Intuitive v. Literal

[Gennysmom]

Patti yootee that's it, that's one of the issues.  It's hard, that's why I started this thread, I know it's a cognitive issue, but it seems so complicated that I was wanting to poll others reality of it.   I've always been a science minded intellectual, who was tested as having my intuitiveness being one of my strong points....in a test where you separated groups into realist, emotional, or intuitive...it's the group where you may not have data to support the conclusion, and you're not reacting emotionally to the conclusion....you got to the conclusion because your gut told you so and you don't know why, and 99.9% of the time it's the correct answer.  So now, I don't know if it's 99.9% anymore, and what that does is twists your reality when you're such a cognitive person.  Plus the thing about the multi-tasking driving having to watch pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, etc. moving in all directions....that's so dead on for me...if all moving things aren't going in the same direction in a logical pattern, my brain shuts down and doesn't deal with any of it and I start to lose my balance. 

Deb, that's interesting, I haven't had to deal with that....I've never been good at impressionism, always photo realism, which is why I don't paint much anymore....I layer over and over and over, and have to be careful I don't overwork things....which is why I like chalk pastels, layering actually enhances coloring and texturing.  It's also why I don't do landscapes, I look at it and want to do every blade of grass and it seems too overwhelming. 

I'm right AN and right is my dominant side.  It's an interesting question. 

[matti]

Has anyone brought up this subject with their doctors?  I have and get the same response of " I don't believe there is any correlation".  For me, these issues have been the hardest to deal with the past 8 years. Kathleen, I have the same problem with driving, I am fine when everything is headed in the same direction. Intersection are tough, as well as freeways.  Pre-AN, I would be able to take in the scenery around me while driving, but I can't do that anymore.

I hope the AN symposium includes the topic of cognitive disorders. Despite what my doctors believe, I know there IS a correlation.

cheryl

[Windsong]

I'm really glad this topic has come up.

Driving:  i find that the super 10-12 lane highways or more are too much especially with major arterial intersections with other hwys. There is too much movement going in too mnay directions what with all the curves and swoops. Brain overload.

Intuitive thinking:  I used to be very intuitive and often could grasp the big picture almost immediately. Now i find myself stalled on details often.

IQ changes:  I was aware of my IQ pre An and treatment as it was done a number of times at various times in life. I had felt that it had changed a lot so i took it after An treatment. It confiremd what I expected. Although the total IQ points remained almost the same, there was a change in strengths. I used to be very high on the verbal metaphorical language scores. They dropped. ( not surprising for me lol). What did surprise me were the scores in math, spatial problems etc. They were higher. Many of those problems required linear thinking, logical step by step thinking.

I miss the "seeing the big picture" as it affects my writing of fiction (hard to see the whole novel in my head, i get bogged down with details) and it has changed the way i paint also.....like DEb i simply don't "see" things the way i used to.

My An is left sided, I am right handed, and did test equally in left brain right brain thinking about 15 years ago. I expect if i was retested on that there would be a change.

Perhaps one day studies will show why this happens to brain tumour folk.
Oh, i had fsr not surgery by the way.

Windsong

[Gennysmom]

I have a Dr.'s appointment today...lets see what mine has to say.

I wonder if this is something that we could bring up to be done at the Symposium....Cognitive tests and pre and post surgery effects.  Not that it really changes anything, but I find it interesting at least to get validation. 

[Sue]

Thanks for that article, Cap't Deb.  Hey, the guy was in Portland, Oregon.  Anyway, my question.  Do all AN patients have vestibular problems?  I don't have  balance problems as some of you have had.  I do remember having some dizzyness in years past. I remember laying in bed and I felt like I was spinning (and no alcohol was involved, thank you!) I've had that a couple of times in the last 15 years or so.  It didn't last very long. Nothing I got concerned about or went to the doctor for.  But I do remember I had those short episodes.  Now I think maybe it had something to do with growing an AN in my head!  Then, maybe it was an unrelated event. In any case...I can relate to a little bit of what that article said, but not all of it. 

But what I came away with, after reading this thread, is that you guys are a bunch of talented people.  You folks could have your own gallery.  Your own little Artist Colony.  I am very impressed.

Sue in Vancouver

[Joef]

Oh so true!!

>>I have the same problem with driving, I am fine when everything is headed in the same direction. Intersection are tough, as well
>>as freeways.  Pre-AN, I would be able to take in the scenery around me while driving, but I can't do that anymore.

I drive a gazillion miles every year..it was hard as first, I would look at street signs or scenery and the car would wander! its like my "hands" forgot how to drive! , you turn your head and the hands go with them ..  Pre-surgery , they could manage the road by themselves....

I have a theory .. because of the balance nerve lost, I've lost where in "space" my hands are in relation to my head, or at least now its difference than it used to be .. so in another 20 years of driving,  my hands and head will re-learn on to drive on their own . but for now, I can't look at signs , other cars, or scenery .. I just pay attention to my driving and I'm fine .. I just got back from Italy , and drove about 700 km .. (and at high speeds!) ... and did ok .. just missed allot of scenery I had to force myself NOT to look at and to keep my eyes on the road...

[Patti UT]

I've actually gotten in fights with my wife over simple stuff , because I am having trouble explaining something correctly ... Patti , I can relate! Its not a matter of who's right and who's wrong ... she just does not understand what I'm trying to say .. and we both get mad...

WOOOOOOO now Joe,  this opens up a whole new can of worms. Now I'm gonna spill the guts here a bit, cuz this one has become a hugh problem for me. lately, I can't even try and have a discussion with my hubby because of exactaly what you just said. He feels like I am not, as he put it the other day, "following a simple line of logic" and  I am listening to him and feeling like he is making no sense, so I kinda of cut him off and try to get to the point of the discussion and skip the "line of logic" because it doesn't seem necessarry and it just joggles in my mind. Kind of weird for a woman to want to get right to the point, I know.  And I know he is thinking I am not making any sense. I have almost not wanted to share the web sites with him that explain the cognitive issues, because now he actually has something to fire back at me, "well you just don't remember things" It really gripes me because more times then not, I am sure I know what I heard, but then I start to question myself.
 The hardest part for me is I feel he is down talking to me and treating me like he thinks less of my intellegence now, and of course I get hurt and angry. I never dreamed that my AN surgery would effect my marriage, but it seems to be doing just that in a way.
Patti UT

[Gennysmom]

Patti, I don't know the kind of guy your husband is, but I'd at least take Deb's advice and print out the paper and have him read it. 

OK, so I asked my doc today and his answer was two-fold...one, he wants to go talk to the neurosurgeon, but two, he thinks that the length of time on anesthesia and the lung machine could be the culprit as well.  He said that he's seen similar issues on long timed surgical patients that were not AN patients.  He's not ruling the AN as the cause out, but he wanted to question the neurosurgeon and get his opinion.  He also opined that more than likely, it will never return to what it was pre-surgery, but it will get better, and that he wants to continue to check in with me on the progress with this aspect.  Seemed very interested.   At least I didn't get the brush off. 

[Captain Deb]

Patti-yootee
Definitely print out the cognitive disorders paper--I've had the same problems in my marriage--not so much anymore as Dr Love has adjusted to the "new me" pretty well, particularly after reading parts of this paper, especially the parts about difficulties following a conversation. He used to get upset with me for interrupting him all the time. I've learned to try to be quiet and pay closer attention and really try to follow the conversation a little better. He's learned to be a little more patient. It's not all me or all him.  We try to meet in the middle and get through this together.

In a way, this cognitive problem has actually made me a better painter. Maybe not better, just different. My work sure is selling better than it used to.  Since it takes me so much longer to finish a piece, I just charge more!

Capt Deb

[nannettesea]

Kathleen,

This was a REALLY good topic.  I finally read more of the paper, thanks Capn! and discovered a lot of my problems in it.  I just thought it was the dizziness, but I am more dyslexic now, have problems following a long sequence of instructions/thoughts--the driving thing is not a problem for me--probably the MdDS issue--numbers I go round and round.  I saved the paper so I can show it to my family.

Nan