Am I losing my mind or what?

[MAlegant]

Hi all,
I'm mostly doing fine, dealing with issues, but making it work.  The one thing that is driving me crazy is my short-term memory.  I find myself in the middle of a conversation caught in the realization that I no longer know what the topic is.  It's pretty scary.  I can usually get back on track but this never happened to me before surgery, and yes, I know I'm middle-aged, but this is only post surgery.   I lost my keys before surgery, but not anything more than that.  If I'm watching a movie or something on tv and my husband comes into the room and asks what he's missed I can't tell him!  I am hanging in at work but stressed so much that I will forget something really important, that I'm sure it's making matters worse.  What to do?  Is it something I just have to live with?
Thanks,
Marci

[nancyann]

Hi Marci, 

I have the same thing, but I'm getting use to it.  I'll be 3 years post op June 16, 2009.
My supervisor is great, he helps me with administrative things I have to do
in our computer system, etc;   I just tell people, " I'm sorry but I don't remember your name",
& that's it.   
Since I try to live my life in the present, I don't think about it much,  when I do I know it was
due to a shifting of my right medial temporal lobe.

Always good thoughts,   Nancy
.

[CHD63]

Hi Marci and Nancy .....

I, too, thought dementia had set in for sure following my AN surgery ..... until I read the wonderful article that someone found (did not take time to look for which thread it is on).  It is http://www.hearinglosshelp.com/articles/balancesystem.htm

Under Other Symptoms of Vestibular Damage, in part it says:  "Unlikely as it seems, vestibular damage can cause memory problems. Here is why. When you damage your vestibular system, keeping your balance is now largely a conscious effort, not the automatic effortless procedure it once was. Consequently, those areas of your brain that you once just used for thought and memory, now must constantly work on keeping you balanced. As a result, your memory may suffer. You may grope for words when talking. You may easily forget what is being spoken about during a conversation. You may be easily distracted. You may have difficulty comprehending directions or instructions. You may have trouble concentrating and may feel disoriented at times."

I am relieved to now have a reason for saying, "What did you just say?"  Hope this helps.

Clarice

[cin605]

I thought it was just me!

[Sonja]

Marci:

I would not take it for granted that your short-term memory loss is from the AN surgery. It may be stress. Your body may be more sensitive to stress than pre-op. STress is very powerful and can make a non-ANer lose there short-term memory. Also, the thought of the AN surgery affecting your memory is stress in and of itself. Maybe you can try meditating or other ways to help relieve some of the stress. I know we can not live stress free (most of us anyway) but we can learn to manage it.

You are NOT losing your mind. I pray that this will pass.

Take care,
Sonja

[leapyrtwins]

Marci -

I'm with Sonja.  It may be stress - or dare I say it? - it might be age.  Not that you're ancient or anything - just that as I've gotten older I've noticed that my memory isn't what it used to be.  I hate to think I'm in that boat alone.  Anyone else with me?

Jan

[lori67]

Invest in some post-it notes.     They work like a charm - and I have so many of them all over my house, it cuts down on the sticky handprints all over the walls and fridge.  And I'm pretty sure it's keeping the 3M company in business!

I like to think my forgetfulness is helping boost the economy.

Lori

[wendysig]

Marci,

I had an excellent memory pre-op, especially with numbers.  If I dialed a phone number once, it would stay in my memory,my friends and family used to laught and call me a walking rollodex.  If anyone needed a phone number, I was the first one they would come to.   had no problem remembering complex material almost word for word,etc..  While my memory is still pretty good it is not as sharp as it once was.  Could it be age, maybe in part, but I noticed a marked change post-op.   This actually began about two months prior to my surgery and I thought it might just be stress.  I still find myself searching for simple words sometimes am foregetful more often than ever before and definitely have some short term memory problems although I seem to remember things I read better than movies, TV shows or conversations, but then, I think most people do.  So could it be from the surgery, maybe, could it be age maybe.

Wendy

[MAlegant]

Thanks all.  No matter what the explanation, I guess I'm stuck with it.  Maybe I'll just forget about it,

[sgerrard]

I'm not sure you are totally stuck with it. You may not get back to pre-treatment level, but I think you can retrain your brain to remember more things. Play bridge or something, an activity where short term memory plays a role. Practice may not make perfect, but it can improve things some. I am doing better cognitively than I was a year ago. The brain is very adaptable, or plastic as they now like to say, and I think it can learn new ways to get things done.

Steve

[moe]

There are those memory tapes/cd's too, if you have time. But that immediate short term memory loss is sooooo frustrating.
I find myself sometimes asking the same question in the same conversation. And I have to write everything down as it is said, if it is important.
Keep truckn, keep movn.
Maureen

[sgerrard]

What was the question again? 

Steve

[han nah]

Hi Marci
This topic you have raised is very interesting.
On my first visit to my Doctor prior to my diagnosis one of my complaints was I was losing my short term memory - I could not remember anything, especially at work and work related stuff - that was a real worry for me considering I was only 24 at the time. I really noticed it that much that I was asking people at work if they noticed my memory lost, one person did say they had noticed it. Since the surgery I still suffer with my short term memory loss, I never knew that it was related to the tumour - I feel heaps better now knowing that it is related.
Thanks for raising the topic
Hannah

[tenai98]

I tried the sticky note thingy...but alot of times when I went to write down what I wanted to remember...well I forgot..My short term memory has been affected greatly as well....Something I guess I will have to learn to live with. 
JO

[cin605]

Thanks all.  No matter what the explanation, I guess I'm stuck with it.  Maybe I'll just forget about it,

   You wil forget about it, if while you are forgetting about it some thing else comes up you forgot about.