How can you help your memory?

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I've been trying not to panic, but I am having issues with my memory that make me a bit nervous. Often, I can’t think of a word I'm trying to say. For example, the other day I was having a conversation and tried to come up with "GPS". After about 45 seconds, I realized that word was nowhere in sight. On another occasion, I was talking to a friend and tried to tell him my nephew's name. For the life of me, I couldn't even guess what it is.

I can’t remember where I park. One day it took me 10 minutes to find my car. Parking garages are the scariest for me.

I frequently forget recent conversations I have with people. This is recent as in you just told me something 5 minutes ago and I can't remember.

Any tips on things you have done to help strengthen your memory or at least slow down issues with forgetting?

Thank you.
 
-when it comes to things like where you parked your car, take notes (eg. stall number, store or mall entrance nearest to where you parked) and/or take a picture with your phone showing the landmarks

-play memory games alone or with others

-form picture associations with important places and names you need to remember (eg. let's say your nephew's name is Brian and he has brown hair: you could associate his name with his having brown hair)

You may also want to ask your neurologist about this, and ask if a neuro-psych. exam could be help in determining your learning style, why you are forgetting, and might even suggest strategies for dealing with memory challenges.
 
Nobody has helped me yet. I try to make a mental note like telling myself mentally something like "I am setting my glasses here." Instead of just walking by and with out really thinking setting them down.

I know it's not really improving my memory but I try to put things in the same places all the time.

I keep trying things to improve my memory. Unfortunately I get frustrated and get them up.
 
I would lose the notes that's why I take mental "notes" instead.
I also do things like leave a light on in the bathroom to remind me that I have my electric razor in the charger in there.
I set a can on my kitchen table. Since the can goes in the recycle bin it reminds me to take the bin out to the street to be emptied.
 
Hi In1,

My short term memory went down hill after I had surgery and they removed the right hippocampus but my neurosurgeon told me to do a lot of word search puzzles, and math and in my free time to go on line and try doing some brain teasers which are riddles that are so hard they are simple. I find doing word search puzzles a big help to better my memory. I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
Short term memory issues are a side effect of many AEDS--both Vimpat & Topamax cause it.
"Word-loss" is a well known side effect of Topamax. l can sometimes even see what I want to say in my mind, as if its written on paper, but my mouth & brain can't connect.
 
Can you ask your neuro about getting a neuropsych evaluation? Based on the results, the neuropsychiatrist can often help identify which memory process are effected, and make suggestions for tips and workarounds. Also, medication can sometimes be a factor. When I was on Zonisamide, I would have a hard time with word/vocabulary recall. (The one I remember getting stuck on was "post office" -- all I could come up with was "mail house".) When I switched meds, my memory improved. If you think your meds or dosage might be part of the problem, let your neuro know.

My memory is in good shape now, but I still use a lot of bright yellow post-its to remind of what I need to take care of on a given day. I also have a wall calendar that I mark up with important deadlines and events. Visual cues work better for me than other kinds of reminders. Do you have a smartphone? When you park a car, take a picture of it in such a way that there are indications of where you've put it (like street signs, or the row and floor number if it's in a garage). If possible, also come up with a word or phrase to help memorize it that way, and write it on a piece of paper, or record it into your phone. When I parked in "Level P, Row 3", I would remember it as Petri Dish (P-3).

The more ways you encode a piece of information (visual + verbal) the more likely you will be able to recall it later.

Take care!
 
Ever since I had a Left Temporal Lobectomy, my memory has been bad. I suffer from aphasia and often times I forget someone's name I met the previous day. Talk about embarrassing! But as Nakamova suggested, my neurologist sent me to a neuropsychologist for memory testing and helped me by figuring out which type of memory issues I suffer from. Since I have a damaged hippocampus, I have trouble with my speech and sometimes I can't get the right words out. Then I forget what I was trying to say in the first place. :roll eyes: Ask your neurologist for a referral to this type of dr. to help you out. In the meantime look here:

http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/impact/thinking-and-memory/diagnosing-and-treating-memory-problems
 
I have memory issues b/c of severe atrophy in my left temporal lobe. My left Hippocampus shrunk 50% from seizures over the years. Then I had surgery which made memory issues worse. I do brain games. The website Lumosity.com has good brain exercises. It doesn't just help with memory. It also helps with other cognitive issues (e.g., attention, speed, etc.). I paid for a one year membership. You can play some games for free. But, you can do a lot more if you pay and it will customize a workout for you every day. I go on Lumsity.com just about every day and do a workout. The brain is a muscle that needs to be exercised. I also watch the TV shows "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" to make my brain think. Crossword puzzles are a really good brain exercise.
 
How well my memory works depends on how my brain is performing when the memory is made.
During periods of increased seizure activity at best my memory is like Swiss cheese and at worse it is just blank, no memories at all.

During periods of good seizure control my memory is very good, and it seems to get better the longer I go seizure free.

No brain games have helped, I do enjoy them but only stopping the seizures helps improve my memory.

Taking lots of notes helps to deal with poor short term memory, if you remember to read them, and if you remember where you put the darn notepad.
 
I started taking more mental notes instead of writing stuff down to actually make myself remember. If it's really important then I will write it down but for simple stuff I try to mentally remember it. It sometimes takes me longer than it used to to remember stuff but it usually comes back.
Also try not to "google" something to immediately remember something. Like if you see an actor on TV you have seen in the past, take time to think about it before searching it.
I also try to play mind and educational games on my tablet. I'm not sure if those have personally helped me but it does exercise my mind. :)
 
I have a horrible time remembering people's names so I try to relate their name to something about them. I know my best friends daughters names but I can never remember which is which, I don't see the kids that often. One of the girls names starts with an A and the other a G. So I try to remember the oldest girls name starts with A so since A is first in the alphabet that's who she is.

I do a lot of word games, crossword puzzles and things like that. It helps me remember things.

I was having a problem with my fridge once and called tech support at the company to see if I could fix it myself or needed someone to come in and fix it. When I got on the phone with someone I knew what I need to say but the words just weren't up there. It took me forever just to tell them what was wrong with the fridge. Now I write down what I need to tell someone before I call. I make sure I write down what they tell me too or I won't remember it!

I have a horrible time thinking of words in general. I'll be talking with someone and I'm trying to think of the word. I know how to describe it and sometimes I'll be using my hands to try to form what ever the word is. The joke with my family and I is when I do this they tell me 'they don't know sign language'. A good one is once when I was on the phone with someone for help with my fridge I screamed and said "Oh the furry thing just run in front of me!!!!" She said "OH A MOUSE????" and after a minute of me trying to think of the word and describe it I said "No the cat!"

I have post it notes all over my house, you'd swear it was my wall paper! If it's something I need to remember for that day or the next I put the note were I'm going to see it right away like on the TV or a mirror. I have note books every were too so I can write things down, I just always loose the pen that I put beside it! I have a note book in my purse that way if I'm out I can write things down like addresses, where the car's parked or what floor something is on.

I send text messages to myself on my phone about things I need to know. I've almost always got my phone with me so I don't have to worry about the notebook sometimes. If there's something that might be coming up I'll write it on the calendar and put an alarm on my phone to tell me about it.

I try to keep things in the same place too but that's easier said than done. I hate it when my husband will use it then put it somewhere else and I spend an hour looking for it.
 
Lumosity.com (free or paid) & Tetris24.com (free)
Are both good for the mind.

Watching "Wheel of Fortune" & "Jeopardy" can also help.

Doing crossword puzzles or word searches. Putting together Puzzles and LEGO are some other things you can try to improve your brain.

Basically anything you can do to engage your brain can help.
 
I watch those game shows, too. But I enjoy doing fill-in & word search puzzles even more. Fill-in puzzles are like crosswords, but the answers are given to you--you have figure out where they fit on the grid.
 
Thank you all for your replies! I'm going to write down these ideas and begin to implement them.
 
I don't know your age, but could this be memory loss associated with aging? If so, some of the best things you can do to slow cognitive decline as you age is to be physically active, and to have frequent social interactions with family, friends, neighbors, etc. I agree that an evaluation would be helpful to help figure out what's causing the problem and get some advice on how to improve it. :)
Like Nakamova, I also had terrible word finding problems while on zonisamide. I would also use words incorrectly a lot! It was embarrassing and frustrating, fortunately people usually just laughed it off.
 
In1

I almost enjoy these types of posts as it helps you realize that its not just you that has these problems. It took you ten minutes to find your car, one time it took me almost thirty minutes to find mine. I had to go back four times within roughly two minutes one time to ask my son for his ipod passcode. From his room to my couch was less twenty seconds away and I forgot by the time I sat down. I went back, sat down and forgot it again. I need to let spell check help me with words some days. Some days I seem to have no issues at all and other days look out, I feel brain dead.
 
@zombelina: Hello. I'm 38. I expect my memory not to be as strong as it was when I was 20, but deep down inside I feel like there's something a little more going on. You're right, an evaluation sounds like a very good step. I plan on getting that set up soon. It's so amazing how the brain works and how short term and long term memory operate. I can give an account of every detail of something I did at the age of 5, but can't remember something I did yesterday.

@gnault: I'm so sorry for what you're going through. :( Some days I don't beat myself up about it. Other days...like when I'm talking to my 90-year-old grandmother and her memory is better than mine, I feel like I have a big problem. I'm definitely going to try the recommendations that everyone has made. Hopefully something will help. :)
 
I got a call yesterday and I got my Neuropsychological assessment appointment is less than a month. I hope I have one of my brain dead days. I don't want to have one of my "EEG" days where there is no abnormal activity happening at that particular time to capture anything.
 
That is awesome, gnault. Please post an update of how it goes. I am really interested in your results. My family and I are moving to another state soon. So, it will probably be a couple of months before I have mine. Wishing you helpful results!!
 
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