post viral syndrome

I am a 34 y/o female who had viral encephalitis 2 years ago.  Months after my illness I continued getting terrible debilitating headaches.  I went back to my doc. who did another MRI which was negative.  He gave me Maxalt for the HA's, which sometimes works.  2 years later, the HA's don't come as often, but I still notice I am sometimes at a loss for words.  I have contributed it to being a stay-at-home-mom who doesn't get to use her brain at work.  I found this forum (thank goodness!) which people have talked about postviral encephalitis syndrome.  How do I know if I have this?     Frankly, I am embarrassed about my sometimes lack of finding the right word, or mixing my words in speech.  I usually just laugh and blow it off.  To be honest, I feel stupid.  Do I just need to do more crossword puzzles to exercise my brain? or could I actually have a residual effect of my viral illness?

[PaulMD]

Hi there.

Any insult to the brain can have sequelae that can be very hard to detect or reliably diagnose.  For your case, this may or may not be related to the previous condition however we cannot actually tell for sure.  Some children can have permanent decrease in cognitive abilities after a bout of encephalitis, and assuming the same for adults may be valid.  All I can suggest is for you to have continued surveillance and follow ups with your doctors so that any new symptom or finding can be addressed promptly.  Engaging yourself in meaningful brain-stimulating activities is also prudent though the benefit from such cannot be fully measured.  I hope and pray that there would be no new events from here on and that you can live your life the way you want it.  Regards and God bless...