Right after the stroke, I had to practice saying (and spelling) my children's names. At this point, I still confuse the two names, but probably not more than other parents who don't have aphasia. But just to simplify, when one of my kids has helped me, I usually just say,
"Thanks, Sweetie."
The problem is, my brain can't switch tracks easily, even now. So when I want to thank someone--anyone--I often can't stop from tacking on a "sweetie" after the end. The cashier at the pharmacy, my neighbor who is twenty years older than I, the UPS driver--they're all my sweeties, now.
20 minutes ago
Don't beat yourself up. When my mother couldn't remember my name she ran through the whole list of her childresn's names. If that didn't help, she woud say "You know who I mean."
ReplyDeleteI once worked with a man with 10 children. One day we were with some coworkers and he said to me, "Can you do this for me, sweetie?" After seeing the stunned faces of those around us, I said,"Sure thing, hon." Your explanation puts a new light on that incident.
ReplyDeleteFunny, Barb!
DeleteI don't have aphasia, but sometimes I do this exact thing! The first time it happened, I was so embarrassed. Now I hope people just think of me as a sweet old lady. :)
ReplyDeleteThis was very reassuring to me after I discovered a couple weeks ago that I struggle with names since my stroke. I wanted to come back and thank you! I may try the "Sweetie" method with my family, too. :-)
ReplyDelete