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Short-term Memory Loss

Mon, 10/27/2008 - 23:40
Topic: Living With Epilepsy - Adults
So, I have suffered from short term memory loss for about, I would say, four years now.  I believe it is completely related to when I began having seizures, especially since I went without knowing what was going on for like 2 years and was not treated.  I have issues in school because I cannot retain information, even things as simple as historical dates or the names of my classmates.  I went to have a memory evaluation so I could maybe get some help in regards to exams, but the shrink just said "you have ADD/ADHD, that's why you have some short term memory problems" and he completely belittled me and basically called me a liar.  Now, this does not make sense to me because I've known that I have ADD for years; it was very obvious when I was young.  I've never taken medication because my parents didn't want me to have that giant label on my forehead for my entire life.  I did fine with tests aside from a little anxiety in high school and before; this memory problem is new.  Has anyone else experienced this?  What do you do about it?  I have lost half of my senior year of high school because I started having seizures sometime after I graduated.  What do you all think?

Comments

Re: Short-term Memory Loss

Submitted by Rachel M. Lusby on Tue, 2008-10-28 - 18:51

Hey.  I started having seizures shortly after high school (mid-2004) but didn't have any idea what was going on so I tried to ignore them until they started getting scary and I noticed dramatic changes in my short term memory.  I talked to a regular doc. first, who sent me first to see my neurologist I had as a little child (when I had febral seizures) and from there (because he was more of a doctor for children) I was sent to Dr. Linda Wray, a neurologist in my area.  My short term memory problem got so frustrating that I decided to first talk to the disability resource center counselor at my college, who told me to talk to my neurologist, Dr Wray then sent me to see a psychiatrist for a memory evaluation.  The shrink, I believe, got it horribly wrong.  I should ask about vitamins; I currently take a multi vitamin for women, and iron because my system has been depleted from various things, (a lot of times prescription drugs will deplete your system of various nutrients and vitamins.)  And I've always been anemic for some reason, so I take iron to supplement my diet.  I wasn't ever injured badly as a baby or child, I just was lucky enough to have grand mal febral seizures starting around 6 months (according to my folks) until just before I started kindergarten.  I'm still usually a little warmer than normal people, average temperature for me is about 99.8 degrees or so.

Anyways, thank you for your advice.  I'll ask my neuro. about vitamins that may help.

Rachel

Hey.  I started having seizures shortly after high school (mid-2004) but didn't have any idea what was going on so I tried to ignore them until they started getting scary and I noticed dramatic changes in my short term memory.  I talked to a regular doc. first, who sent me first to see my neurologist I had as a little child (when I had febral seizures) and from there (because he was more of a doctor for children) I was sent to Dr. Linda Wray, a neurologist in my area.  My short term memory problem got so frustrating that I decided to first talk to the disability resource center counselor at my college, who told me to talk to my neurologist, Dr Wray then sent me to see a psychiatrist for a memory evaluation.  The shrink, I believe, got it horribly wrong.  I should ask about vitamins; I currently take a multi vitamin for women, and iron because my system has been depleted from various things, (a lot of times prescription drugs will deplete your system of various nutrients and vitamins.)  And I've always been anemic for some reason, so I take iron to supplement my diet.  I wasn't ever injured badly as a baby or child, I just was lucky enough to have grand mal febral seizures starting around 6 months (according to my folks) until just before I started kindergarten.  I'm still usually a little warmer than normal people, average temperature for me is about 99.8 degrees or so.

Anyways, thank you for your advice.  I'll ask my neuro. about vitamins that may help.

Rachel

Re: Short-term Memory Loss

Submitted by Kathy781 on Tue, 2008-10-28 - 18:48
Rachel, you're not alone. I have short-term memory loss also and have been having seizures for more years than I want to admit. I talked with my doctor about it and he told me that short term memory loss and seizures go together and that it was normal with anyone that has seizures.  So don't worry about it. As was suggested, talk with your doctor and he can advise you on what, if anything, to take that will help it. Good luck!

Re: Short-term Memory Loss

Submitted by Rachel M. Lusby on Tue, 2008-10-28 - 18:53

I kind of figured it was just an inevitable consequence of having seizures, but the problem is that it's so damn frustrating and interferes so much with my life.  I'm not quite 23 years old and my memory is about as good as my 76 year old grandma.  Not fair, yeah? =/

I kind of figured it was just an inevitable consequence of having seizures, but the problem is that it's so damn frustrating and interferes so much with my life.  I'm not quite 23 years old and my memory is about as good as my 76 year old grandma.  Not fair, yeah? =/

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