by AllyB » Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:45 pm
Hi Terry
The assessment looks at learning ability, memory, information processing ability etc.
From what I have read, many people with ms suffer from some sort of cognitive issue - it does not affect your actual intelligence, but rather your ability to process information and recall memory. This happens either because of lesions in certain parts of the brain (it manifests in different ways depending on where the lesions are), or because of the fatigue that can seem so all-consuming at times (how can you concentrate when you are totally exhausted? How can you cope with many demands when you are so tired you cannot think straight?), and I have also read that the longer you have ms, the more likely you are to experience some sort of cognitive problem - again, I think that it is because of the eventual axonal damage that remylenation cannot over come, and some sort of grey-matter problems that cannot always be seen on MRI.
This needn't be the end of the world - it is just another challenge to take on (you are still as bright as you have always been) - I know it seems scary, but there is help available.
If you feel you have some cognitive issues, I would suggest that you find a really good neuro-psych (not many good ones around, but you might find one affiliated with a university near you - I would recommend someone with lots of experience with ms and who is a decent human being) and have an assessment. That person will be in a position to tell you if you really have a problem (it could just be fatigue etc, which is what I thought) and will advise you on what they can do to help you. I know that there are techniques that you can learn to help overcome some problems and to assist with focus and concentration. The first step is to identify the problem, then it can be addressed - the brain is an amazing thing and I believe that it can form new neural pathways to get around areas of damage.
This has been a really long reply - sorry about that, but I hope something has been helpful and that things get better at work - it is soul destroying to feel your grip slipping away.
All the best.
Last edited by
AllyB on Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
Al