all of it, I have an Aunt that passed away last year from the effects of Alzheimer's. She had it for about 12 years and it was devastating.

So, last week I paid my first visit ever to a psychiatrist and he diagnosed me with MCI (I already knew I had ADD from a diagnosis made about 8 years ago) and thus came the harsh reality of what was happening to me and how some of my lifestyle choices were doing major, irreversible damage to my brain, aiding in the steady decline of my mind. The cause of the disease itself is rather simple - my brain slacks at absorbing Folate and B vitamins and I was born this way. Okay, cool. But can you guess what the major, self controlled contributor to my brain rot is? ALCOHOL. Alcohol is killing my brain cells. I drink too much at one time, I black out, and when I do so my brain blacks out with me, causing some serious spoilage to the few remaining cells in there. Who would have thought that 20 years of getting totally shit faced and forgetting most of the night would be a bad thing? Oh, and come to find out I'm a "binge drinker" - meaning I don't drink during the week but I sure do make up for it on the weekends.

Needless to say, finding all this out was a real eye opener for me and scared me quite a bit. When someones says "signs of pre-dementia" to you - unless you're a total idiot, you pay attention. What I'm happy to report is that the condition can be greatly improved with a "brain vitamin" and an anti-depressant to control the ADD and anxiety, both of which I have started to take and am already feeling the positive effects from. YAY!!

Here's a shocker - I am avoiding alcohol for a while. I've always thought it would be really difficult to stop drinking (or cut back at least) but now I'm convinced it won't be, although it's only been a week...ask me how I feel next week. 

Overall, I am much more relaxed and at ease with the whole situation. Knowing what's wrong and knowing that there are fixes are two of the most settling feelings you can have. I'm grateful beyond words for modern day medicine and couldn't be happier about my sober future. Okay, that's probably a partial lie but let's just go with it for now.

Speaking of sober...it's Labor Day weekend and I don't have to worry about a DUI, a hangover, or breaking my bank account. That is good shit right there.

Happy Labor Day!

Driving while Sandwiching

Yesterday morning I was on my way to work driving down the highway and I noticed the guy in the car in front of me reach over and pull a piece of bread out of a loaf.  So of course, I became totally fixed on what this cat was up to.   I then watched him pull a second piece of bread out of the loaf, all the while looking down at his lap, doing what I can only imagine is making a fucking sandwich!  Can you believe that shit?  Making a sandwich while driving 65 mph!  I was floored.

I then began to wonder what kind of sandwich it was.  What would be the easiest sandwich to make while operating a vehicle?  PB & J?  Nah, too many jars.  Bologna with mayo?  Turkey and ham?  Was there cheese involved?

WTF is the world coming to when someone thinks it's okay to make a sandwich in the car? Now, I would be a complete LIAR if I said I didn't text or put on make up or mess with my iPod while I'm driving.  I know.  Terrible.  I just think a sandwich is a bit ridiculous.  Making a margarita would have been way more acceptable.

And then, just to show how awesome this guy really was, he did the "what the fuck?" hand gesture out his window to the FL Highway Patrol cars parked on the side of the road! Again, another gasp comes from my mouth as I'm watching this total jack ass be, well, a total jack ass.  I thought for sure Johnny Law was gonna come after him and give him a ticket for being so angry and then quite possibly get a free meal from the whole deal.

Speaking of free meals...I'm going to Dave and Busters tomorrow for a work event and I'm going to eat all the free food and drink all the free booze I can get my greedy little hands on. I'm also going to beat House of Dead.  I did it last year and I'm going to do it again. I am quite excited about it really.

Sinus Surgery

Have you ever heard someone say "I'd rather have my sinuses scraped"?  It doesn't conjure up thoughts of fields of daisies and bunnies with an open bar in the middle of it, now does it. No.  It makes you think wow, if the alternative is worse than having your sinuses scraped, it must be really bad.  


Well guess what?  I'm having my sinuses scraped in 2 days.  What in the fucking hell you say? I know, I know.  But it's a necessary thing.  Trust me.  I cannot breathe.  I haven't been able to breathe for about 2 - 3 years and it's getting worse.  I've become one of those nasty mouth breathers when I sleep...not to mention a snorer, a jumper, and a major gas passer. Well that last part really doesn't have anything to do with my sinuses but I thought I would throw it in there for shits and giggles.


Sleep Apnea is a real fucking peach of an ailment too, let me tell you.  That's where you stop breathing and you wake yourself up all night, usually with a ridiculously loud snort and an even more ridiculously violent jerk that scares the shit out of you and anything in the near vicinity of you.  I'm constantly exhausted.  The bags under my eyes could give a 90 year old woman a run for her money, not to mention the dark circles.

So, needless to say, while I do have a bit of anxiety about the surgery and the week after, which I will spend with stints and packing in my nose, it thrills me to know that my life will dramatically improve in just about a week from now.  I'm also extremely grateful that I have the ability/opportunity to get this surgery.  So many people would just have to suffer through it, perhaps for the rest of their lives, which is incredibly sad to me.  And let me tell you, not being able to breathe at 100% capacity is a tough hand to play.  


Speaking of hands...I think my fingers are still growing.  Weird, huh.  They're slowly starting to resemble tentacles.  I wonder if they have a surgery for that?