Other Memory loss, do you have it, how do you deal with it?

[Draiocht]

I've had issues with this too, and I keep meaning to post about it but it keeps slipping my mind, not even joking :(

The reason it's so clear to me at the moment is because today I ran out of sertraline, because I can't even remember things I need to function properly. I just got back from a month out of the country and though I'd sorted enough for that and a bit before/after, some of it got damp and dissolved while I was away and I also forgot I said to the pharmacy I would call when I got back to rearrange my repeat prescription. So this morning I took the AM dose I forgot on Thursday (happens way more than it should and always throws me off for the following few days), only then realising I had NO MORE left. And it's Saturday so the GP is closed. I had to go to the pharmacy and explain, then go to a walk-in clinic and beg them for enough to tide me over the weekend.

But that is what got me thinking about this anyway. I've got the whiteboard, several notebooks (I keep a thorough one at work because I'm terrified my memory will cause me to screw up royally, which isn't helped by my supervisor insisting she didn't say things that I very clearly remember her saying etc), phone reminders, to do lists and alarms. I've got a very poor sense of time. My partner is frequently frustrated by this. He also sends me reminder messages about things because I keep coming home not having looked into/bought/sorted something we talked about that morning. I can be halfway through talking or writing or just doing something, and suddenly I can't remember what I'm doing and it takes a minute to reboot. Happened at work the other day and I joked about my brain blue-screening. Never really thought it might be PTSD-related, just added it to a list I have etched into my mind, only one I seem to remember, of all the ways I fail at being human.

 

[Changing4Best]

I have saved all my old cell phones and have them plugged into the wall socket, so their batteries don't go dead. I have all the alarms set on them for various things that I need to do each day, like take my meds, go to a meeting, pray, do my Devotions, etc. I leave one alarm unset, so I can set it for whatever odd thing I have to do that day that I have not set any alarm for.

Sometimes I forget what each alarm is for though! LOL...

 

[Changing4Best]

This is stirring up again, messing with my life and the lives of others. I feel so helpless! People have been hurt and I have been hurt too, and it all boils down, ultimately to this problem in my life for which I started this thread. UGH!!!

 

[Nessa7]

When was your last blood test? Vitamin B-12 deficiency is pretty common with older adults, and it can cause memory issues. I have a condition that causes B-12 deficiency, and it definitely makes my memory issues caused by PTSD worse.

My main method of dealing with it is keeping a notebook with me at all times. In this notebook, I plan what I need and want to do every day. I have another notebook that I use to keep track of what I do every day before bed. I also have other notebooks at home that I use for different things. I have a big bulletin board that I put everything important on. I make sure to schedule on my calendar everything that I need to remember to do.

 

[desiderata310]

Yep. One too many whacks to the head. Literally.
I went through the agony of having a neuro-psych eval and I know that I have significant issues with both my attention and my short term memory.
It's maddening.
Sleep has become majorly important. Rest has become majorly important.
When my buddy came to visit we BOTH realized when I had hit that 'spot' where I needed to rest because I was stuttering and stumbling on my words so bad that it was taking me forever to complete a thought (or couldn't after a while)
My damn cell phone has become my memory for me.

I'm also taking gabapentin which... has helped a little and seems to either have stopped or started or started and then stopped mini- seizures. so.. there ya go.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I carry a small notebook and pen in my bag wherever I go now. I am losing the names of some things I have not thought of in a very long time and it seems to take forever to retrieve the real name of whatever I was trying to name.:confused:

I also have a shorter attention span now and miss things said in a conversation so whenever I catch myself doing this I gently ask the person to please repeat what they said and then I follow the conversation again pretty well.

I do tend to forget where I put things sometimes but that is a rare occurrence. I do forget how to spell some words and have to play with the letters until 1 I remember how to spell it or 2 I give up and use a shorter word that basically says the same thing. Of course I could have always been doing this and just became aware of it or I am skipping on the memory solutions somewhat. I make lists and cross things off. I pretty much remember everything once it is on a list. I use a calendar to remember the dates of appointments and do pretty well with that area. Of course I am not as busy as I used to be either. I have an older brain and it tends to lose some information because it is so full of things that my mind is on overload most of the time. I do well in a crises where I am being the responsible one. But have shock later on and shortcut after the fact. I find it frustrating and annoying at times and am very impatient with it. But I notice when I just relax things seem to come back faster so maybe it is just stress and too much of it for a while now. Good thread.

 

[Heather]

I'm dealing with this too. I have a small planner and right down EVERYTHING.

Only way I can remember appointments.

 

[Cannottakethis]

I also struggle with this. I have a lot of trouble with words being on the tip of my tongue and telling the same stories over again, as well as forgetting to do things or why I walked into a room. I've been on topamax for migraines for over 10 years and my neurologist swears that when I go off of it my memory will come back but idk. It's getting worse almost daily. I'm wondering if the perimenopause has something kr do with it as well.
I put everything in my calendar and I set alarms for everything including taking my meds. I take a lot of notes and we have a white board for things we both have to remember.