Brain Injury

  Hello, I had a brief experience with cardiac arrest and nearly four years later, I am having trouble remembering things.  Am I to remain this way for the rest of my life? Are there medications?  Prior to injury, I had recieved mail indicating an early acceptance, but I have since had to go to community college instead.
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Dear Harlan:
Cognitive difficulty is a common residual finding after anoxic encephalopathy following a cardiac arrest. Severity can range from very mild to profoundly severe. Difficulties improve in the first several months afetr the arrest. Deficit is fixed after the first few years. If you indeed have had brain damage from the cardiac arrest, your cognitive difficulties are surely at the very mild end of the spectrum. To as to be able to give you a more definite idea of your cognitive deficits, your neurologist may need objective assessment of your cognition in the form of neuropsychological testing.
If a cognitive deficit is identified, and if it can be attributed to the cardiac arrest, it is likely to be permanent. There is no available treatment.