Tania at one point I was literally on the website for my kid doing the kindergarten exercises (I had access because my Kid's school) so I would do at first one minute basic math and then 2 minutes, then 3......
I downloaded brain games (memory card, anything memory enhancing , some brain app that worked a few areas luminosity) and so on..... I had to retrain my brain to be able to increase without PEM (on top of the antiviral and regular pills and treatment for CFS).
thanks for sharing. glad to hear it worked for you.
ohh I cant imagine trying to give my brain brain exercises to do as its in such a fatigue state as it is and every very simple thinking can make it worst to the point where i cant then use it eg cant then come online and post. (doing a simple shopping list I find hard due to my brain).
I learn new things to create new pathways like piano by chords (I cannot play just lessons to learn something new and slow) since my hands get tired I can do like one minute a day tops.
I used to play piano but cant even play a quick song now as just thinking to place a finger onto the right key and (i cant focus in two places at once eg on the music sheet and on the keyboard anymore at same time), so its major strain on my brain to the point I just cant do it (though I used to do that without actual thought). I also have at times coordination issues with my hands with the ME. So my piano now sits in the corner of a room collecting dust.
ive given up so much I used to enjoy even gave up doing crosswords regularly as that thinking just wears my brain down more and its like my physical body, if I dont conserve its energy, I cant then use it when I want to be using it.
I am back at learning a new programming language, This is hard as hell. I am getting PEM a few hours in. But my brain is my bread and butter so I need to do whatever it takes to keep it functioning. Besides I am my career I would not imagine a live without computers.
it sounds as if your brain is doing better then mine is. I used to be able to do computer programming many years ago on the very old kind of computers way back when I was in high school. I struggle to do basics on computer now and have to phone someone for help whenever I have any computer issues at all. (I forget how to answer my mobile phone which Ive had for over 2 years).
My brain is constantly intensely working at trying to get me though any simple daily task. It works hard for me to just go and do anything around my home. (I struggle to keep focus long enough to get to the spot of the task, I often end up going to do things but find myself walking off eg I may go to put out my bin several times before I actually manage to get it out as my focus and brain is so bad). So have to intensely try to focus just to go and put my bin out.
My neuroeval was not conclusive in this are, the guy said I might of had a small stroke at some point but was impossible to know. So since he told me that I treat my brain and body as if I need to rehab it. So far has worked to think this way.
I had a neuro evaluation of my brain ability, the guy who did it was completely shocked at my results. He ended up asking me with a shocked look, "how do you cope?" and "How do you learn anything?". It was so bad and clearly showed the more I work my brain the worst it gets.
He said a normal persons brain works opposite to how my brain was working and a normal person would actually improve with what we were doing not deterioate. eg if someone reads a paragraph twice or hears something twice, they will remember more on second time, I lost more memory though each time I tried to do an exercise.
My brain ability broke down so badly during the neuro eval that I even get my colours right after a bit.. and called blue - yellow or something like that.
I was hoping to be given a report on this once the ME/CFS study this neuro evaluation was for was completed but never received one. (it was interesting as in some areas my brain was fine, but others it was horrific).
