New to living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Was diagnosed with MCI about a month ago. Am 61 and, while some of it makes better sense now (the increased anxiety, forgetting/losing things, inability to multi-task, slow to get big projects done). Honestly, I'm scared as hell. Wife has been great (her Dad died of Alzheimer's). My Mom (85) just confirmed with Dementia. I'm going through periods of anger, frustration, depression, sadness, fear, etc. I know that there's not a magic answer, however....

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Like any health issue, basic healthy lifestyle helps:
eating well I eat each day simple and whole foods generally making sure the healthy plate that is recommended by health departments of most universities and I suppose Mayo Clinic too,

physical activity; Was not feeling in good spirits yesterday so did 'air kicking a football with each leg with Full Force so that your Other foot gets a little up in the air (One can do it as in my 80 y.o. frame. Today I said maybe brisk walking for two half hours will bring my energy level back. Will see tmorrow!

Keeping mind do some cognitively challenging work. There's going to be a book club discussing Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid, 2019 book in a few days. I want specifically how to Find Friends. All what I've read, loneliness already kills 50% more who are deprived of socially engaged experiences where we can discuss intelligently/critically our issues whether of health, education, in a relaxed and challenging but Supportive environment,...

I rarely have problem w/ sleep. So far free of any meds, tests, surgeries etc and rarely doc visits.
I'd love to know how people have found friends especially new ones in new places. I have been try hrad for years but no success yet.

Anyone plays 'wordle'game in the Times? It's a quick interesting logic and vocabulary testing game. Cheers friends from Toronto/Canada.

Jump to this post

Like any health issue, basic healthy lifestyle helps:
eating well I eat each day simple and whole foods generally making sure the healthy plate that is recommended by health departments of most universities and I suppose Mayo Clinic too,

physical activity; Was not feeling in good spirits yesterday so did 'air kicking a football with each leg with Full Force so that your Other foot gets a little up in the air (One can do it as in my 80 y.o. frame. Today I said maybe brisk walking for two half hours will bring my energy level back. Will see tmorrow!

Keeping mind do some cognitively challenging work. There's going to be a book club discussing Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid, 2019 book in a few days. I want specifically how to Find Friends. All what I've read, loneliness already kills 50% more who are deprived of socially engaged experiences where we can discuss intelligently/critically our issues whether of health, education, in a relaxed and challenging but Supportive environment,...

I rarely have problem w/ sleep. So far free of any meds, tests, surgeries etc and rarely doc visits.
I'd love to know how people have found friends especially new ones in new places. I have been try hrad for years but no success yet.

Anyone plays 'wordle'game in the Times? It's a quick interesting logic and vocabulary testing game. Cheers friends from Toronto/Canada.

Jump to this post

Like any health issue, basic healthy lifestyle helps:
eating well I eat each day simple and whole foods generally making sure the healthy plate that is recommended by health departments of most universities and I suppose Mayo Clinic too,

physical activity; Was not feeling in good spirits yesterday so did 'air kicking a football with each leg with Full Force so that your Other foot gets a little up in the air (One can do it as in my 80 y.o. frame. Today I said maybe brisk walking for two half hours will bring my energy level back. Will see tmorrow!

Keeping mind do some cognitively challenging work. There's going to be a book club discussing Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid, 2019 book in a few days. I want specifically how to Find Friends. All what I've read, loneliness already kills 50% more who are deprived of socially engaged experiences where we can discuss intelligently/critically our issues whether of health, education, in a relaxed and challenging but Supportive environment,...

I rarely have problem w/ sleep. So far free of any meds, tests, surgeries etc and rarely doc visits.
I'd love to know how people have found friends especially new ones in new places. I have been try hrad for years but no success yet.

Anyone plays 'wordle'game in the Times? It's a quick interesting logic and vocabulary testing game. Cheers friends from Toronto/Canada.

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@sisyphus I am 86.. I play "Wordle" and the new game "Connections" each day from the NYTIMES.. today Wordle solved in 3.. It is fun to share solving the games with others.. but like any interaction you have to "give and take"... I live alone.. in my own house.. as a male, I have to cultivate friends as friends die.. but email groups.. I do not do Facebook for Political reasons.. they don't watch disinformation well enough.. but share success and mistakes with others is important .. today I was able to do all Connections categories.. that takes an active mind to wander through experiences to see Similarities... Connections.

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I think I posted suggestions on this string months ago. My main one is that you don't have any cognition to lose, so don't waste any. On clutter in the house or at work (if you're still working), on alcohol, on over-stimulation, on stress. The last is hard, but focus on sensory processing, not merely conceptual processing. Give your right brain a workout, esp if your left brain is balky. Go rest and relax, not fight or flee (parasympathetic, not sympathetic nervous system)--tho ultimately you need both to work together, just with the parasympathetic in the lead.

You know by now that MCI describes cognition that fits somewhere, anywhere, between dementia and that which is appropriate for your (advanced) age. When I first got the label 2 or 3 yrs ago--I forget when!--I thought it was another neuro euphemism, like "borderline" without specifying that I was on the border between average and inferior, not average and superior. But I now realize that the failure to specify degrees of cognitive impairment from mild to moderate to severe is due to the inability to measure cognition more precisely. So there's often room for some patient optimism when it comes to MCI, which, as I hope you know, does not invariably progress to dementia.

And as implied in the preceding paragraph, try to keep a sense of humor thru the process. It helps me re-energize after an incident of inattentiveness or failed memory.

Peace.

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