Concentration Issues

[MAlegant]

Great read, Donnalynn, thank you.  My vestibular function has been fine (they didn't cut the nerve, just moved it) and besides, I've always had bad balance.  I wonder if even the event of the surgery is enough to cause some damage.  I'm looking for a good reason why my concentration isn't what it should be.  Or perhaps I'm grasping at straws....
Marci

[Cheryl R]

Has anyone seen Oprah today or watching it now?      A brain scientist lady who had a stroke is on and super good.     She wrote a book but don't know title yet.                        Just saw a quote.  I am not stupid,  I am wounded.                     My sister told me to watch this as she hers is on at a different time.                    Might be some details on oprahs website.
                                           Cheryl R

[Cheryl R]

The book is My Stroke of Insight by Dr Jill Bolte-Taylor               Some of it does sound would be of interest to our health problem even if a bit different in most respects.        Some of emotional views do appear to be something we would understand.
                                                Cheryl R

[Jim Scott]

Donnalynn:

I just read the article you linked that explains how our balance system operates.  I concur with Marci and Cheri that it is very well written and explains, in understandable language, what happens when we lose a major portion of our vestibular system and why we often have problems adjusting, as well as why we develop deficits in other areas, such as our cognitive functions.  Thank you for posting the link.  Nice job. 

Jim

[stoneaxe]

Thanks for posting that Donnalynn.

It's very frustrating. This is the 1st time I've seen that explanation of problems with memory and cognition. I had always had Doctor's tell me it was associated with the drugs for headaches (neurontin and topomax). I'm a design engineer. I was always very good at what I did prior to surgery...now it takes me 3 times as long to do what I used to be able to do in my sleep.

I always have a low grade headache that sometimes increases to mind numbing but I have tried to avoid drugs for the most part because I don't want it to effect me negatively. Neurontin made me slow...I couldn't think straight...was always forgetting what I was talking about mid-sentence. I am on a very low dose of topomax (75mg) to help keep the headache where I can ignore it. It's frustrating now to find that my cognition problem now may not be drug related at all but actually be tied to my constant fight for balance.