Brain Injury

[KayLR]

Have any of you experience or knowledge of latent symptoms from brain injury?

In 1988 I was in a terrible car crash and incurred a major concussion. I don't remember much of it.

Lately--and arguably I AM turning 60 this year---I have been becoming very forgetful, and I am often at a loss for a word I want. I repeat myself according to my daughters ("You told me that, Mom!" I can't remember who I've told things to.) and misplace things occasionally.

This past week I ordered something online. It was returned twice for inability to deliver. The first time I gave the wrong address (transposition of MY OWN street address) THEN when I corrected it, I transposed it a different way again! Finally today I got it right. (The customer service at Craftsy is superb---I recommend highly.)

I don't know that it's the injury...it may be something else, but my doctor has checked me out and I'm physically ok---albeit very low in Vit D. But these lapses seem to be coming more often and suddenly, too. This time last year I wasn't this bad.I'm beginning to worry about it.

[razz]

This must be upsetting for you and I am sorry that it is happening. There are tests that can be done for mental forgetfulness, I believe, have you explored them?

[CathyA]

I feel your pain Kay. I've never had a concussion, but when I turned 60, it seemed like my brain began to have problems. You wouldn't believe the amount of words I can't remember. Same goes for my DH.
I seem to have lapses in understanding things I used to understand. Don't under-estimate what age can do!
But......get that D level up!!! Vitamin D is sooooo important. Do you take a B complex too, and maybe a good multivitamin?

I think part of our brain problems are the incredibly fast pace of the world today. There is sooooooooo much we have to remember all the time.

Get your D up, and try to slow down if you can.......whatever you do, try to stop for a minute and ask "okay.....is this right?". I usually double and triple check things........otherwise I'd be making lots more mistakes.

I'm not saying you should dismiss your problems. If it gets alot worse......see the doctor again. But I do think some of us have a harder time with our brain when we age, than others. Maybe look up what things you might do to improve your brain........like educational-type things.
(((hugs!))))

[sweetana3]

Kay, I think there are days I could have written your post. Just today I forgot the people I was relating info to were actually with me when it happened. And both hubby and I search for words that 20 years ago we would have pulled right out as what we needed. I am easily distracted too and constantly lose things in the house. I have good brain genes as does hubby so we think it is mostly advancing age.

[frugal-one]

I had this problem UNTIL I started taking granulated lecithin. I sprinkle a few teaspoons on my cereal every morning. It has no taste. You could put in yogurt or whatever. I get it from my local health food cooperative who orders it from Frontier (it is cheaper this way). Supposedly, the lecithin also reduces or eliminates plaque in arteries (for those with cholesterol problems). My DH saw when we went on vacation for a few weeks and I did not take my lecithin, I had memory problems again. He now takes it too. It costs about $10/month for both of us to take. BTW.. I am in your age group too. It is crazy that something so simple works so well!!!!! Read up on it!

[gmpg54]

I do homhealth care for a 41 yo lady,that had 5 aneurysms pop in head at once.
She has difficulty remembering what year it is but is able to carry-on a normal conversation.
However,looking closely at her 1 eye doesn't focus right and she drags one foot.
I'm going to guess its just the"sensory overload" that you're experiencing in this hectic world.
I'll be 60 in September & frequently forget & misplace things and ask the cat if she knows where they are,lol

[iris lilies]

I'm glad to her sweetana's answer. A few years ago, around menopause, I started having some episodes of aphasia (can't find a word.) I further shocked myself by leaving off ends of words when I was writing things. Now that was creepy. Since the explanations were

1 menopause
2 small strokes
3 Alzheimer's which is rampant in my family

... I chose to blame menopause. :)
since then,those episodes come and go, but overall, I am not nearly as sharp as I used to be. The inability to find words is just awful sometimes. I no longer leave off the ends of words when writing, though.

I have been blessed (not a word I use lightly--this is a true revelation in my work world) of getting some software tools at work that exercise my brain doing things that I love. While I am steamed that it took 20 years to get these basic tools (I won't go into the reasons except to say there was systemic dysfunction) I am now engaged in something that fascinates me and that also is keeping the analytical part of my brain working well.

When I retire there won't be anything like this to do (analyze data sets from a large database) and I know that I'll never find this work again. It makes me sad.

[JaneV2.0]

I have a friend who has brain damage from a series of head injuries, but hers mostly manifest in MS-like symptoms. Her doctor recommended paleo-style gluten-free eating with plenty of natural fats (similar to frugal-one's lecithin). Fats--which help metabolize vitamin D--are necessary for proper brain function.

ETA: It's important to keep your blood sugar low and level, also. There are indications that Alzheimer's is related to insulin, which is why some have taken to calling it Type 3 diabetes. I find myself pretty dull-witted if I let my blood sugar get too low.

[redfox]

I highly recommend consulting a head injury specialist about this. I have a friend who is a brain doctor at the UW trauma center in Seattle, and when I asked him for guidance regarding my SIL, who suffered a serious head injury last year, he said every single injury is unique, and there is no predicting outcomes or long term affects. Blessings, my dear.

[Spartana]

I had a head and neck injury when I was in the armed forces with severe head and neck aches (as well as lost most of my hearing permanently) following the injuries for a period of time. Since then I have since gotten an MRI every few years at the VA hospital (they require it) to see if anything is going wrong in that vast empty space I call my brain. So far no problems. So if your insurance covers that you may want to get one to rule out anything. It's a long procedure (5 hours in a closed MRI machine with your head completely immobilized) but they look for bleeds, swelling, bruising, aneurisms, etc... Apparently head injuries that happened years ago can manifest in some nasty ways many years later. Good to be on the safe side if you can.

[JaneV2.0]

If anyone is concerned about Alzheimer's, anecdotal reports suggest MCT oil might be helpful. See Mary Newport, MD.

[Spartana]

Another thing to look at is hardening of the arteries - especially the carotid artery that feeds the brain it's blood supply. A build up of plaque can reduce the blood flow to the brain and cause a lot of the symptoms you are having. They can check that with a simple inexpensive ultrasound.

[JaneV2.0]

Forgetfulness in the elderly can be caused by many conditions: depression, dehydration, drug interactions, circulatory problems, or nutritional issues, among other things.