By Diane Petersmark, December 18, 2014 — My mind is blank this morning – at least 8 writing ideas. Which brings to mind how my mind works. Or doesn’t work as the case maybe. MCI (mild cognitive impairment) is a symptom of MS. It is also an after-effect of chemo. And my Dad died with Alzheimer’s. So am I screwed?
I don’t think so. I was “foggy” at times before chemo and Dad had late onset Alzheimer’s. So, I’m thinking it’s MCI from the MS. And that I can fight. I do Lumosity daily. I play online scrabble with several family members and friends. I exercise and keep active. Staying healthy is important. Scientifically the brain can and will shrink when brain cells die. They can also multiply, though, with the proper stimulation. Things like sitting down one morning with a blank piece of paper in front of you works! Any creative stimulation also helps create new brain cells. As an artist, I can practically feel my brain growing as I tackle a new project. Using mixed media I need to work through all the possibilities and probabilities of using a certain medium versus another. Plus it keeps me active and interested and definitely not a victim of “lazy brain”.
Now I just need to challenge my brain to do a backwards Dutch windmill.