Memory Loss?

[PurpleAngel]

It's not really that Kater has lost her memory, but at certain times she can't/doesn't recall things that have happened. For example I picked her up from school early one day and told her we were going home to eat, do homwork and then off to an appt. Half way on the walk home she asked why she got out of school early. Once we were home she asked again and then as we were getting on the bus she asked "where we goin'?"

Another one is yesterday we were delivering the candy that she sold through Girl Scouts. I told her to set the principals on her desk and we would deliver the rest. She chose to hand them to the principal and thank her again. Then we took the rest to the people that ordered it. Last night after supper she asked if we were going to take the candy to school for the people that ordered it. Umm..been there done that.

Odd things like that happen about 2-3 times a week. I don't know if that is her being 8, or something that I should mention to the Dr.

[speber]

I have bad memory problems (especially the 'fog' after a seize)...but this sounds like "pure-d-o" missing data. I wouldn't take chances here.
noteworthy here is it could be medication casing the memory problems themselves!....that's where the doctor could help you guys out.

Good Luck and hang in there!
Spencer

[LynnW]

I have an 8 year old, and he often forgets things like hanging up his coat, or where he put his Game Boy. I could maybe even chalk up the not knowing where she is going to her not paying attention to your answer the first two times she asked. But forgetting whole blocks of time is NOT normal. I would definitely mention it to the doctor.

[RobinN]

My daughter loses memory when she has had a seizure. Now her seizures have been the classic tonic clonic variety, so I would expect it to cause some brain malfunction.

She did have a period where she lost all past memory. New memories were fine, but she lost 14 yrs of time, and it clicked back in after two months. She now has tha two months missing, but it hasn't been a problem.

I would not put anything past this disorder. It is something definitely that you should discuss with your doctor.

Rebecca just finished her 5th session of Neurofeedback and we are seeing a chance in seizure pattern from tonic clonic to complex partial. This is a good thing IMO

[Georgiagirl88]

I definitely have memory issues(even prior to meds). There is another post where alot of us commented on having memory issues. Some of it may be because of age, but memory issues seem to go along with this.

Michelle

[xenome]

Once I had a seizure and then after I went out to the living room and started watching the season finale of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, but I didnt remember the episode. Oh no!
Luckily, I had Tivo set up to record it and I just watched it later, Yay!

[xenome]

On a more serious note, memory and concentration were also part of the reason I quit my job. I just couldnt focus on my work... its a shame really, I loved that job.

[PurpleAngel]

She does the "normal" 8 year behaviors of not knowing where she put her shoes, socks, bike helmet...but in that case I get the line "someone took it!" Yeah, someone broke into the house passed up the TV, stereo, DVD player and took your socks. Likely story.

I have noticed that she can't recall details of what she reads, but I chalked that up to not having good comprehension.

She doesn't have an Dr. appointment until June, and I sometimes get the feeling that they think I am a huge PITA cause I am always asking questions.

[Bernard]

Odd things like that happen about 2-3 times a week. I don't know if that is her being 8, or something that I should mention to the Dr.

IMO, it's something that needs to be mentioned to the doctor. That's not normal for an 8 years old in my experience. It sounds an awful lot like the way my wife was when she was having severe cognitive issues due to too many seizures.

[Georgiagirl88]

Questions are a good thing..they should never have a problem with them..especially in a child's case.. adults can ask on their own, but you are your child's advocate..so ask away! : ) I always write mine down so I do not forget..and then make sure I get all the answers. There is alot to understand..If it helps any..I really do just get like a block in my thought processes..or I may forget simple things. I guess it makes sense mine are in the temporal lobe which effects memory.

Take care!
Michelle

[RobinN]

..just a bit of info for you.

These seizures usually start in a small area of the temporal lobe or frontal lobe of the brain. They quickly involve other areas of the brain that affect alertness and awareness. So even though the person's eyes are open and they may make movements that seem to have a purpose, in reality "nobody's home." If the symptoms are subtle, other people may think the person is just daydreaming.

Some people can have seizures of this kind without realizing that anything has happened. Because the seizure can wipe out memories of events just before or after it, however, memory lapses can be a problem

.
http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/types_seizures

[skillefer]

I agree with everyone else...you need to tell the doctor. And honestly, I would see if you could get the doctor appt. bumped up to sooner than June. Don't worry about if they think you're a PITA...remember, you're paying them. Stand your ground, ask your questions, and than demand answers. Eye rolls and deep sighs are a sign of attitude. I've told doctors in the past that there are other doctors out there, and that I was sure that they would like to have my money. But also remember that doctor's can have bad days too....

[BuckeyeFan]

Definitely rates being discussed with your doctor. Make sure they do not pass this off as it could be E-related or something totally different.

Like you are already doing, continue to be her advocate.

[BIGMAN131307]

Tell the Dr. As for forgetting where she places her toys or clothes, that's normal for everyone.
When we get home toss our car keys on the table. Then proceed to put away the groceries, books, we will end up forgetting where the car keys are. Eventually we find them next to the tv remote.

If you forget a large block of time, then there's a problem. It could be the anti-epileptic drug, or possibly the seizure activity itself.

[PurpleAngel]

Thanks everyone!! I called and her Dr is off on vacation. The on call Dr. is emergencies only, so I will have to wait.

Robin~ Under which type did you find that description? I am confused, cuz if I go by the type she was DX with, compared to some of the actions that she does (the Dr. has seen this) it's two totally different things.

I just got a copy of her Neuropsych testing from last year and this is a part of it. If i understand it correctly she should have NO issues with school and memory.

Her processing speed performance was in the low average range, but not significantly discrepant from her intellectual levels.
On verbal memory testing her acquisition of new information was found to be in the average range for age. Both her immediate free recall and delayed free recall performances were in the average range. She did not show evidence of accelerated loss of information over time.
Language function for verbal fluency was within normal limits for age. There was no evidence of anomia. Her reading, spelling, and reading comprehension performances were all in the average range and actually a little higher than one would have predicted given her level of intelligence.
Visual constructional abilities and visuospatial skills were found to be within normal limits.
On the CBCL with mother as informant, there were a few elevated scales which in some degree were somewhat contradictory as she was described as having significant difficulties with mood and tendencies to withdraw. Simultaneously, however, she was described as being rather aggressive, argumentative, and mean. The pattern would be suggestive of a moody, defiant child.

The current.exarnination places her in the average range with regard to her intelligence. Her examination does not reveal any evidence of impaired neuropsychologic function. There was no lateralization or localization suggested by the study. Likewise, there was no compelling evidence to suggest decline in her cognitive capability.
PLAN: No follow up was scheduled given the extent of the concern about mood and behavior. A referral to child psychology may be helpful.

[RobinN]

Robin~ Under which type did you find that description? I am confused, cuz if I go by the type she was DX with, compared to some of the actions that she does (the Dr. has seen this) it's two totally different things.

complex partial seizures

I know the confusion. Rebecca would have one diagnosis and then it would change. Kind of like a bowl of soup. One scoop you get a few ingredients, and the next scoop is totally different. I think there should be even more sub-groups that are included...

actually I don't think we need that at all. I am tired of labels. It is so limiting. It is like this disorder can be placed into a nice neat little box and you put a pink or blue bow in the form of a pill and that is suppose to solve the problem.

The body is designed to heal most of what ails itself, and IMO this is not healing. We have all just been made to be guinea pigs. What is going on with Autism is a prime example.

[RobinN]

Common cold erodes memory

WASHINGTON: Central nervous system infections such as the common cold could be linked to memory loss late in life, according to a new study.

"Our study suggests that virus-induced memory loss could accumulate over the lifetime of an individual and eventually lead to clinical cognitive memory deficits," said Charles Howe, a Mayo Clinic neuroscientist and an author of the study, which is published in the international journal Neurobiology of Disease.

The family of viruses known as picornaviruses are the most common infectious agents in humans, infecting more than one billion people worldwide each year.

Most people have two to three infections a year caused by enteroviruses (associated with respiratory and gastro-intestinal ailments) or rhinoviruses (associated with the common cold). Picornaviruses also cause encephalitis, meningitis, polio and hepatitis A.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic studied the link between picornaviruses and memory loss by infecting mice and observing their spatial memory as they navigated a maze.

"The degree of memory impairment, which ranged from no discernible damage to complete devastation, was directly correlated to the number of dead brain cells in the hippocampus of the mouse's brain," according to the researchers.

"The degree of brain damage in humans infected with a picornavirus infection is not known, but the evidence from the mouse study suggests this is an area of research that should be explored further," they said.

Among children infected with enterovirus 71 in Asia, the virus has been seen to attack the brain, leading to conditions from lethargy to coma, said the researchers.

"Our findings suggest that picornavirus infections throughout the lifetime of an individual may chip away at the cognitive reserve, increasing the likelihood of detectable cognitive impairment as the individual ages," the authors wrote.

"We hypothesize that mild memory and cognitive impairments of unknown etiology may, in fact, be due to accumulative loss of hippocampus function caused by repeated infection with common and widespread neurovirulent picornaviruses."

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/7...-erodes-memory

[rudy]

im sorry but due to Dilantin dosage & cerebellum shrinkage; this memory loss thread just didnt click with me.Im just today coming off a cold.

[Pinky]

I've read all the links on here, and I'm sorry to revive a dead thread here. I wonder what your feelings are on memory loss on a grand scale because of numerous simple partial seizures' over the last few decades? I remember almost nothing of my childhood. This is restricted to personal memories though. Obviously I haven't forgotten how to read or write, but I couldn't tell you what my first room looked like if I didn't have the photos to look back on.

I've talked this over with friends and family and it seems I'm the only person with such a profound loss of memory. Even highschool is pretty much a blur. I chalked it up to one of those things, but now I wonder if it isn't related to the E? I don't want to start atttributing things to it left right and centre here, but it would be interesting to hear your comments. I'll pose this q to my neurologist as well next week.

Reading is not a problem for me though, and neither is remembering anything related to my job... Maybe I am just a bit of a freak? Not getting an answer to this wouldn't be the end of the world... I take a video camera with me everywhere these days, just in case The last few years seem to be all intact... I think.

[Meetz1064]

NOT a freak.

I'm the same way. If I didn't have pictures, I just would NOT have a clue about a LOT of things. My friends and family are well used to it by now, and don't get offended any more. A few that aren't around me too much get a bit irritated, but once they find out WHY, they back off.....