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Short term memory problems
Hi, I was wondering if any one else has experienced problems with short term memory? Mine is getting worse by the day and I am really worried. My friend called me one night and the next day when we spoke, I didn't remember ever talking to her the night before. This type of thing is happening more and more. My move was delayed until the end of the month which means I am delayed in seeing my new LLMD. Would love to hear if this is something many people experience? Thanks in advance
You are right, I thought I was the only one and it does help to know we are not alone. Mine had improved some but not as much as I would like. It took my fiancee some time to realize that it is indeed a problem and not something made up. I can be thinking of something to write and a totally different thing appears on the computer so I am checking my posts and emails but it sometimes gets away from me because there is the forgetting, can't win. All I can say is its great to be getting better and one days maybe we can look back and laugh.
It is so validating to realize others have had similar problems! I would walk into a room and forget what I went there for. Then I would do it 3 or 4 more times! I had to stop cooking as I couldn't stay focused. I burned food. I left the stove on twice, once breaking a plate I had set on the lit burner. Don't ask why I did that. I don't know. That was memorable enough to remember!
Once I had a loud disagreement with my hubby over an important document that I was confident he didn't give me. He said he did, and after 30 minutes or arguing and looking for it, I had to leave to go pick our daughter. He texted me later saying that he found the document on the glass of our printer/copier " where YOU (me) put it!" Only then did I vaguely remember that I had made a copy of it. Sigh. He is only now just starting to believe me again when I say something.
What makes me laugh more than the memory loss is saying the wrong word. I only do it sometimes nowadays, but I used to do it all the time. I would sometimes realize it, but sometimes I wouldn't. I learned to respond to a quizzical look, by asking, "What did I say?" Even my 5 year old corrected me often. At least I can write and type again! My posts only need one read through before posting rather than the 3 or 4 it used to require to ensure they were legible. And I make fewer mistakes. Another sign I am improving.
Once I had a loud disagreement with my hubby over an important document that I was confident he didn't give me. He said he did, and after 30 minutes or arguing and looking for it, I had to leave to go pick our daughter. He texted me later saying that he found the document on the glass of our printer/copier " where YOU (me) put it!" Only then did I vaguely remember that I had made a copy of it. Sigh. He is only now just starting to believe me again when I say something.
What makes me laugh more than the memory loss is saying the wrong word. I only do it sometimes nowadays, but I used to do it all the time. I would sometimes realize it, but sometimes I wouldn't. I learned to respond to a quizzical look, by asking, "What did I say?" Even my 5 year old corrected me often. At least I can write and type again! My posts only need one read through before posting rather than the 3 or 4 it used to require to ensure they were legible. And I make fewer mistakes. Another sign I am improving.
Awesome post; awesome story; awesome person! So glad you are better -- thank you for recounting your experience.
I use to want to hit my head on the wall, it was so frustrating. I would be on the computer, think of something, turn my head to do it and forget what it was. My poor daughters, in their 20's on the phone, I use to repeat things a million times to them until they learned to nicely say, mom, you have told us that before. I have used the supplements Burrascano recommends and have shown improvement. I am not 100% yet but getting better.
Wow. It sounds like you had it really bad. My heart always breaks when I read stories like yours.
And your improvement is very encouraging for me in my recovery. I don't know if my lesions will heal, but I already know my cognitive abilities are much better.
And your improvement is very encouraging for me in my recovery. I don't know if my lesions will heal, but I already know my cognitive abilities are much better.
I've gone through phases of having terrible memory problems.
A few years back, I reached the point where I could not recognise anyone except my family and the people I saw almost day. I was constantly being accosted by people who seemed to know my life story adn I had no clue who they were - it was so embarrassing that I had to always pretend I was n a screaming hurry and could not stop to talk, and also took to wearing dark sunglasses to hide the look of utter bewilderment in my eyes.
Add to that that I could not remember (or re-learn) the way to the local supermakerket or my kid's pre-school: he had to give me directions himself, and he was 3 years old!!!
Well anyway, I started taking choline, 1000mg daily (it's a B vitamin) and my memory and also general brain function noticeably improved.
(If you look it up, there are scientific explanations of how it works and it's one of the nutrients that Burrascano advises, apparently).
It took about a month to see the effect - I one day suddenly realised that I actually recognised nearly everyone who accosted me....
I cannot deny that I am still sometimes daffy and forgetful, but it's mild, no longer frightening.
BTW the main thing to bear in mind all the time is that, all that stuff you have forgotten, is still in there. When you get better, you will eventually be able to access it again. Nothing gets permanently lost.
I know this for sure because when I first got ill I suffered severe mental regression and forgot to read, then to speak, and eventually could not understand anything people were saying to me. That lasted about a year. I didn't have to re-learn anything, it just gradually came back by itself.
A few years back, I reached the point where I could not recognise anyone except my family and the people I saw almost day. I was constantly being accosted by people who seemed to know my life story adn I had no clue who they were - it was so embarrassing that I had to always pretend I was n a screaming hurry and could not stop to talk, and also took to wearing dark sunglasses to hide the look of utter bewilderment in my eyes.
Add to that that I could not remember (or re-learn) the way to the local supermakerket or my kid's pre-school: he had to give me directions himself, and he was 3 years old!!!
Well anyway, I started taking choline, 1000mg daily (it's a B vitamin) and my memory and also general brain function noticeably improved.
(If you look it up, there are scientific explanations of how it works and it's one of the nutrients that Burrascano advises, apparently).
It took about a month to see the effect - I one day suddenly realised that I actually recognised nearly everyone who accosted me....
I cannot deny that I am still sometimes daffy and forgetful, but it's mild, no longer frightening.
BTW the main thing to bear in mind all the time is that, all that stuff you have forgotten, is still in there. When you get better, you will eventually be able to access it again. Nothing gets permanently lost.
I know this for sure because when I first got ill I suffered severe mental regression and forgot to read, then to speak, and eventually could not understand anything people were saying to me. That lasted about a year. I didn't have to re-learn anything, it just gradually came back by itself.
Sometimes the doctor needs to adjust the dosage or timing of medicine, so that the Herx reactions are not too strong. You should not cut back or change your medications without talking with your doctor and getting his/her agreement, because only your doctor knows your particular situation. Do not wait until your next appointment; call the office and tell them what is happening and ask if you need to reduce your medication. Best wishes to you -- let us know how you do --
I have brain lesions and that is most of my memory problems but most people on antibiotics do start herxing which means something good is happening even though it doesnt feel good, it is killing the little critters as my nurse friend likes to say.
Can herxing cause memory and concentration problems... i am really worried as I am on my sixth day of antibiotics and I think I have been herxing for 2 days...
Thanks
Thanks
thanks for everything, I am trying my best here all alone for a few more weeks when I move. Your support means so much to me.
Going to post a new symptom to the forum, hope you guys see it too and perhaps have an answer.
Healing prayers to all of you
Going to post a new symptom to the forum, hope you guys see it too and perhaps have an answer.
Healing prayers to all of you
Hi Mojogal,
Oh my goodness.....I have been having major memory problems now for a few months. It is so embarrassing sometimes...I hate it!!! It's weird because some days I can recall anything and everything and then others....I can't remember what happened an hour ago!!!
Hang in there...with treatment, I'm hoping and hearing it gets better!
Oh my goodness.....I have been having major memory problems now for a few months. It is so embarrassing sometimes...I hate it!!! It's weird because some days I can recall anything and everything and then others....I can't remember what happened an hour ago!!!
Hang in there...with treatment, I'm hoping and hearing it gets better!
Thanks to everyone for the answers to my memory problem question. I have all the problems mentioned. I feel like I am a freak because I can't remember if I locked the door and go back there several times until it sinks in.. Nutrinut_bob, and JackieCalifornia, you made me laugh which I haven't done in a long time.
I have no control over crying either, I talk to someone and will start balling and I don't know why. Now i tell people in advance that I may cry so it is not you, it is me.
I have no control over crying either, I talk to someone and will start balling and I don't know why. Now i tell people in advance that I may cry so it is not you, it is me.
You say above about your memory lapses when cooking:
"I couldn't remember the amounts of ingredients no matter how many times I re-checked the recipe, plus I would forget what I had already added and where I was in the process."
Oh that is SO true! Now if I could only find my car keys ..... and where I intended to go ....
:)
"I couldn't remember the amounts of ingredients no matter how many times I re-checked the recipe, plus I would forget what I had already added and where I was in the process."
Oh that is SO true! Now if I could only find my car keys ..... and where I intended to go ....
:)
No, i did not get any test cause i had no insurance nor money for tests (that is part of reason why my Lyme went undiagnosed 6 years) and months later those symptoms disappeared gradually.
Yes, it can be scary, even if you are only forgetting incidental conversations.
I recall that when my memory was functioning poorly it caused a lot of inconveniences. I usually have a great memory and rarely write down appointments or other details. So I didn't have the basic skills to handle poor memory.
I noticed memory issues a lot when I was cooking. Normally I would skim a recipe once and pretty much know the whole thing (depending on complexity, of course). When I was more sick, it was almost impossible to cook because I couldn't remember the amounts of ingredients no matter how many times I re-checked the recipe, plus I would forget what I had already added and where I was in the process. (Not to mention that I'd usually get too sick to keep working in the kitchen anyway!)
I worked throughout my illness, though in diminished capacity for much of the time. I would sometimes start work and then totally forget about it, only to find it much later. (I do a lot of work on computers, so sometimes much later I would "discover" directories/files that I created while sick, but about which I completely forgot!)
I think the really really good news is that even though this stuff is mega-scary, in my recovery I have been truly amazed at how well I function mentally on my good days. In my case, the damage from Lyme caused brain lesions that appeared on MRI, and I was completely devastated at the decrease in cognitive function. I'm still not fully over my illness, and on "bad days" my cognition can still suffer, but all signs point towards the situation being reversible, which is nothing short of miraculous.
Don't be too hard on yourself. While it is frustrating to not be able to rely on your mental faculties as you normally would, there is not much you can do about it until you are feeling better. Beating yourself up over it won't help, so be kind to yourself and be patient. It can get a lot better with treatment!
I recall that when my memory was functioning poorly it caused a lot of inconveniences. I usually have a great memory and rarely write down appointments or other details. So I didn't have the basic skills to handle poor memory.
I noticed memory issues a lot when I was cooking. Normally I would skim a recipe once and pretty much know the whole thing (depending on complexity, of course). When I was more sick, it was almost impossible to cook because I couldn't remember the amounts of ingredients no matter how many times I re-checked the recipe, plus I would forget what I had already added and where I was in the process. (Not to mention that I'd usually get too sick to keep working in the kitchen anyway!)
I worked throughout my illness, though in diminished capacity for much of the time. I would sometimes start work and then totally forget about it, only to find it much later. (I do a lot of work on computers, so sometimes much later I would "discover" directories/files that I created while sick, but about which I completely forgot!)
I think the really really good news is that even though this stuff is mega-scary, in my recovery I have been truly amazed at how well I function mentally on my good days. In my case, the damage from Lyme caused brain lesions that appeared on MRI, and I was completely devastated at the decrease in cognitive function. I'm still not fully over my illness, and on "bad days" my cognition can still suffer, but all signs point towards the situation being reversible, which is nothing short of miraculous.
Don't be too hard on yourself. While it is frustrating to not be able to rely on your mental faculties as you normally would, there is not much you can do about it until you are feeling better. Beating yourself up over it won't help, so be kind to yourself and be patient. It can get a lot better with treatment!
Thanks you guys for the replies, I feel so bad for you Jackie that you can't remember when the death was. I feel bad for you too Regula because I can relate to everything you said, and I thought it might be brain cancer too. Did you go on and get any test for that?
Aw yes! it made even my friends laugh (but it was not matter for laugh to me). I did not remembered name of my favorite singer, i did forgot simple names, everyday things. It was hard to even type on keyboard cause i had to long pause often to remember proper terminology and so on. It made me VERY afraid cause then i did suspect brain cancer.
Oh, yeah, big time with the memory thing.
I am still finding gaps in my life that I know I lived through when I was so sick, but have no memory of at all. Just today popped into my head that a dear, longtime family friend wrote to say her adult daughter had died unexpectedly ... and I can't find the letter, and don't have ANY idea of how long ago it happened. Somewhere in the last 5 years.
So now I am faced with having to write a condolence letter, both late and embarrassed on top of sad.
My memory is much better now, but there are still odd gaps, most esp. when I am under a LOT of stress. That's the good news and the bad, but the trend is good.
I am still finding gaps in my life that I know I lived through when I was so sick, but have no memory of at all. Just today popped into my head that a dear, longtime family friend wrote to say her adult daughter had died unexpectedly ... and I can't find the letter, and don't have ANY idea of how long ago it happened. Somewhere in the last 5 years.
So now I am faced with having to write a condolence letter, both late and embarrassed on top of sad.
My memory is much better now, but there are still odd gaps, most esp. when I am under a LOT of stress. That's the good news and the bad, but the trend is good.
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