Costa Rica and My Fuzzy Memory

At the Conservatory

I had my 2nd chemo infusion a week ago, and it went without a hitch. Just about the only side effect I'm noticing is fatigue, and that's manageable (if I prioritize managing it!)

The fatigue isn't constant and it's not predictable. Well, if I have a short night then I can predict a lot of fatigue the next day. But what else is new?

Perhaps because I'm tired more often or because I'm 46 or distracted or stressed or on chemo or just not very good at remembering things in the first place, I'm having a lot more "senior moments". I suppose those were bound to happen eventually, but they're a little disconcerting.

Like many women (and one or two men), I like talking to a lot of different people, and over time exchanging quite a bit of information, big and small, about our lives. I have a large repository of facts and stories about other people's lives, such as their kids' ages and schools, the health conditions of their aging parents, what movies they've seen, where they went on vacation this year, whether they're allergic to red wine, the latest drama with their brother-in-law, what their work hours are, and so on.

I've never been the greatest at remembering all these details, but now I'm extra slow at recalling them and have to be told some things several times. Case in point, Costa Rica.

I know a couple of families who've traveled to Costa Rica in the last year. The other day someone (of course I can't quite remember who!) was telling me that they were thinking of going to Costa Rica, and I thought, Wait, didn't you go to Costa Rica last year? No, that was someone else. Who else was I thinking of who has been at Christmas? Or was that spring break? Wasn't _________  just talking to me about this? Um, what was it we were talking about?

Suddenly I was in Fuzzy Town.

It's not a big deal, but it's different for me. So I apologize if you have to tell me something three times or I can't remember what you're doing for Thanksgiving. I do care! I'm just in a bit of a fog. So far I haven't mixed any clients up with one another, and I can occasionally make it through telling a story without losing my train of thought, so all is not lost.  

Team Heather

Several people have asked me about the Lotsa Helping Hands online group, Team Heather, and whether I'm posting much in there and how they will find out what we need.

We've only posted a few requests (all of them filled, thank you!) and we've learned that after we add a request to the calendar we need to send out an announcement through that site telling you that there's a new request (or set of requests).

So if you haven't gotten an email from "Lotsa" lately, it's because we haven't posted any requests lately. I'm still working on deciding what to ask for directly, through the online site or just do myself.

The hardest things to ask for are the things I need at the last minute because I realize I've run out of steam. Hey, I'm not in a coma, so surely I can do this myself and not bother other busy people! I know, I've got a ways to go -  I really will get this asking-for-help thing down soon.

I have a couple of friends who've told me, "Call anytime, even if you need something weird". My goal for the week is to do just that.