Simple technology for chemo brain and old person brain....

Well I did get to give my husband the wonderful gift of my cold. I hate that he is suffering as he has been but if its any consolation I am starting to feel better. I have 1 more intravenous chemo treatment next week on the 14th, exactly 7 days before I start my first day of work. Its been really nice to have these days off where I can sort of do a few things for me, like sleeping in or doing errands, visiting with friends and also being stress free all while being able to heal myself from these strong treatments.

Since I am known to forget things all the time, I have found that lists definitely work. I can't get a whole lot done with out a list. I have been known to a call my pad of paper "an extension of my brain". Its nice to visualize what can be inside my head which is why I like to jot things down when I remember them.

The chemotherapy treatments do cause brain damage and a lot of times it can be permanent. Sometimes, I can be midways through a sentence and then all of a sudden I forget many details such the name of a person I am talking about and sometimes too if I have only known the person from meeting just a handful of times. It is possible to learn new things, but it doesn't come the first time, second time, third time, maybe more, maybe less, but things can sink in with a little bit of effort on my part, but take a pad a paper just in case to job down things. It really works for me.

Now my husband got me a GPS for my birthday last year and it has proven to be gas saver and stress reducer. I never get lost any more from Yahoo or Google maps; instead I have a nice friendly voice to guide me where I am going even in downtown San Francisco, San Jose, and even Santa Cruz. I just plug in the address prior to starting the car and it will always guide me in the right direction even if I don't know any of the roads or the direction that I am going. I just put my faith on my dependable little device.

It sure has helped me get out of the house to go visit with friends who have recently moved or would like me to meet them somewhere I have never been before. My little trusty device, Blue Belle in the backseat, here I come!

Now I do have rules when I do use my little device, NO using or trying to punch in addresses or buttons while I am driving! This is a great gift for any chemo patient who likes the freedom of driving around, but hates getting lost of having chemo episodes of forgetting the direction they are heading! I have found that I did loose my sense of direction as well with the chemo brain and older age as well, so a GPS also helps me with road rage. I am much calmer on the road and at ease having this little device guide me. How many times have I gotten angry at Yahoo for their bogus directions? A GPS saves you insanity! I really can't stress that enough.

Another cool thing about my TomTom is that if my husband and I go on vacation, we can bring it with us while we are walking around looking for landmarks or restaurants. It can pull up restaurants in the area or if you are running out of gas it can tell exactly where a gas station is and can guide you to that mystery gas station. No more stress while driving!

Here are just a few I recommend; I got the cheap Tom Tom and am completely satisfied. It may not shout out the names of the streets I am to turn on but it does give me plenty of time to know which direction I will be going or turning.