7 weeks post clipping and my memory (short term, language, names) is getting worse for sure.
Resident said to contact him if not better in a few months. Dr. L said I’m good to go (I don’t think resident told him about my memory).
I couldn’t remember which row I had parked in at the airport 2 days earlier (has never been a problem before), then I had a hard time getting out of the airport parking lot, and then noticed my brain couldn’t make as fast decisions either when driving, for example looking for signs.
I can’t remember if I’ve taken my meds, or why I was going into the laundry room. Things like this are normal, but have really gotten a lot worse affecting more aspects of my life.
I’m a bit afraid this will impact me as I start my job again, having a new client interview today.
I wanted to ask… I was told by my neurosurgeon at my first appt. 1 month, post annie clipping that my memory deficits are not the norm. That any issues I have was prior to surgery.
90%of my long term memory has been wiped clean. I had to be reoriented to deaths of loved ones all over again. My short term memory is absent and a blur. I am doing exercises daily to improve my memory with no avail.
Has anyone else had memory issues and told by neuro that this is not normal?
At my appointment (Barrow Neurological Phoenix), they brushed it off and said let us know in a few months if you are still having issues. So I have no idea if it’s normal. Reading online it sounds like it is common. I wonder if your degree of loss is abnormal.
PS, I am now 10 weeks post clipping/bypass and I’ve improved. I don’t have problems with directions or thinking faster anymore (I think). I think my brain was just slow for a while there. It’s just weird that I was fine after surgery, then got worse 4-6 weeks after surgery, now better again.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me. I feel so much better knowing that there is a silver lining. Wishing you all the best with your recovery. Thank you again.
Good luck. I made little improvement from week 4-6, then HUGE improvements starting about week 6. For me it was like: flat line no improvement, then bam, I’m lots better. My recovery was also 2 steps forward, 2-3 steps back.
I’ve defiantly noticed memory issues and I’m usially really sharp. I’m 4.5 weeks post op. From what I’ve read on here lots of people report it so I don’t see why surgeons would say that. I’m almost sure I read research about it also and they said it often improves after 3 months. Some on here have reported more long term issues.
Keep hope, keep practising, our brain can rewrite itself and is capable of so much.
It creates something like thousands of new Neurons a day so by practising we can restablish memories we’ve forgotten. - you see they are still there, the shortcut to it is just damaged so new neurons need to restablish the connection.
Sorry I’m tired, hopefully it makes sense
All the best
Clare again! My memory is back to normal. When I was having those memory issues it was really scary, mostly because of the trouble it caused while driving (forgetting where I parked at the airport and grocery store). It is so interesting seeing these old posts. (from a year ago). I had totally forgotten that happened to me! I did use a brain games book because I didn’t want to have any permanent issues, and i have noticed a definite improvement in my “lateral” thinking, meaning I can definitely solve puzzles better now than I did even before surgery. I am still having slight problem remembering where I parked at the grocery store, but am attributing that to age. I have noticed that I’m also able to figure out magic tricks now that before I was mystified. Good luck in recovery, you are still in fresh baby stages and close to being in the much better stage!!! We are so lucky our aneurysms were found and get to have continued good health.
Wizard are you meaning the memory issues is your biggest fear or what? It’s challeging but its manageable. I got a planner app and stated to right everything i needed to remeber, phon culls, to do list, what i need at the shops etc. here in Australia we are not allowed to drive for 6 months unless th neurosurgeon clears us at 3 months so i dont have that concern. I honestly opulent want to drive feeling like this anyway. All the best for your surgery. We are all here for you and praying for the best outcome.
Yes sorry I wasn’t very clear. I am an engineer and my mind is my livelihood I have already started making list of stuff that needs to be done so I can reference it after the operation. Thanks for the support!
I also rely on my memory for work (editor) and it’s been a struggle for me, 11 weeks post clipping for an unruptured left MCA. I forget if I’ve taken my medications, I often forget major details of conversations I’m having or have recently had, and more. From what I can tell, it’s far worse when I’m multi-tasking. Has anyone else had this experience? It feels as though the moment I have lots of things going on I suddenly can’t think properly. I had ADD as a child, and keep describing it to those around me as that kind of feeling, where I just can’t seem to focus on something, or remember what I’m supposed to.
I’m still on keppra so I’m unsure if it’s the medication or the actual procedure that caused this, but it’s a real struggle trying to express this to those I work with or friends because from the outside it seems like I’m functioning well. Anyone else experiencing this?
I feel like this quite often. If there are a lot of things going on around me, or if the kids are talking and there is music playing and I’m talking with my husband its too much. I lose track of what I’m saying or listening to and forget what we were doing. I think it is hard for people to understand, but ADD is a great way to describe it. I wish I could say that stopping keppra helped for me, but I have been off of keppra since November and I still have issues. It does seem to be slightly improving over time(it has been 7 months).
Keep in mind that multi-tasking is a myth. It’s been proven over and over again the human brain cannot perform two tasks that require high-level brain function at once.
Or, as on of my college professors once told me “Multi-tasking is doing two or more things badly at once.”
Maybe it would help to concentrate on NOT multi-tasking, focus on one thing at a time, maybe that will help you retain information. I have chronic, neurologically complicated migraines, and I know that I can’t think at times. When I have a certain type of migraine I will forget what I’m saying while I’m saying it. It helps me to slow down and focus on one thing at a time, and, it helps to take good notes or have a running list of things to do.
It was definitely an annoying change to make as I, too, used to think I could multi-task. But, as it turns out, no one successfully does this and you’ll actually be more productive doing one thing at time.
As for Keppra impacting your memory – the most recent studies go both ways on it, depending on what’s being treated. Overall cognitive function doesn’t seem to be impaired officially but many people report short term memory issues in this category of meds.
(Clare original poster with memory issues a year ago). My memory issues have for the most part cleared up now. I came out of surgery just fine, and it was later that the memory issues hit. I had to learn to make a few coping mechanisms. For medicine, I turn the bottle a certain way for am and certain way for pm, that way I know if I’ve taken it. Regarding conversations, I’m a pet sitter now and I’ve had clients for years. And there are details that I sometimes have trouble remembering, such as the garage code, something that was never a problem before. My guess it was the medicine from imaging or opiods, or something in the hospital causing these issues, as I didn’t have them before surgery, or right after surgery either. But it has gotten better for me for sure. In fact, I was saying to my husband, boy my memory is a lot better. I can tell I have good days and bad days, which may be correlated to sleep as well (that’s what neurologist is leaning toward). My neurologist actually ordered a sleep study but I haven’t done it. He really seems to think that is probably the major issue.
I am too, my Dr just said we have a memory clinic. If you would like to go. We can set it up.
My memory is so bad. I’ll get up and forget why I was getting up in the first place.
This problem is affecting my work. Because I work with memory loss. And this is something I should know.
“…Because I work with memory loss. And this is something I should know.”
Ohh Tracey, boy, do I know what you mean.
I was working in the disability sector and I did not have an issue disconnecting myself from the reality, but now, when it’s self that disconnection is an impediment. Like you say “…this is something I should know.” but seeing it in self can be REALLY confronting. Seeing it in clients is clinical, seeing it in self is personal. YUCK.
So I have no idea if it’s normal. Reading online it sounds like it is common. I wonder if your degree of loss is abnormal.