I've lost 30 IQ points!

[jensequitur]

Well, my visit with the psychologist was today.  As expected, I have mild cognitive impairment, and my current IQ is 104.  Last time I was tested, it was 134.

I can't feel surprised about it, because something definitely feels wrong - gunked up, rather like the fuel injector ports on your car when they get clogged with soot.  I am surprised, however, that I have this much of a decline.

Here's what the report said:

"In sum, the predominate features of her neuropsychological profile are moderately impaired selective and divided attention, cognitive flexibility, storage of visual information, visual discrimination, visual attention to details, verbal fluency, and concept formation, and mild impairment in processing speed and memory processes for auditory information.  There is evidence for mild decline in intellect into the average range from a premorbidly high average level.  Psychological factors are present, but they are not of sufficient severity to account for her current deficits.

Diagnostically, her overall profile is suggestive at this time of a diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Multiple Sclerosis.  Depending on the level of funcctional impairment she is experiencing at this time, you may want to consider a trial of donepezil.  However, it is my understanding that the patient requested the present evaluation fin order to provide a baseline for future reference.  She should be referred at appropriate intervals per your discretion for comparative testing and tracking."

I am lucky that my psychologist had actually been diagnosed with MS about five years ago, so she was quite familiar with the problems with cognitive impairment.  She took Aricept, and within two weeks felt normal again.

She also mentioned after looking at the results of my MMPI that this test wasn't geared for somebody with MS, but for somebody who was supposed to be normally healthy.  Without a diagnosis of MS, my psychological symptoms would have registered as hypochondria, hysteria, schizophrenia, and depression:  concern about my symptoms, thinking about my symptoms, strange feelings, and fatigue - which in a healthy person indicates depression.  So she read the results of the MMPI with the diagnosis of MS in mind, which kept the results from being skewed toward mental illness.

All in all, I think she did an excellent job of testing and reading the results.  It was much more revealing than I expected, even after taking all those tests.  She recommended a couple of websites that offer cognitive training to help your brain's neuroplasticity - regrowing paths that are currently broken.

http://www.happy-neuron.com
http://www.positscience.com/

The Posit Science products are $395, which is a little pricey, but the Happy Neuron membership is $99 a year - pretty good deal.

I'm also thinking about game platform options - the Nintendo DS has something called Brain Age, which is a brain-training program that people are pretty happy with.  It also exists for the Wii, but it doesn't really utilize the platform very well.

[Want to feel well!!!]

You KNOW you are intelligent...we KNOW you are intelligent...and I am sure this is terribly frustrating...don't put too much weight on the new number, as disappointing as you might feel it is.  Too bad our brains cannot be "defragged" like a computer and everything reordered so it can be retrieved more easily when needed.

Brain Farts Suck!!!

(((HUGS)))
Wanna :o)

[cjacks]

Hi Jen

I can sympathize .  I lost 25 ..  good thing there  was some extra.  :)   God , I was so upset at first . Mine was like yours , I did great in some areas and dismal in others .  processing is ssllooooww ... I thinks if I stare at someone hard enough and really concentrate I 'll  be able to figure out what is being said or going on ,  but usually not.

I 've heard from many sources in the last couple of weeks about  'neuroplasticty ' ... retraining the brain ..  seems there have been many conferences on it lately ..  I need to investigate more as I am starting this Friday . I'll keep you posted,,   if I don't forget :)

Jen take care
Hugs

Jo

[jensequitur]

BLUSH!  Oh, thank you...  I feel like a car with bad wiring sometimes - the headlights still work, but the radio won't come on.

Actually, you know, I'm fussing about the IQ thing, but really the psychologist told me it's not an all-across-the-board loss.  She showed me the charts, and in some areas, I'm still just fine.  In others, I'm way below average.  So when you average up all the scores, it ends up being 30 points lower than it used to be.  Wah!  

My biggest change is in auditory comprehension, I think - I just don't get it when somebody's telling me something.  Sometimes it takes three tries before I understand.  And long jokes - phew!  My attention is gone halfway through the joke, so I just don't get it, and have to pretend to laugh so I won't look like an idiot.  I feel like Homer Simpson:  "Oh, I get it! I get jokes."

After talking to the psychologist, I recommend that everybody get cognitive testing.  Not so you can see where you're deficient, because that can be a little depressing, but because you can retrain your brain to do these tasks more efficiently.  I think the word is 'neuroplasticity'  - the ability of the brain to grow new pathways to perform these tasks.

[Quixotic1]

I feel for you.  I also saw a huge decrease in my "Tickle" result, which bruised my ego mightily.

The only time I have ever gotten my neuro to laugh was when I muttered (after not being able to express myself) "I hate becoming stupid!"

I am close to requesting the testing for myself.  I can no longer remember any words.  It's okay when I write, but, not when I speak. And simple math is totally beyond me.  It really s*cks.  Maybe I should try those games for brain growth.  But, if I did that, I wouldn't be able to be here.  Any votes,lol?

I think you seem just stellar here, so maybe it's just an "in person" kind of thing.  I see you as just brilliant.  

Quix

[jensequitur]

I hear ya, Zilla - I feel deficient too, so the test just confirmed what I already knew.  :-(  And sometimes I feel worse, but to be honest, I wasn't doing all that well on the day of the test.  On a scale of 1 to 10, (ten being the best I'll ever feel) I was at a 4.  I didn't know whether it would register as extra dumbness or not.  

They want me to come back and test again in two years, so we'll see how things change.  It might get better, who knows?

[Momzilla]

You had a great IQ.  I was rather attached to mine.  I lost 20 points, and they thought my test was fine.  I'm sorry for you.  I have heard that the tests can have a + or - 20 point buffer zone for a sort of 'testing rate.'  It didn't matter to me.  I feel 20 points deficient.  Still do.  Some days I feel worse.  Sometimes it depends on the temperature.

Sorry.

Zilla*

[jensequitur]

You know, that's not a bad idea.  I'll need to check my insurance to see if it'll cover something like that.

[sllowe]

Hey Jens,

Well, glad this test was so thorough.  Something I think we should all have done like you have for a baseline.  You are very sharp in my eyes.

Hey - think the Drs could write us a script for these games?

Then, it could be a write-off no?

-Shelly

[jensequitur]

I only got three pages!  At this point, I'm not looking for disability, but I certainly am thinking about it for the future.  

[AmishErin]

I forgot how to spell Utah and how to vote, both within the same month, both freaked me out... I also got my cognitive abilitys tested.  I think that my sharp decline noted in my 5 page report was probably the deciding facactor for recieving dissability at age 29.  I got most of it back though... most of it.