Short Term Memory Issues

[Weapon]

I never really thought about short term memory loss but yeah I can take my shoes off in my house and a few minutes later im asking everyone where i took them off and the same thing with keys and phone.

 

[Crl1983]

This happens all the time, to the point where my fiances nickname for me for awhile was Scatterbrain, until I told him to stop calling me that, because it hurt. Too often I hear him say "what was that?" , "why did you just say that?" or some other response and I won't even remember that I said anything, let alone thought anything. Just yesterday I was putting groceries away. I went to sit down for a minute and my daughter walks into the room looking very confused. She asked "Who put the eggs in the freezer?". Who indeed. I don't remember putting them in there. And then I forgot to put them in the fridge, because today they were still in the freezer. I lose things all the time. Sometimes I will set something down and 2 minutes later I have no idea where I put it. If I hide something you can forget it, It will take me forever to find it again.

 

[njray]

I attempt to use some learned skills from ADHD coach and such but I tell U the short term memory issues are ten times worse since trauma,,,,,,, I never remember not remembering what day it is as much as I do know......... I wonder if anyone is specifically doing any type of training to help with your memory issues.

 

[anthony]

This is perfectly normal for a traumatized brain. One of the best things you can do to increase both short and long-term memory, is reading. It will hurt your brain to read just one or two pages initially, but if you keep at it each day, you will progressively be able to read a book in a day or two. It really stimulates your brain, memory included, and gets them activated.

Trauma simply clouds so much of you brain, memory collapses, for a simple explanation. Reading will improve your memory IF you stick at it daily, progressively increasing your reading time. Allocate daily reading time, find a relaxing place with a book, and read.

 

[Kintsugi]

One of the best things you can do to increase both short and long-term memory, is reading. It will hurt your brain to read just one or two pages initially, but if you keep at it each day, you will progressively be able to read a book in a day or two. It really stimulates your brain, memory included, and gets them activated.

Hmm... my memory is terrible generally speaking. Twice in the past three months I have paid for gas and forgotten to pump it. Probably... at least 5 or 6 times in the past three months, I have forgotten my money... and drove 100 miles away without anything to pay for gas with on the way back. It has been really devastating, and I think my fiance has about had it with me. I forget everything. I rush to finish my homework before a class, am so proud that I get it done right on time, then totally forget to bring my paper with me to class and I get a late penalty. SO frustrating.

But I have no problems reading, and I retain what I read for what seems to be forever. I can read a poem and tell you an hour later every word of it and every line break and piece of punctuation. Though, if I hear a poem, I can't repeat anything but maybe three keywords directly after hearing it. I have facts memorized that I read about random animals when I was 9. I can't retain digits at all (I wrote down my fiance's phone number at least 12 times in a row and still couldn't remember anything past the area code). But words? No problem. And I probably read over 30 pages daily without trying to.

But... I still forget my wallet and then drive across state lines.

 

[LawPhotos]

It seems as though the more I try to deal with the abuse that I experienced, the worse my short term memory and my focus become. I have noticed that the more I am plagued with bad memories, flashbacks and a lack of sleep the less I can remember no matter how hard I try. There's only so much room in my brain and it seems like much of it is tied up in the past. Once I get really triggered I barely have enough memory to function. Several times in the past few months I have had to ask my T to repeat questions because I literally forgot what the beginning of her sentence was even though I was paying attention!
Sometimes this scares me to death as my father recently passed away from Alzheimer's and I see so much similarity in the way he functioned early on and the way I am functioning now.

 

[anthony]

Hmm... my memory is terrible generally speaking. Twice in the past three months I have paid for gas and forgotten to pump it. Probably... at least 5 or 6 times in the past three months, I have forgotten my money... and drove 100 miles away without anything to pay for gas with on the way back.

You still have a realm of trauma within your brain at present...

Take note of what is being said above, by others... they can't remember the day, time, events from 2 minutes ago... food for thought if you didn't read, how bad you would be vs. making the occasional lapse compared to near minute by minute lapse in memory. I have been just as njray is stating, and after lots of research on this, reading and memory exercises is what got me back... considering they now confirmed the brain has plasticity and areas reform / cell regenerate when being used.

Not a fair assessment compared to what I know about you MAS and what njray is saying. Imagine if you cleared that cloud of trauma from your brain... super memory status again.

 

[LawPhotos]

In all seriousness, I tried taking some of the vitamins and supplements that are supposed to help with memory----but I could never remember to take them!!

Actually, I intended to include this in my last post, but I forgot!

 

[njray]

hmmmm I am starting to realize that we all forget somethings sometimes........ you know u leave to go to work forget your wallet/purse get in the car and go OH crap and run back in to get them. Might have been a reason you forgot such as you were consumed with issues going on in the home (kids blah blah blah) before leaving home to got to work... So I was consumed by the at the moment stuff I get it.............. I like to think of it that my brain recognized that my kids issues of the morning took precedent so my brain put them first and my wallet kind of got put pushed back to the end of the line of things I was supposed to remember so if I train myself to put my wallet next to my keys everyday I walk in the door I will not forget them when I walk out ......

THEN..........

There is this other short term memory issue.......I go to get a cup of coffee before I leave to go for my morning walk to jump start my day anew....I get cup, pour cofee, go to fridge and open door of fridge to and..........just stand there........nothing i just stand there .......could be 10 secs or 2 mins in blankness.......... I just close the door after forgetting what the F did i open the door for (after hearing the warning dinger on the fridge that goes off after the door is left open after a while...thank god for dingers or i still might be forgetting and staring in the world blankness)? I go back to counter and get my cup and realize damn I was just at that fridge why did i not get the container to get the splash of milk......... I do not know.......... now I go back to the fridge this time I conciously bring my cup with me to remind me why i am going back. Then I open door, have to fuddle cause tryng to hold cup and then container of milk and then I have to kinda twist and pop top of milk container (which I never new could cause so much pain to do with my right hand), then i complete the task and start to walk out the door.......

Then it hits me..... I think to my self what the F, why did i do that? why did i forget? I had NO distractions at all as i was just going for my normal everyday morning sunshine walk..... ahhh now i start thinking which I know has sometimes not been of healthy thoughts....... but I start thinking anyway. Why do i want to go for the walk? I might run across a kid walking to the park or beach at the end of the block and what am i going to do then? Am i gonna say good morning to the stranger like I used to do to everyone i did not know or am i gonna clench up my fists and make sure he has no ability to get behind me? Oh then i think to myself remember when someone goes to pass you by I must turn around with them as they pass to make sure they are really going pass you and not stopping to turn around to follow U then jump U..then I start to think how long am I supposed to watch them for how long am I supposed to follow them for after they pass me. Then i say well what happens if he is carrying something in his hand what might he use it for..Oh wait he is wearing a hoody sweatshirt like most ocean lifeguards do now i must decipher is this kid a good kid or bad kid........

Then i snap out of it and say why am I standing in the garage with my cup of coffee and where was I going in the pouring rain..........

Crap now I am so exhausted because of my thinking I do not want to go for the walk. I just want to sit down in the chair and rest from all the activity of doing nothing .......physical

So yes Anthony I can see how getting the "cloud of trauma" out of anyones head could help with certain short term memory issues

 

[sea]

I have short-term memory loss and some of it sounds almost identical to this, forgetting to do simple, basic things. What I notice is that it seems to be an issue of concentration. In order to form a memory you need to concentrate on whatever it is you are remembering. Having PTSD means that like, basically 98% of your concentration is probably going to be on your trauma, your symptoms, your anxiety, etc. So when you are having a panic attack you are likely not going to remember to pump your gas, or put the eggs where they belong. When you aren't focused on your symptoms you are probably so relieved to be distracted that the distraction itself takes away from your concentration.

Some of my memory los differs from what you guys talk about in that I will forget basic encoded things like what kind of food I like, my birthday, my middle name, who the president is, what year it is, my phone number, the layout of my own apartment, etc. This is not because I have amnesia but because my brain will literally "forget to remember" those items. I think that overlaps with PTSD as well because I talk with people and it is like we both have STM loss, even though only one of us does, the other has PTSD. So I think concentration and PTSD are very interlinked. I also think that it is definitely probable that PTSD itself could cause brain damage to the areas of the brain responsible for memory, and I do remember reading something to that effect somewhere that indicated in MRI studies the hippocampus was shown to change in brains of PTSD patients.

 

[KP the nut]

Allocate daily reading time, find a relaxing place with a book, and read.

I can agree totally as it has helped me. I was always an avid reader, after the accident I began reading less and less. I couldn't concentrate or remember what I'd read. For months although I would pick a book up daily, it would take me weeks to finish it and then I'd realise I couldn't remember any of it.

Recently as My T and I have been clearing targets I am a lot better. I hadn't realised it until I read what you said. I'm back to enjoying books, enjoying sitting with a coffee (or glass of wine :rolleyes:), a scented candle lit and a good book.

I still struggle with finding the right words when I am speaking. My H jokes it is like playing 20 questions with me, I'll say, you know the thing in the kitchen, it keeps food cool - you know, FRIDGE.

Hopefully even that will improve.

 

[712xx]

Yep.
I have frustrating memory issues. I can memorize several pages of information just by repetition of reading and writing it. However, I can’t remember taking vitamins a minute after I’ve taken them unless I’ve checked it off my list. It is incredibly frustrating.

This morning, I got the vitamins out of the bottle, placed a check mark on my morning to do list on the fridge (or I will forget I’ve done it). Since I do this every morning I have a hard time remembering if I did it today or if I’m just remembering doing it yesterday or the days before, so have to place the check next to meds, breakfast, …etc specifically for that day.

But today, I had to run back to my room to grab my glasses so I could watch tv while eating breakfast. I take the meds after eating. Well, I got back to the kitchen, ate breakfast, and remember having the meds next to the plate … but they were gone when I was finished eating. I then wonder, … ‘did I take them?’ I didn’t remember taking them, but I must have or they would still be next to the plate.

I looked all around the counter, the floor to see if they rolled off, but nothing. So, I must have taken them. This is really bothering me. Stuff like this happens all the time – if I don’t put my keys or glasses in the exact same place, I won’t remember where they are. Same thing with parking and driving routes need to be the same, and I have to have a list of what I am doing or I will forget where I’m going.

I have to read for 20-30 minutes before my focus finally 'clicks' ... then I go back to the beginning and start over; once my focus is 'clicked in place' my memory is more normal.

My short term memory is really awful. If it wasn’t so frustrating it would be funny.