Hi All,

Just wondering how many of you are experiencing an increase in short-term memory loss? I cannot believe how absent-minded I've become since labyrinthitis rocked my world! The worst thing is when I'm carrying an extra item like a scarf or book. If I put it down somewhere I usually don't pick it up again. Then I'll arrive home and be ticked off when it's missing. Even lost a full set of keys 2 weeks ago. I'd probably forget my head if it wasn't screwed on....and to be honest I wouldn't mind a new one free of this head-monster!

Thanks....Scott

You mean there's a reason for my absent-mindedness/forgetfulness??LOL. the only problem with that is, I seem to have been that way, to some extent or another, for years, and I can't really say whether it's increased since the onset of BPPV or not. But I can sure tell hubby that it is, when he says "how could you forget to do.....?"

Madeleine

Hey Scott,

I definitely have some of these things. I often have trouble concentrating and following things that are going on around me. Sometimes when I am watching TV or reading a book, I have had to rewind (with Tivo of course!) or reread things because my mind becomes so detached from what is happening. Sometimes I don't know whether its my deafness in my right ear or lack of concentration that keeps me from hearing what other people say. I can't remember if I've had a conversation with somebody before or who I've had a conversation with. These things rarely happened before I had this severe dizziness.

I bet a lot of the people on this board have similar experiences.

hi scott,

yes, i agree, i have been shopping, bought stuff, and left it at my mums house, she rings the next day and says "have u forgotten anything" im thinking no, what and i really could not remember until she reminded me is that bad or what....lol......
also conversations if i am stopped even for a second i usually forget what i was talking about, not all the time but quite often.....or im leading up to say something and then i forget what that was..........

hi scott,

also conversations if i am stopped even for a second i usually forget what i was talking about, not all the time but quite often.....or im leading up to say something and then i forget what that was..........

This happens to me all the time and has been happening for years - long before I ever had BPPV. Happens to my friends too. We put it down to our advanced (!) years - late fifties.

Madeleine

Yes, totally - I have to write everything down, and I'm forever losing things. The only reason I've not lost half my possessions is that I hardly ever go out! I get really confused and distracted as well, phase in and out of conversations, and I've lsot count of the number of times I've left things on the stove and nearly burned the house down!! I guess our poor overworked brains are so busy keeping us upright that they've not got time to remember stuff as well!

Ann

Yes I can totally relate to that, I also find I have to write most things down these days otherwise I'll forget. It can actually be quite a nightmare at times, even though I try to see the funny side... generally with Lab's I feel that people must think i'm going mad or something (I certainly feel that way!).

Yes yes yes. I call it brain fog. Am v v dippy most of the time, forget things, feel v spaced. Its like having a head packed with cotton wool then tryign to think through it. All part of this ****! xxx

Thanks for the replies everyone.....and guess what? I've just arrived at the University only to realise I've either lost or misplaced a USB flash hard disk worth about 200 bucks. Let the good times roll!!

Scott

Laughing lots - that cheered me after a particularly awful day! Off to bed with my hot water bottle and some paracetomol!!!! Thinking of all my fellow head monster survivors xxx

Hi Em,

Yours made me laugh too! Misa and I have been using the hot water bottles for the last few weeks here with the cold and just last night I said, "this is crazy...nobody else takes hot water bottles to bed with them!" - LOL.

Scott xx

Oh yes I do! And I even have a cherry stone heated pillow!!! Got my NLP this aft. Hes gonna love me...not....a streaming cold, look like nothing on earth and have had a couple of v stressful days with a few things...I wonder if he has 10 hours????

xxx ;)

Hi - I forget things, like things that I'll be thinking about and will forget what it was that I was thinking about (doe that even make sense!). I put it down to being unable to concentrate. Makes you feel like you are loosing your marbles...

Also, colds seem to aggrevate all my symptoms ; as I work in an office with no ventillation save the air conditioning (ie ; we can't open windows) everybody has a cold pretty much all the time. This of course makes me feel awfull as I'm hardly ever without cold syptoms. I know it isn't an allergy as I have never really been ill before this!

Hope you all start to feel better soon!

Scott - hope you are doing ok. Wil be in touch soon. LOVED the things you sent. V V V interesting. Still not at all well, its 2pm here, been asleep til now, just had some lunch and thought id quickly post. Still got this nasty nasty cold thing, like flu, feel exhausted...

Staggered to the thing yest (am getting paranoid and dont want to mention names etc) and it was most bizarre. Not like CBT at all. Had to imagine my lab experience on a screen infront of me and notice what would have mad eit easier...I said support etc - so he had me imagine someone who had been through it being there with me every step....then he had me imagine LL, my ENT and Ilia in the room and them sunbeaming their advice and thoughts onto me!!! Oh dear I hear you say...

He also said have you ever had this dizziness before you got lab? And I was like this is not psychological!!!!! I think this therapy believes in mind over matter which I am not so sure about when it comes to illness with a physical cause...

What made it particularly bad was that he had no idea of lab or inner ear so I felt a freak telling him my weird symptoms. Just hope I get to london quick and get some cbt there.

Back off to bed...xxx :wave:

Hi Em,

Had a chuckle listening to your experience with the NLP people. Sounded interesting and who knows, maybe some mind work can help you overcome this thing or at least speed recovery regardless of what caused it. I'm convinced of a mind body connection - no question....just look at what happens when you are embarrassed...your face can turn red in an instant...or when you are nervous...the stomach starts churning! Misa and I have started doing meditation every night for 30 minutes. I'll let you know if anything comes out of it.

Really sorry to hear about your cold. Well... next time you have to imagine someone next to you with a cold (if it happens ;)), it could be me because my nose is also running like a tap and my neck is so tensed up with nose blowing and everything else, it's just horrible. Major pain behind my eyes for two days straight....total fog. And worse, I got hit with a wave of depression last night!! That was a first for 2 months. Last night I had the heart palp thing again with some movement going on in the room (about 3 am) and now today, it all seems to have faded again. Just bizarre stuff. I'm not surprised that my lab symptoms were aggravated with this cold but disappointed that it can STILL happen after feeling quite OK for 8 weeks or so now. At least I'm not scared by it like I used to be....maybe that's why it's fading quickly....hope so.

Take care Em....you're overdue for a major clear patch....it's coming!

Scott xx

Thanks scott...agree with mind-body link for some things but not for healing the body from labyrinthitis. Plain and simple - the brain has to take over - it has nothing to do with my mind :)!!...Anxiety and psycho-physiological things v different story...but I dont believe say, someone can survive cancer via NLP. Cope maybe but not heal.

Didnt like the NLP thing, CBT sounds far better.

Gosh you're having a rough time too...wrap up and hope you feel better soon xxx

Hey Em,

Hope you didn't think I meant it was all in your mind with what I wrote. Not at all....sorry if that was the impression. Def, def agree, that the brain has to sort out/mend the mixed up signals coming from the damaged inner ear cells. I was trying to say that perhaps with meditation or other types of "mindful" activity (even NLP) that it sets up the best possible environment for recovery and might even aid the brain in making a recovery/sorting out the mess - even in cancer patients. I know there are a bunch of good solid studies out there that have shown massive healthy physiological changes in cancer patients who took up some form of meditation.

Hope that nose is drying up for you today. I'm cool again this morning and starting to feel more like I did before the cold again - phew!

Glad the articles were useful. Let me know if anything else grabs your attention.

Scott x

Hi Board,

When my head symptoms are really bothering me, I sometimes find myself acting and reacting as if I am "not all there", meaning that I will suddenly stop in mid-sentence during a conversation because I forgot what I was saying or can't find the right word to use. Or if someone is saying something to me, it seems like it goes in one ear and out the other - just can't remember or concentrate enough to follow the conversation. I am up front about it now, so the people that know what I deal with understand and just repeat what I missed or reminded me what I forgot. It's not a big deal any more, but I don't like feeling "dense" because I'm a very sharp person.

In addition, when my symptoms are very noticeable, I find myself very jumpy -like when I am driving and a leaf blows in front of my car, I hit the brakes too hard. I think this happens (my jumpiness and easily startled mood with increased symptoms) because in the past I used to not trust my instincts (for lack of a better term) when I was very symptomatic - because sometimes things weren't always what they seemed - meaning that sometimes I thought things (or me) was moving, when they weren't. So, I tend to startle very quickly when my symptoms are more pronounced. I remind myself it's okay when I get like this, and just tell myself that "it's just my head".

And most times when I am feeling my symptoms (almost every day on some level), I feel "foggy" - like seeing or thinking through plastic, without the visual effect, if that makes sense.

Wishing everyone a clear day. :)