posted
Before Lyme, I was very good at decision-making. Now I consciously/unconsciously avoid making any decision, big or small. Just to give you an example, my room is a clutter because I avoid deciding what to keep and where to put them.
Apparently life would not be good if I keep on procratinating decision-making.
Does anybody have good strategie in overcoming such impairment? Or, a good book that you would recommend?
[ 04. March 2007, 01:25 AM: Message edited by: WorkNHope ]
Posts: 34 | From California | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
It's called executive functionality, and it's been by far the hardest thing for me to struggle with in my life. It is a huge problem for people with attention deficit disorder. Of all my problems, I'd say executive functionality and ADD are my top problems.
DHEA, piracetam, aniracetam, huperzine (I can't really tolerate it though makes me breathe weird), tyrosine, anything dopaminergic or cholinergic really.
I dunno what to tell you as i struggle with it daily, especially since I can't tolerate stimulant medication atm due to lyme.
Oh, I highly recommend vinpocetine. I'd recommend that first, I take 10-60mg a day. Take it with food (it needs fats). You can get it cheap on vitacost or iherb. I've had no side effects with it.
Sorry if I'm not much help, just wanted to post my 2 cents.
-------------------- "You know, the worst, meanest, nastiest, ticks in the world are politicks," - Steve Nostrum Posts: 242 | From South NJ | Registered: Dec 2006
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posted
Thank you for sharing your experience. I've taken a lot of medication/supplement and now am somehow wary of them.
I am thinking of non-medicational solutions. Any behaviorial strategies that people have success with? Or a good book that can make life more managable with impaired executive function?
Posts: 34 | From California | Registered: Mar 2006
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Vermont_Lymie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9780
posted
Best thing that has helped me with this aspect of lyme is close contact with advisors, of many sorts -- counselors, relatives, friends, professional advisors (I need a life coach), therapists -- who can take the needed time to have discussions of decision-making situations, and help you think through your options and their consequences.
Posts: 2557 | From home | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Sorry I just noticed you said "non-medication". I don't know of any non-medication options that have signifigantly helped me, sorry. Practicing math perhaps, as executive function is a necessity for that. Mental exercizes like that.
-------------------- "You know, the worst, meanest, nastiest, ticks in the world are politicks," - Steve Nostrum Posts: 242 | From South NJ | Registered: Dec 2006
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posted
In my latest attempt to find something to help me organize my 'brain' ... to somehow retain the things I've researched and want to retrieve later, I came across a community of people using a method for organizing their lives (not exactly the same thing, but interesting), called the "Getting Things Done" method.
I'm not sure I really have what it takes to implement these strategies, but here are some places to go for more ideas:
The book. And a review that explains the system without buying the book.
The utmost in simplicity: getting more out of lists.
Low-tech, but not low-complexity index-card system here.
Oh, and I just thought of another book that really helped me let go of more of the extra 'stuff' in my life. I highly recommend it.
People at various levels of disability may need the help of a friend to implement some of these ideas, but if you have a vision for a better way to get through life, you can adapt a system until it works for you.
Here's to peace, clarity & joy in your house...
-------------------- When I lost my grip on Faith in the maze of illness, Hope gently clasped my hand and led on.
RuthRuth Posts: 478 | From California | Registered: Jan 2007
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Prior to Lyme, I was really good at being organized. Had a place for everything.
Now I put things in wierd places, can't recall where I put them and also have difficulty with beginning any project.
Serious lack of initiative for me.
I used to help people with this as a Speech Therapist. (ie people with Closed Head Injury, strokes, etc)
I know it helped many of my patients to make a list of things to do.
Start with a small list.
Organize one section of your room at a time. Then, take a picture of it or write a list and tape it to the dresser/closet, etc. to remind yourself of what you put in there.
Try to keep things simple. A to B and then to C. Don't be discouraged if you can only do A to B.
As your brain fog clears, you can tackle more complex problems.
Don't try to go from A to Z to get things done.
Small steps towards completion of a small goal for accomplishment.
Then pick your next small project.
I hope that some of these suggestions are helpful to you.
I try to do word puzzles, spelling puzzles, (don't like math), trying a new recipe, to keep the old brain going.
Now, if I could just get up the initiative to go and do the laundry.
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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hardynaka
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8099
posted
So sorry you guys are passing through this.
When I read what you write, I understand every word and relate totally.
I'm amazed to see you could write about this lyme symptom/ problem so clearly.
I don't have any advise, as I got that problem during all my lyme fight. I'm only getting out of it now, I think. First good sign is when you start multitasking without effort, I guess.
I'm still trying to fix things left undone during my lyme battle (like trying to get rid of calc in the wet rooms, trimming trees left untrimmed for 2 years, etc).
Just wanting to send you positive thoughts and vibes. It'll get better when lyme gets better. For the time being, don't overdo things.
Selma
Posts: 1086 | From Switzerland | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Thank you all for your generous answer. The books mentioned look very interesting. I'll check them out.
Having Lyme is like having non-permanent brain injury. Part of my frustration is that I always feel trapped by the mundane stuff: insurance filing, cooking and not having time/energy to do anything else.
catalysT, I modified the subject of email to include the words "non-medication" after I submitted the original post, so you didn't miss reading anything.
Posts: 34 | From California | Registered: Mar 2006
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canbravelyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9785
posted
I don't have exactly the same problem, but horrible short term memory issues, visualization issues, complete inability to multitask (I'm on the phone and my friend is shuffling papers in front of me I suddenly can't do any of it), and of course, my beloved math. All my life I've adored math; I used to do math problems as a child to relax. The math she is not working proper.
So...at one point I saw an occupational therapist, and she said, "Why don't you use a calculator" (trouble with change in restaurants).
Now I've always been the hardcore through it person, because I believed that using a assisted device would allow my brain to "atrophy" [not the right word, but did I mention I have word retrieval issues? ], and I wouldn't recover my abilities later.
So finally, I gave it a try. Maybe it's allowing my brain to recover more rapidly, because I'm not aggravating it. Obviously, if I had a broken arm, I would let it rest.
So my best, non-medicinal assistance device is...The Palm Treo.
It's got a calendar agenda, note pads, address book, telephone, internet, e-mail. I got a great deal with my service provider. And you can sync it with your computer, which is again a _way_ plus.
This is great for so many reasons:
1. Everything is in one place, and there just aren't that many places in the Palm to hide things on yourself.
2. You don't actually have to transfer the phone number / dial it on another phone - I often get that one wrong no matter how hard I'm trying to copy "home", I end up calling "cell". Here you just select the number and it dials.
3. Anytime I think of something, I add it to my lists, that way I don't forget what it was I had to remember.
4. When you go to yellow pages on the net, it will xfer all the particulars straight to your address book (no typing or copy and pasting).
5. Best of all, when you can't find it, you can call it (set the "silent" mode to vibrate, never silent, because then you have a fighting chance of hearing a feint buzzing if you've turned the ringer off).
-------------------- For medical advice related to Lyme disease, please see an ILADS physician. Posts: 1494 | From Getting there... | Registered: Aug 2006
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posted
Wow Brave, your treo sounds wonderful! Can it do sudoku too?
Thinking about the original question... "strategies to cope with impaired decision making"
I am wondering if part of the impairment comes from the fear of making a choice that will be costly in time, energy or money, etc.?
I have a strategy for dealing with things I can't decide to throw away ... I store them for a length of time (thank God for a garage!) and after they are properly aged, I find that I can more easily let them go... to the trash... where someone more decisive would have put them long before!
What if you couldn't make a decision that lead to failure? What if we could let our hair down and run with complete freedom down the beach?
What if our fears were banished and we just trusted that things were going to work out even if we made some mistakes along the way?
Would an adjustment in our approach help us more easily let go and make decisions quickly? Think of all the energy we are using just maintaining a holding pattern!
Just thinking out loud on the keyboard ...
-------------------- When I lost my grip on Faith in the maze of illness, Hope gently clasped my hand and led on.
RuthRuth Posts: 478 | From California | Registered: Jan 2007
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi All
I use multi colored post it notes--
I pin them in plain site on my wall--
My wall has sections for --
Bills-
Medical records--
Things to do tomarrow--Today
phone numbers- ect--
things I need to work on -
Messy but it works for me --
I wait to make dissions till my head is clearest usually 2am -Ouch--
Get in the habbit of putting things in the same place--keys- money- ID ect-
On important things I tred to make up my mind 3 seperate times --
Then Look at the desisions and see if they compair in results--
Also I tried to use simple math and see if the dissision makes sence with numbers --
Make a food shopping list and Keep it for use the next time --
It is important to get thing in a Easy to Find and See places--
Your post sounds like you are still thinking clearly--
Things can get much worse quickly and you can go in and out of the fog- may last a hour- day -week- month --
A couple of times I was perty Dinged out for a month or so --
Now I am thinking perty clear most of the time and can make quick good dissions-
The sleeping pills I am taking do zing me out sometimes tho --
The Good news is Perty much everybodys thinking clears with treatment -- Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I'm bumping this post up, because I am having the same problem- poor decision making/inability to make decisions.
I can't concentrate enough to read through it all right now, so I'm bumping it up, because otherwise I will forget about it. Posts: 503 | From Alberta, Canada | Registered: Jun 2009
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