ANA Discussion Forum
Post-Treatment => Post-Treatment => Topic started by: Dog Lover on September 01, 2008, 08:47:10 pm
-
I've noticed for the past few days that when i am talking to someone, I will forget a word. Like today when i was talking to my cousins who came over, I forgot the word "forclosure" I waited for about 10 seconds and then I remembered it. A few days ago i forgot the word nail polish. Just little things like that.
One of my daughters said that she watched the Discovery Channel and said that one show she watched says that this is common after a brain surgery. One of my cousins who is a nurse also told me just to relax and things will get better.
Still freaks me out though. Has anyone else delt with stuff like this? I think today may have been the worst day, but I have also been extremely tired today and pretty much napped all afternoon and a bit this morning, too.
Please, has anyone else delt with this? Should I call the dr. or is this just common during recovery (it's been 10 days .... Aug 21, 2008 .... since my surgery).
Cathy
-
Hi Cathy,
I have followed your progress thru these channels and am happy you are past the surgery hump and on to recovery! You are not going nuts, as I have searched on and found threads on trouble speaking and it is common among us brain surgery folk. I personally found it frustrating to go from being a story teller to having a speech impediment/ trouble finding word. I am 5 months out and it is improving daily, although I will never be a champion debater as in high school! Tiredness makes the process harder, and I'm sure I didn't find the right words (being tired and all) but someone else on this list will! Anyway you are not alone, but it gets better.
Jules
-
It is a common thing. In fact, there is a word for it, but I can't remember what it is. ??? ;D
Steve
-
Loss of word at crucial moment, yep, check! I've got it too, and it is a little scary, but I'm hoping it will pass. Hard enough to be middle-aged....
-
Well, there is a chance you are also going nuts (like the rest of us!), but I have the same problem with forgetting words. It's enough to make you nuts if you weren't already!
I've noticed it is much worse when I'm tired. It's gotten better, but it still gets very frustrating at times. Especially when you're trying to yell at your kids and you can't remember what to yell - or better yet, when the wrong word pops out of your mouth and they look at you like you're crazy.
Lori
-
Havn`t had any treatment yet and forget words now and then. Maybe the ageing process? Who knows! Mickey
-
Hi Cathy,
For being ten days out from brain surgery - that sounds about right! And as everyone says, it will get better.
Within my first week or so home, that happened to me quite a bit. I remember talking to the neighbors a few doors down who I've known for over a year. We spoke for about twenty minutes, and I was having a hard time keeping up with the conversation - only because the entire time I was trying to recall the wife's name! It finally came to me after I walked away.
I'm happy to report that now (at 4 weeks out) I could even tell you their kid's and dog's names.
As I said to someone else, it's like your brain rearranging the furniture now that the AN is finally out.
Hope everything else with your recovery is going well,
Nancy
-
Cathy -
as others have said, forgetting certain words can be quite common. I'm 15 months post op and I still do it on occasion. I also still think one word, but say another ::) Either it's a side-effect of my surgery - or just old age ;)
Jan
-
Jan, in your case....it's probably old age! :D
Sorry...that was just to easy. I crack myself up! :D
Lori
-
I wasn't good with names before surgery so this should be fun!
-
You crack me up, too, Lori :D
Jan - getting older all the time ;D
-
Cathy, I had CK, not surgery, but I had the same problem for a couple weeks after treatment. I couldn't remember words and I also typed words with reversed order of letters (like a dyslexic person). A friend of mine who is a cancer survivor (not brain cancer, but cancer of the anus) said it's a common temporary problem after getting chemotherapy, too; she said cancer patients call it chemo-brain. Don't worry about it; it should get better over time. Based on how articulate your post was and the lack of typos, you seem to be doing amazingly well considering how recent your surgery was.
Anyway, best washes. Waffles? Wascals... um, wishes. Yeah, that's it, best wishes... for continuum heeding... continued heckling... um, healing, yeah, that's ripe, uh, right, continued healing. Best wishes for continued healing.
Whew,
Tumbleweed
-
I too remember this problem. Please know it does get better, just slow down and let it slide if you happen to stumble on words.
-
Unforunately I still get words mixed-up or "lost" - usually when I am very tired (or can't pronounce words right). There are some words that I automatically reverse, but I think that is more a stroke symptom than AN. It drives me crazy because I feel like an uneducated person - I ALWAYS mix up RIGHT and LEFT (you have to watch the way I am pointing if I am giving directions!) and the one that bothers me most is YESTERDAY and TOMORROW! It will get better, though.
K
-
Cathy - I was beginning to think I was past the word-switching phase, but yesterday I told someone I shop at Bird Bath & Beyond. :D
(K - I've been doing the "yesterday/tomorrow" switch for years - and I thought it was just me!)
NL
-
NL~
That's a good one!! I couldn't even begin to tell you all the funny stuff I've said, or even better HEARD over the years. I guess there has to be some comic relief from this whole AN journey!! ;D
K
-
Bird Bath and Beyond! That's funny. And you know, it really could be a store....
-
NL~
That's a good one!! I couldn't even begin to tell you all the funny stuff I've said, or even better HEARD over the years. I guess there has to be some comic relief from this whole AN journey!! ;D
K
Cathy,
It seems you're really not alone in this - looks like they're are quite a few of us who still have the word issues. Maybe someone will start a new topic on it (or dig up a previous thread). I'm sure it would be a great read that would make us all feel a little better!
Nancy L - (trying hard not to hijack!) :)
-
I haven't had treatment yet, but I can relate to the word thing. I take anti-convulsants, and my doctor said that could be my problem. My meds target the brain so I guess when you mess with the brain matter, you are going to come up with something funky. I love the Bird, Bath and Beyond. A great laugh for the day! Nancy
-
Cathy,
I forget words too and at times it can be embarrassing. I was talking to my doctor and couldn't come up with the word I was looking for which as it turned out was "good". He tried to help out by guessing I was trying to say"terrible"or something like that because I got upset ( because I couldn't think of the word, but he didn't know that) and the only thing I could say to him was that it was the opposite. The word itself still wouldn't come to me. Transposing letters when I type was a problem before surgery and I used to be an excellent typist, now it's even worse. I hope this improves too.
Wendy
-
I haven't had much problem with forgetting words maybe because I'm always reading and thinking in german and english and it helps with word stimulation. I have noticed though that I will very often think of somthing I need to do or get and then when I'm there I won't remember what I wanted. Yesterday I was in the bathroom and wanted to get a plastic bag out of the pantry but when I got to the pantry I didn't remember what I was there for, then when I went back to the bathroom I remembered what I wanted out of the pantry. (Was Sie nicht im Kopf haben mußen Sie in die Beine haben) a german saying, what you don't have in your head you must have in your legs. I my not be 100% mentally fit but a least its keeping me physically fit.
Dan in Germany
-
Hi Dan,
Love the German phrase. In English I call it "destinesia" kind of a cross between amnesia and destination. I do this all the time (before surgery). Since surgery I have had trouble spelling. Hoping it will get better but grateful for spellcheck.
Mrcie, oops, Marci
:P
-
Nancy, I take anticonvulsant meds too but nothing related to the AN. I was diagnosed with a seizure disordered 26 yrs ago. But I'm right with you all on the word problems and typing issues. I work on a computer all day and don't dare send even an email without checking it at least twice. I'm not sure if this is related to the AN, radiation, menopausal issues or aging (47 if I remember correctly!). A lot of my non-AN buddies are having the same issues though so age may have more to do with it but I also truly believe this AN and/or radiation hasn't helped the cause. I just try to find humor in it and go on about my day but it can be very frustrating.
Sandra
-
Sandra,
I agree with what you said. The spelling thing has really gotten worse in the past couple of years. I think it is a combination of getting older and the anticonvulsant meds. Will be interesting to see what happens once I have GK. Humor is great. I laugh at myself all of the time. If I didn't, I would never get out of bed in the morning!
Nancy
-
Hello All~
I can honestly say that mine WAS brought on by the AN surgery. I was only 25 when I had my surgery and these things STARTED happening to me then - I certainly couldn't attribute age or menopause! - I didn't have ANY of these problems before.
Dan~
I remember going back to work after 3 months (remember I had a stroke too) and it was such an effort just to walk down to the office from my room. I'd get there and have absolutely NO IDEA what I was there for!! It was so discouraging - guess the exercise was good for me, but just getting up & teaching 1st graders all day was quite enough at that stage in the game!! A lot of times, they would get a rolly chair and just wheel me back to my room so I wouldn't have to walk! I had great teaching buddies! ;D
K
-
Yep! Me too! I like to go to Bucks Star for coffee. But seriously, I have talked to many folks post AN surgery and this is a common side effect. After almost one year later I still find myself groaning to find to spew forth a word that I want to say. It is less and less....ah....daily? No. Ah.....common? No! Ah.......Frequent! Yeah that's it! LESS FREQUENT! ;)
-
Everyone's comments have made me feel much better. I did have a big scare last week, though. I totally overdid it on Wed. and later in the day when trying to talk to my mom and brother I could only say pretty much one word. It scared us all a LOT! After sitting and resting for about 45 min, it did get better, but I sure did learn a lesson the hard way. DO NOT OVERDO IT!
I slept a lot that evening and night and took naps the next day. Did much better then. I feel like I am better but notice that I do seem to have more mistakes when I am tired. I can pretty much (but not always) remember the word pretty shortly after trying to remember it. I also make sure that i get plenty of rest during the day. I think that has also helped me.
Thank goodness for all my new friends to let me know I'm not nuts!
Cathy
-
Uncle Buck~
I was just wondering about you - we hadn't heard form you in a while! Glad to see you are still alive & kicking!! ;D
K
Cathy~
Slow & steady...be careful!
K
-
K,
I have been just Baha'ing away and doing pretty well. Mornings are always my worst time getting the 53 year old gyro going to keep the shiny side up. Yeah I need to come see by AN buddies more often. Thank you. -bucko aka Uncle Buck aka Steve #2
-
Good question! I was wondering if it was just me, and glad to know this is a common post brian surgery "thing." I have always had a great vocabulary and now I suddenly find my self missing words fairly regularly - huh!
Debbi
-
Hey, Bucko - been wondering about you, too. Nice to see you again :) Don't be such a stranger!
Cathy -
try to rest as much as you possibly can. At 15 months post op, I don't have the fatigue I had after surgery, but I notice that little issues still creep up on me when I'm overtired - balance, mixing up my words, dry eye, dry mouth. The balance seems to be the most affected. As you said yourself - don't overdo.
Jan
-
I'm 5 years post-op and I have that problem fairly regularly, especially when I am tired. I also have problems with typing, the wrong word in a sentence. Part of my brain know the word I should have typed was and, but the is what I type. I try to blame it on having 2 teenagers. ;D But the reality is I still have some cognitive issues.
-
AAAARRRRR!!!!!! I calls it gettin' me mords wixed up!!!
Capt Deb(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/Captdeb_photos/pirate2.gif)
-
What kind of meds are you on? I have actually improved in this respect since surgery because I was able to drop the anti-seizure medication that was causing me to forget words.
The most stupid thing I can ever remember saying (and this was long before a medication side effect) was when a friend of mine and I were shopping for wedding lingerie. The saleslady told us there was a sale on camisoles and tap pants and I turned to my friend and said "Ooh, let's go look at the tampax."
Sara
-
Sara,
In my case, I take Lamictal. I have been taking it for over 13 years for bipolar disorder. I can't see myself ever going off of it because it is now a part of my brain chemistry, and it is what keeps my mood fairly stable. I think when you put meds in your body, there is pretty much always going to be some trade off. I am glad you are doing better with the words since you quit your meds, and especially after your surgery. That is an added bonus. Funny about the tampax. Gotta find the "funnies" when you can. Nancy ;D ;D ;D
-
Actually the only meds I take are ibuprophen occasionally. I have noticed a BIG improvement since I watch my fatigue.
I am 3 1/2 weeks post op right now, and I am wondering WHEN I'm going to feel balanced enough to drive. :-( I'm getting close, but not quite yet. Also have my 4 week appointment with my Dr on Wed. with an MRI. Trying to figure out how much more time I'll need before going to work. Have been kind of thinking 2 more weeks of not working, and possibly then 2 weeks of working part time (at home). Wanted to get some things in my mind before visiting him and also checking out with the short term disability insurance company about the part time stuff -- if they still would pay for the 20 hrs/week that I was still unable to work. Guess I'll find out....
Cathy