Having trouble remembering things! - General Health Message Board

James925 · 06-01-2005, 11:51 PM

I have a problem of not being able to remember things. When friends talk to me about something, i'll forget things in the conversations which pretty much make the entire conversation useless. One of my friends is tired of repeating herself to me when i ask things over. She then just gives up and i lose out on important things she had to say.

I have similar problems at work when co-workers or my boss ask me to do things and then i sometimes forget details of the task. But it's easier to deal with at work because i can take notes on what to do. But when talking informally to friends, i can't just whip out a pen a notepad taking notes on what my friends have to say.

I don't know what to do. It's seriously taking a toll on me and my social life. How do i re-stimulate my brain so that it can remember? diet, exercise, etc.? Also what is the appropriate section to post this in?

P00hbear · 06-02-2005, 12:01 AM

My husand has the same problem though not as bad during the conversational part (however, he is not really all that social so maybe that is why). I have heard that Ginko Biloba is supposed to help. He has worked over the years at focusing more and is better for the most part, but still has major difficulty remembering from one day to the next. He did not take the Ginko Biloba seriously but I have heard from more than one person that it helps. It is a herb you can buy pretty much anywhere. I am sure it is not a cure-all and if you tried it you would still need to try some other things.

What is happening when your friends are talking? Does your mind drift at all and are you thinking of other things? If not, and you simply just can't recall, make sure they know that you do care and that you are working on it but that it is a real problem for you.

Good luck and let us know...

James925 · 06-03-2005, 12:00 AM

There are plenty of times where i don't forget but the times that i do is what really bothers me. In conversations, they usually contain the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY but sometimes i'll miss one of them and it throws me off. Other times, i'll get the whole story but maybe the next day or the following week or so, i won't be able to recall a certain part. For instance if i ask, "WHO was that again?" they'll respond with a name and i'll say, "Oh yea, now i remember." I was always one who couldn't do fill-in-the-blanks on tests, i was more of a multiple-choice kinda person, and thats the way i feel in real life situations.

And yes, my mind sometimes drifts when i'm talking to people.

Thanks for the advice