Well, I finished my neuropsychological evaluation for my Fitness for Duty case and got the report. I learned that for the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV, my Current Full-Scale IQ is at the 92nd percentile. Basically, I guess this means that I am NOT STUPID! Boo-yah! It also reveals from the Wechsler Memory Scale-IV that my verbal comprehension and Working Memory are both at the 98th percentile. My overall cognitive function is excellent, however my processing speed has DECLINED to the 30th percentile. The results show a decline in my visual memory function. This means that if I think of my brain like a computer, things that I must concentrate on in a multi-tasking manner get jumbled. There are reasons and causes for this. It could be the decades of drug use; my age; and the fact that I am receiving large quantities of information all day long from my computer, my phone headset I am connected to from 8:15 – 5:45, the employees at my desk needing immediate assistance with various things and my four managers asking me questions and giving me instructions to do things. There are ways I can work to cope with this until my processing improves.
One suggestion is that I work on eliminating the stress and anxiety that my COS and managers cause me. I have been given suggestions to improve my self-confidence and self-esteem and how to continue setting firm boundaries. Another, is that I can continue to use my lists and post-its and ask my colleagues to slow down while I get a notepad and write down/transcribe what they say to me. I am not allowed recording equipment so all old-school manual tips and tricks. I am also supposed to make sure that I UNPLUG from my headset and take a break at least twice a day if not more to give my brain a rest from work stuff altogether.
Some very nice verbiage came out of the evaluation report. The psychological profile testing led to “patient does not have any personality disorder” and “patient is highly competent, diligent, conscientious and hard-working, open, trusting, honest, and more than capable of performing this job.” DUH!!!
I have a very nice friend at the Occupational Medicine building who believes in me, and will do everything she can to help me get this FFD closed very soon. I will be extremely relieved when it has all concluded. I always feel so much better about myself after meeting with her. I think it’s because with her and my therapist in Santa Fe, they treat me with respect and talk to me like a friend and not some neurotic.
I can share more about this experience later, but for those of you in recovery who have had to deal with this process due to your addiction, please share on this site what your experience has been like. An employer cannot terminate you when you are in recovery or for the results of these types of medical evaluations. I am learning a lot about that.
The bottom line is, as ex-junkies who are in recovery, and along with aging, we are going to experience some loss of memory function. Can it be arrested? Improved? I am told that there are exercises up on the web that you can do (like puzzles and mini-memory-function tests) and suggestions for improving lifestyle too.
Read this article:
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/how-to-improve-your-memory.htm
Go check out mentalfloss.com and this website too:
https://www.memory-improvement-tips.com/brain-games.html
Sorry that my links are not working (just copy and paste them into the address bar of your browser)
I’ll have more on this topic as things progress for me. Peace, love and brain function blessings to all….
NMRecoveryHOPE 