Sufferer Ptsd And Memory Loss?

[Jenzen]

I am new and trying to learn how to navigate, please forgive me if this forum already exists. I have PTSD and have been dealing with it for almost 2 years. I was diagnosed after returning from Afghanistan and disabled at a 95% rating through VA. I've done treatment at the VA but have been dissatisfied with the results. Here lately I have suffered from pretty bad memory loss. I lived at my previous house for a couple years and became close with the neighbors and after about 3 weeks after I moved to my new house I was unable to recognize my neighbor whom I had known decently well. When I seen her out at the store I had no idea who she was, it was like meeting her for the first time and left me confused. My wife later had to explain to me who she was. I've also recently been forgetting what I was doing for example, I was cooking and forgot what step I was on even though I had a book in front of me to follow. I than dumped some of the ingredients into the pot that I had already made and began having my usual anxiety and panic because it had dawned on me what I had done. I'm losing it and I don't have anyone who understands or can at the very least relate. I feel lost in a fog and detached from the world. Please if this is something someone can identify with please I need to know I'm not alone.

 

[Stickler]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociation_(psychology)

My guess is dissociation...the out-to-lunch special. Your brain is just fried ATM.

Please stick around, because there's a wealth of knowledge and support around here.
I've been directing people to the link below lately:

Link Removed

( it's from a program designed for PTSD with substance abuse, but it's more broadly useful)

 

[Sweetpea76]

Welcome to the forum!

My vet has short term memory and cognitive issues as well. From what I've read, some of that stems from the PTSD. He also has TBI, so sometimes it is hard to tell where one starts and the other begins.

 

[Sighs]

Hi and welcome!

Are you aware of the sister site mycombatptsd.com specifically for combat vets?

My partner is a vet and he suffers from memory and concentration problems. He is a big one for lists and notes. They help him feel more in control. He also has flashbacks and dissociates. You are definitely not alone.

 

[Jenzen]

I will look into it thank you sighs

 

[Hope123321]

Jenzen , Sounds like dissociation to me , and also welcome to the forum :hug:

 

[Friday]

Hey brother... Could be one of several things. Meds, disassociation, compartmentalizing, sleep dep, TBI, etc. Memory issues are both common and a pain in the ass. Good news; all the ones I know of have treatment & work arounds.

***

My personal checklist for my memory going to shit looks like this:

Spoiler: Everyone's list of usual suspects is going to be different. This just happens to be mine.

- Meds (is at a side effect of anything I've taken recently?) snicker. Sometimes I forget I've taken a muscle relaxer or something, and yah. Side effect = short term memory loss. Well. That explains it. Simple solution. Bang on.

- How have I been sleeping/eating? (Skipping either seriously f*cks with my memory in a few different ways.)

- Am I getting stuck in the past a lot? Either nightmares, flashbacks, or zoning the f*ck out? (When my head is stuck in the past, I'm not coding current memories right. I have to work really hard at grounding and being present to make new memories, even if I'm otherwise totally lucid. Writing helps. As does rehearsing / reminding myself of what I've already done.)

- How compartmental am I being / am I splitting worlds (work, home, family, other family, etc.) to where my memory is just fine in context, but out of context it's the great northern wasteland between my ears. Huh? What?

- Mission Creep (OMFG. This one just eats my memory. Day is over and I haven't gotten anything done, and can't remember how I got from A-Z, and WTF day/time is it anyway? Too many shiny things. In survival mode, anything shiny just erases everything that came before it. Have to shake myself like a dog sometimes, and ignore the shiny thing, write it down on the list, and keep doing what I was doing before I got distracted.

- Heachaches? Fortunately I've got a hard head ;) Unfortunately I tend to lose track of shit when it feels like there is an ice pick through my brain.

- Overwhelmed? I can smile & nod, but just not be processing shit. Better to take a few minutes -hours :whistling:- to chill, then talk, when I'll actually remember WTF any of us said.

SemperFi

Once I know what's prolly causing my memory going sideways, then there are actually things I can do to help it along.

 

[laurainalameda]

Definitely need to be grounded before you start a task like cooking. I use a post it note on the recipe and move it down each line as I do that step. I use a list making app on my phone for everything I need to buy. I set alarms on my phone for every appointment and I email the details of the appointment to my self as a back up if the alarm doesn't make sense. For about two years I had an hourly alarm that said "ground yourself" a pain in the ass yes but the only way I can work out how to function. You have to commit to doing what the phone alarm tells you to do or it doesn't work btw. Now I'm in the habit of grounding myself regularly so I don't need the phone alarm. But until you are in the habit an alarm helps. This is just some of the stuff that works for me. Laura

 

[RavenGirl]

My memory loss seems to be from sleep deprivation from the PTSD. .. my phone is my friend! I use the calendar app for reminders constantly, I use the alarm at home and at work all the time. I have to carry my schedule at work in my back pocket (and one in my daily planner as back up) so I remember where to be because I switch 10 times per day, I write myself notes alk the time, it's not so bad once you get used to it. Smart Phones, post its, white boards, calendars, alarms, memos, etc are our friends.;)
The worse part is when I'm talking and know what I want to say and can't find the word that I've said a million times or the name that I've known for years! ! I hate those times the most. :mad:

 

[intothelight]

Welcome!