mental health

i have recovered from my memory that 2 years ago i brought a liquid whitener to correct a particular mistake which i had in filling my exam form.i used kores correction fluid that contained harmful substance called toluene.i inhaled that fluid several times because i was not aware of consequences of it.a few months passed and i experienced behaviour changes in me.i was preparing for my board exam in a few months time.i did not experienced anything until that time.on 1st march 2008 my board exam commenced . as the examination started i tried to concentrate on my paper but as i did lower left part of the brain started paining like something nerve pain seriously and continued after that.and much further in few months the pain was on and on.rest all further symptoms i have already specified to you.what i want to know is are this effects are consequences of inhaling toluene.are this effects of toluene.give me some suggestions.as your suggestions were quit helpful.so that i can find what real problem is instead of wasting my money on unnecessary tests.thank you

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Inhaling toluene can cause memory loss, nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, confusion, weakness, drunken-type actions, and hearing and color vision loss. However, all these changes are reversible on stopping inhalations. If you just recently stopped inhaling it, then give yourself some time. Exercise regularly, eat right, take up yoga or any other stress busting exercise, and do mental ability puzzles in your free time. However, if you stopped inhalations two year back then other causes will need to be looked into.
To treat memory loss, you have to find he cause first. If all brain related causes (transient ischemic attack, disorders of hypothalamus, dementia and multiple sclerosis, head injury etc) are ruled out then Vit B12 deficiency, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep disorders (by sleep studies), depression, use of certain drugs, and certain types of seizures (where memory loss is the predominant symptom) should be investigated for as the cause of memory loss. Apart from sleep studies, EEG, you may need cognitive tests like mini-mental state examination (MMSE) or Folstein test. Please consult a neuropsychiatrist. Based on the results of these tests some assignments, vitamin supplements, yoga techniques, memory games etc can be tried to improve memory.
Since I cannot examine you and know other related conditions you may be having, nor is a detailed history possible on net, I have listed the various possibilities that should be looked into. Please consult your doctor to run tests and examination to clinch a diagnosis.
Take care!