Memory Problems

[MCC]

Over the last year probably I have noticed I am increasingly not remembering things - long term really, when someone says to me 'Oh do you remember when xxx', I literally cant remember it at all. I've asked my doctor if any of the treatment I have had causes memory problems and she says not, so I wondered if any of you have experienced anything?

[MCC]

Oh, and to add I am currently on NO treatment - I finished about 7 months ago.

[skipper]

my memory is not good at all right now and I always had an excellent one. I am putting it down to medications and hope that's right. skipper in canada

[annekat]

Oh, yes, true for me, too.... partly from getting older but I know the meds are involved. I have a lot of problems with short term memory, but also long term, like remembering people's names.

[Dirty Don]

Memory...hmmm, looking in dictionary...oh, yes...I forgot what it was. Me too...age, drugs, crises, incompetence, etc. And that's just my normal life!! LOL...****happens!

[HopeinTN]

I have noticed this as well. I chalk it up to not only the treatment (mostly cytoxan and prednisone) but also to massive and repeated doses of anesthesia. Oh, and the moriphine after surgeries. None of thsi is good for the brain I would imagine.

[Dirty Don]

Not quite a year ago, as I was in midst of a giant flare, wife took a pic (nurses didn't like that!) of me and my drug stand consisting of, as marked: Demerol, Fentanyl, Ambien, & Propofol...ya think that did any damage?!?! That doesn't count the massive doses of prednisone, and whatever else they were pumping in me to keep me alive! Sheesh! Nevertheless, though these drugs did help save my life, they also must have damaged many neural pathways in the process...don't know, just sayin, doesn't matter now...is what it is. Now what was it I went to the garage for...?????????

[Sangye]

Depression-- even mild-- can cause memory loss as well. Pred disrupts the balance of brain chemicals and this does not correct itself immediately even when you go off pred. For some people it never corrects itself.

The other drugs we take are very depleting to the body. Many nutrients are associated with memory issues and are depleted with drugs, chronic inflammation and chronic disease.

[Psyborg]

I'll join in in saying my memory isn't as good as it was before I got sick. Whether from the disease or the drugs I couldn't say. I suspect the drugs. It's not *horrible* but I frequently can't remember things I worked on more than a few weeks later without a reminder.

[annekat]

I had the embarrassment recently of not being able to bring up someone's first name whom I have known for 10 years! I sat there going through the alphabet. Then when I stopped trying, it popped into my head. That happens a lot, when my mind relaxes a bit, the tidbit of information suddenly appears. A similar thing happens when I'm looking for something I've misplaced, like my glasses or hairbrush.

[Lightwarrior]

Oh, yes, true for me, too.... partly from getting older but I know the meds are involved. I have a lot of problems with short term memory, but also long term, like remembering people's names.

I am having a horrible time with names and a few other short term memories :confused1:

[Sangye]

My memory has taken a beating since starting treatment. Overall my cognition is not what it used to be, either. I used to be very sharp, quick-thinking and quick-witted. Now it's all sluggish. If people knew how lost I was in most conversations they'd be shocked. It's not always apparent.

[Dryhill]

I have always had problems with names, so over the years I have mastered the trick of using the words mate, friend, pal, dear, love etc, of course with customers I just call them sir or madam. I should be alrigtht about remembering my own anme as it is shown on my taxi badge along with a picture of me.

Jim

[drz]

I was told that pred causes some of my concentration problems or short term memory difficulty. The heavier drugs like RTX, CTX can cause some chemo brain stuff and many drugs can impact our emotional and cognitive state. Many have warnings about not driving while using or warnings about being faint or light headed. Even dehydration can cause some memory or concentration difficulty and most people do not drink enough water. I haven't seen any evidence that our disease or treatment regime is likely to INCREASE our cognitive functioning so I think we are doing quite well to still be able to remember how to log into here and respond to each other in this manner despite our trouble with typos and word finding and difficulty remembering who said what or even what we typed before. Adjusting such issues too is like handling our new weight and accepting our new "norm" of who we are and how we function. Remember the Senility Prayer.

[Al]

I was told that pred causes some of my concentration problems or short term memory difficulty. The heavier drugs like RTX, CTX can cause some chemo brain stuff and many drugs can impact our emotional and cognitive state. Many have warnings about not driving while using or warnings about being faint or light headed. Even dehydration can cause some memory or concentration difficulty and most people do not drink enough water. I haven't seen any evidence that our disease or treatment regime is likely to INCREASE our cognitive functioning so I think we are doing quite well to still be able to remember how to log into here and respond to each other in this manner despite our trouble with typos and word finding and difficulty remembering who said what or even what we typed before. Adjusting such issues too is like handling our new weight and accepting our new "norm" of who we are and how we function. Remember the Senility Prayer.Uh, what were we talking about...?

Al

[Lightwarrior]

My memory has taken a beating since starting treatment. Overall my cognition is not what it used to be, either. I used to be very sharp, quick-thinking and quick-witted. Now it's all sluggish. If people knew how lost I was in most conversations they'd be shocked. It's not always apparent.

This strongly resembles where I am. I am afraid that I may have to consider disability since I am paid for my brain. :sad:

[Sangye]

I've thought about you so much in this regard Light, wondering how on earth you can function in your job. I assumed you must not have been having as much trouble, but I'm sorry to see that I was wrong. I know how many family members depend on you. This has to be an unbelievably difficult decision.

[freakyschizogirl]

I am gonna cut in here and say i have memory problems too.

Mostly short term things i cannot remember like what was said a few minutes ago or something that was discussed last week, how to spell a certain word, what the word is i was thinking of, what i ate for breakfast, where things are etc. It gets very frustrating.

I used to be very good at writing and creating arguments - rubbish at this now and look back at some of my school coursework and think i must be a different person. The language and the style are nothing like how i write today - especially when it takes a few minutes to think of the right word and then cant spell it.
Ok, that turned into a rant...

This hit my fiance pretty bad a few weeks ago, we were talking about something and he got hurt that i couldnt remember something that he had said. This caused a very much tear-filled conversation where Stu said he was scared i would forget more and more things in the future. I showed him something on my phone - a wonderful app called screen muncher that i use when Stu texts me something and i wanna remember it. He looked at me and cried harder and then scrolled through all 200+ messages that were on there.

I may forget the little things but i'll never forget the important things.

Hoping one day my brain function of old will return.

[Sangye]

Aww, Stu has a big heart. :smile1:

[Dryhill]

Sam, I find Roget's Thesaurus to be a great help if I can not find the actual word I want. Mind you it is a bit big and heavy to carry around with you.

With some of the recent comments about family and loved ones not being at all sympathetic or caring, Stu sounds like a breathe of fresh air.

Jim

[Dirty Don]

I may forget the little things but i'll never forget the important things.

Hoping one day my brain function of old will return.

Really, forgetting something or even someone is NOT the issue although it is terribly frustrating in the everyday context of things/life...we wanna remember and we wanna be remembered...the truth is: neither one is going to happen in the longer run...we do know that. So, what IS important is how we function daily with what's left of our brains and our hearts, with or without all the experiences we've all been through. You love Stu now, he loves you...it's all that counts...what happens, remembered or learned or neither is not what affects the looks in your eyes today...the best to you both...you seem like a lovely couple!!!

[freakyschizogirl]

...the best to you both...you seem like a lovely couple!!!

Aww, thanks :thumbsup::blushing:

[MCC]

Hi everyone, sorry I've not been on for a while, I hope you are all doing ok.

I'm scared my memory problems are getting worse. I'm finding quite regularly people are mentioning things to me that I just cant remember...sometimes I just pretend because I'm embarrassed. The other day I was watching a film and my boyfriends said I've seen it before but I literally dont remember at all.

Is there anything I can do?

[skipper]

I'm exactly the same. The more I stressed about it the worse it got. I just put it down to meds and hope it will improve. Wish I had an answer

[drz]

Hi everyone, sorry I've not been on for a while, I hope you are all doing ok.

I'm scared my memory problems are getting worse. I'm finding quite regularly people are mentioning things to me that I just cant remember...sometimes I just pretend because I'm embarrassed. The other day I was watching a film and my boyfriends said I've seen it before but I literally dont remember at all.

Is there anything I can do?


There are many cognitive exercise programs you can do on computers. Playing games like suduko, crossword puzzles, cards etc that make you think also help. I don't think Wegs helped my cognitive functioning any but when i was re-tested a year after diagnosis of Wegs and two years from last time of neuropsych testing, I actually did a little better in some tests. I had been doing some brain training programs a coup0le days per week. and it might have helped I guess. I and the neuropsychologist really expected that I would do considerable worse after the intubation, many hypoglycemic episodes, low hemoglobin, RTX and CTX IV's, prednisone meds etc. The only thing that was considerably worse was concentration or short term memory which he attributed to the pred meds i was on at the time. That seems slightly better too as I reduced my pred meds.

It is not what we lost that is most important, it is what we do with what we have left that counts!:wink1:

[annekat]

I have found a site full of online jigsaw puzzles of varying difficulty and numbers of pieces. It's not exactly cognitive like Sudoku or such, but I'd think visual puzzle solving would exercise some part of the brain. So far I've only solved one small puzzle and haven't figured out all the ins and outs of the site, but when I do, I was planning on sharing it with the forum.

[drz]

I have found a site full of online jigsaw puzzles of varying difficulty and numbers of pieces. It's not exactly cognitive like Sudoku or such, but I'd think visual puzzle solving would exercise some part of the brain. So far I've only solved one small puzzle and haven't figured out all the ins and outs of the site, but when I do, I was planning on sharing it with the forum.

The ARRP site had a good collection of cognitive exercises. There are others but some of them have a charge for a lesson they send you on regular basis and keep records of your improvement.

[Dirty Don]

While it may seem juvenile, etc., I play a number of video games. Including find the oblect games, word games, puzzles, strategy games, and so on. Well, not sure it helps, but while I've been recuperating and recovering, it's been something to do that was it's own form of reward, and it's kept the mind a bit sharper despite all the drugs. I also read a lot & exercise...keeps me thinking and imagining. Both are fantastic for recovery...

[Al]

Memory is a curious business, and it comes hardest just when we worry about it the most. The meds we take do not help, but perhaps doing the crosswords and other puzzles do, some, at least. And keeping body parts moving, with exercise. I am pretty sure are a good idea, regardless of everything else. To summarize, keep living, and keep some control over how you live. I hope this helps a little!

Al

[pberggren1]

I'd cut back on the number of boyfriends....lol.

[KathyB]

This has been a great thread to read! I laughed at the humor infused in many of your responses, scratched my head at others, but mostly nodded in agreement! My husband's favorite quote of mine is: "It's not so much my memory, it's my recall!" Okay -- that's a big duh! When discussing my memory predicament with a colleague, I decided it was time to write a book entitled "I can't remember sh*t! with the quote above as a subtitle. Then I'll fill it with the best examples, publish, and recommend it be housed next to the toilet for reading material! Any stories to share?! LOL!

KB:cool: