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grades suffering from memory loss
Mon, 09/28/2009 - 23:04I am 17 years old, and i suffer from memory loss.
for about the past 5 years (has gotten ESPECIALLY bad within the past 2), my memory has been suffering. I can recall long term stuff, but short term is really bad.
My mom took me to a neurologist who examined me (about four years ago) and decided the memory loss (i also would suffer from attention issues and "blanking out," but the memory is probably the biggest issue) was because of my epilepsy, which i was diagnosed way back in first grade... i now see a psychologist who specializes in epilepsy, and i take "Kepra" medication, but i dont find it helpful... could the prescription be wrong? should i ask my doctor to up my dose?
does epilepsy even sound like the issue? could the neurologist have been wrong?
Re: grades suffering from memory loss
Submitted by pgd on Fri, 2010-02-26 - 13:27
skersse wrote (in part): I suffer from simple and complex partial seizures and also have memory problems. In my case my memory problems are probably directly related to my epilepsy, especially because of the region I have them (temporal lobe). I also have trouble with episodic memory, as well as the ability to memorise new stuff and find the correct word sometimes. I would seriously consider discussing with you neurologist what area of the brain your seizure takes place or where it starts as this can explain memory problems. As for Keppra, I was on it many years back now and I have to say it caused me no memory problems. As for attention issues, you are not alone there! I remeber often losing my concentration in lectures at uni (I promise most of the time it wasn't the lecturer being boring!). I'm not sure whether this can be caused by seizures, that's something you may want to bring up with your neurologist. --- skersse - Agree with you, there can be paying attention challenges and memory challenges associated with epilepsy. In my view, it's also possible in some persons to view paying attention/the ability to pay attention as being a little different than the idea of memory (short term memory, medium term memory, and long term memory). I tend to view paying attention with the idea of short term memory (dialing a phone number, doing math). I tend to view medium term memory/long term memory - the ability to recall and retrieve those engrams/whatever as being different than short term memory. Regarding listening to a university lecture, there is a concept of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) which does not appear to be exactly identical to simple and complex partial seizures: - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/auditory.htm - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html - At any rate, when a person's hearing is imperfect, it certainly will play a role in understanding spoken words/lectures and how those spoken words/lectures enter the brain's long term memory storage areas. Thanks for sharing how both your school and your uni were great in giving extensions on work, rest breaks, and extra time in exams. It helps. - pgd
skersse wrote (in part): I suffer from simple and complex partial seizures and also have memory problems. In my case my memory problems are probably directly related to my epilepsy, especially because of the region I have them (temporal lobe). I also have trouble with episodic memory, as well as the ability to memorise new stuff and find the correct word sometimes. I would seriously consider discussing with you neurologist what area of the brain your seizure takes place or where it starts as this can explain memory problems. As for Keppra, I was on it many years back now and I have to say it caused me no memory problems. As for attention issues, you are not alone there! I remeber often losing my concentration in lectures at uni (I promise most of the time it wasn't the lecturer being boring!). I'm not sure whether this can be caused by seizures, that's something you may want to bring up with your neurologist. --- skersse - Agree with you, there can be paying attention challenges and memory challenges associated with epilepsy. In my view, it's also possible in some persons to view paying attention/the ability to pay attention as being a little different than the idea of memory (short term memory, medium term memory, and long term memory). I tend to view paying attention with the idea of short term memory (dialing a phone number, doing math). I tend to view medium term memory/long term memory - the ability to recall and retrieve those engrams/whatever as being different than short term memory. Regarding listening to a university lecture, there is a concept of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) which does not appear to be exactly identical to simple and complex partial seizures: - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/auditory.htm - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html - At any rate, when a person's hearing is imperfect, it certainly will play a role in understanding spoken words/lectures and how those spoken words/lectures enter the brain's long term memory storage areas. Thanks for sharing how both your school and your uni were great in giving extensions on work, rest breaks, and extra time in exams. It helps. - pgd