Hey! It’s been a while since I’ve posted and wanted to see if others have had the same issue. My story, clipping of an unrupurted aneurysm on right internal carotid artery almost seven years ago. Balance issues, migraines and orthostatic hypotension. All post surgery issues under control with meds. Gabapentin for migraines (also helps with sleep) and florinef for the low blood pressure.
Now to my question. My memory sucks and it seems to be getting worse. At first I thought my husband was messing with me when he would talk about things we had done and I don’t remember. It’s a little concerning. I’m still working, but still on a modified work schedule due to the migraines.
Any ideas, or has anyone else had a similar experience?
Yes, I did. I kept bugging my GP for several years that my memory was extremely bad and she kept chalking it up to getting older (she normally is fabulous and pro-active for everything else). Finally, she agreed to send me to a neuro-psychiatrist for testing. It took 6 months to get in, but the testing and followup appointment were all done within that month. The doctor wrote a 3 page written report in which I was diagnosed with Neuro Cognitive Disorder. He recommended that I receive speech therapy and another thing I can’t remember. I did have speech therapy for 5 months, in which I was tested at the very beginning and again at the very end. It showed that I had improved, which I already knew. If you get really frustrated, I think the therapy was invaluable for me. Other people that don’t have access should start doing brain games daily. The first one I bought was Jumbo Puzzle Book 2 by USA Today. You don’t need to do every type of game if you don’t like it (I have always disliked crossword puzzles so I don’t do them). I do several types in the book, but I especially like sudoku (I do this usually online at games. and also do codeword - bestforpuzzles. My therapist told me specifically not to pay for Luminosity since you can find really good games on the internet for free.
I have come a long way - I no longer get really frizzled at things, but I still have memory lapses and forget names and words occasionally. My therapist said that remembering names was something that was extremely hard.
It has been 5 1/2 years since my coiling and stent, but I am much better mentally now than ever. I also have accepted that my memory is probably as best at it will get and I am also fine with that. Good luck.
My wife’s experience was mostly quite different including that she did have a ruptured aneurysm on the right posterior communicating artery. She does have balance issues, but not the others you mentioned. Hers was 5.5 years ago, just like Sherri’s. She cannot walk ahead and look to the side at the same time. She cannot just continue walking when there is a step ahead. She stops, and then proceeds. The left side is the issue and always has been. It didn’t respond as soon in the beginning of recovery and didn’t respond as completely as the right. She only takes one aspirin a day. She did memory work with the speech therapist when in acute rehab, but that’s all. I can’t say her memory is worse than mine, ha. Maybe you should get it checked.