How was your memory after OHS?

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Dale 1

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Messages
49
Location
I live outside of Boston, MA, USA.
Hi,

I'm five months out from my surgery (BAVR and aortic grafting) and feeling very well. I still don't have as much energy as I would like, and I need more sleep than I usually manage to get, but, all things considered, I'm doing great.

What's not so great is my short-term memory. I've had some difficulty recognizing faces, especially if someone is wearing a hat or has change their hairdo. And my memory is absolutely awful for things I have to get done (like, unfortunately, paying bills). Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, did it go away?
 
There have been Many Posts on the subject of Memory / Cognitive Loss following OHS, and a few studies.

The results are mixed. I don't remember the details :-( I suggest doing a Search on VR.com (see the Red Line above, type in keyword "memory" and/or "cognitive". Be sure to scroll down and select "Any Date" in the lower left hand box under "Advanced Search". That should keep you busy for a while !

'AL C'
 
I'm sorry I forgot what we were talking about.
Seriously some people have this worse than others and for the most part it seems that it clears up. The problem happens when this "Pumphead" thing attacks at the same time in life that senior moments start to happen.

There are some great memory games that help out as therapy.
 
Memory

Memory

As others have noted, "pumphead" has been a topic here often. If I remember correctly, formal studies have proved inconclusive. Still, many here have reported problems with short term memory loss.

I'm not sure if the memory loss is a result of being on the heart-lung machine or the response of one's body focusing on more important things following surgery. I suspect there may be a tendancy for the brain to just not put much importance on remembering things that it doesn't really significant following the traumas associated with OHS. Of course, the memory loss thing could simply be the result of the brain being subjected to the drugs OHS requires. But, of course, all of this this is simply speculation.

I sounds pretty silly to make a comment about not remembering anything about having memory loss aster surgery. Any memory loss that I had pales in significance when I consider the short term memory issues I've had after getting my head bounced off a car during a hit & run accident last June. After the accident, I lost the entire month of July and I still encounter issues from time to time.

-Philip
 
I am currently 3.5 weeks out and I am not back to work yet, which will be the real test, but I seem to be about the same as before surgery. But, I felt like I had "pumphead" to some degree before surgery! I am sure it is just my 50 year old self being not quite as sharp as I once was.
 
I make a "do list" for the next day before I go to bed darn near every night. As for faces and names.....I've always been bad for that and I have no excuses.
 
kpearse said:
I still can't remember sometimes. Like right in the middle of a sentence. lol I kind of gotten used to it. Pisses off my wife, and my kids seem to think it's funny.
Click to expand...
Yes, this is how it was/is with me. I will have difficulty finding the exact word I intended to use,and will have to use an imperfect synonym. Though I am also hypothyroid,so I am not sure which is the cause.

I know that short term memory loss is common after OHS, but I don't know about the difficulty recognizing faces,
I take it this is not something you have ever experienced before surgery(like Freddie)?
 
That's right, Dina, I'm usually very good with faces. I'm wondering when this will all go away, assuming it will. I've read the articles etc. on pumphead, but I wanted to hear from people who've experienced this problem and find out whether it got better, and when.
 
Hi Dale,

I often have trouble finding the perfect or most precise word when I know one exists. It will often be be on the tip of my tongue and I can't find it until a few minutes later. But my memory and some of the issues I had right after surgery have improved over time (months and maybe years? after OHS). Still I think there can be lingering issues, that I just deal with it.
I have read here that people attribute this memory loss to the trauma of surgery, anesthesia, other drugs, the perfusion process, or the rate of re-heating of the body after OHS, but I wonder if our brains might suffer some type of mini stroke or a minor oxygen deprivation that kills a few brain cells. Oh well, at this point whatever I have suffered was worth the cost for my new life provided by my new valve.
Best,
John
 
Dale 1 said:
Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, did it go away?
Click to expand...

To some degree, I have ... and it hasn't gone away completely....

Although ... I don't tend to forget bills ... I have a list in a regular spot in my files that I put all bills and pull out twice a month to make sure all are paid on time.

But, I do sometimes forget things that happened just a while ago. It's kinda weird; I can remember every detail of something upteen years ago, but trying to remember what I had for dinner or lunch is sometimes ... well, frustratingly not easy.



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"It's coming down to nothing more than apathy" ... The Fray ... 'Over My Head'
 
I am 2 months out and although physically I feel well, mentally I am definitely not there yet. Short term memory is not great and I sometimes have trouble concentrating for periods of time. I do think it is getting better though little by little
Nick
 
I understand

I understand

Funny Story,

Had both my AVR and MVR in Mid October, back to work about 5 weeks later. 6th week, felt well enough to make calls. Visited a cutomer in KY, and chatted on a shipping dock for about 20 minutes with a very freindly person. We were laughing it up, having a good time, and then, at the end of the conversation, I asked to see my customer.....she looks at me, mentions my name, and says I am your customer (Name omitted, just in case)

Felt embarassed, but was good for more laughs.

Today, almost 6 months past surgery, still get hung up from time to time, but appears to getting better.

Hang in there, eventually you will get it all back.
 
My AVR was in 2007. I do Continue to have some occasions of problems with word retrieval, memory difficulties. Sometimes better than others.. still trying to figure this out-for a while had thought it was side effects from medications..It is tricky to really differentiate what is new since surgery and what may have been present prior...I feel as though things are worse now but life is different as well (more challenging-mentally).. give it time, you are only 5 months out. Hope u are feeling better...
 
I am two years out and still have problems. On one occasion I could not introduce my wife because I could not remember her name. It been sorta like the 60's without the LSD. It does get better (I think).
 
Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. I really appreciate it. I asked one of my doctors about it, and he said it would "probably" come back. Not what I wanted to hear! I'll have to figure out even more memory tricks to get me through this, while I will it to be better!
 
I was somewhat that way prior to surgery. Worse after and two years later still not too good. Of course I have the age factor to consider as well.
I too find it's my short term memory. This morning I was looking for something that I hadn't used in some time and right away I knew it was in a box somewhere. Jules and I started our box hunting and I did find it pretty quickly in a box. Sometimes I can not place faces, names and what I ate yesterday. Good luck
Marie
 
I'm at an age (56) where I don't know what to attribute to my surgery or to my age. It's been nine years since my surgery and there are still times when I have short-term memory issues or just feel "confused". I work in a very mentally-stimulating job, which probably helps, but it still concerns me at times.
Mark
 
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