Sure do. So decided had to look at it in a positive way. What have I gained? Seldom watch a repeat on tv, hubby may be word perfect in it.So much is new again as cant remember before, that isnt always easy. Have doubles of items as forgot bought other, so when one wears out, there, another to replace it. This of course doesnt always work, and aware of what we have lost, but am trying. Right now I have a very painful leg. feels like I twisted my knee, but nope, cant remember doing anything as I limp about. Drs look when you say dont remember, and you have to go through it all again if not your Dr. Dont like that bit. And some things in life are best forgotten, that we can often do.

I know this is hard for you Elanie because I know how hard it is for Larry. But as Aust said, there are some advantages for him as he doesnt remember movies as well so ones we watched 10 years ago are new for him. I have just learned not to say, "Dont you remember????? as I know it makes him feel bad about himself. I hope those around you are as considerate as you deserve.

Every moment of every day!!!!

I now have a perpetual "sheepish" look on my face, as I embarrass myself. Every interaction with a peer, has me being corrected at least once.

I used to be right. Now I'm a liability.

Ironically, after writing this, just a few hours later, I cannot find some medical info I need.

It drives me bananas that I'm constantly losing stuff.

My tbi happened in infancy, so i went through life 'thinking' i had an extremely poor memory, but then would ace almost every exam when i was in school. What i have learned is that the TBI didn't affect memory as much as it affected 'recollection'. It seems that memories are stored in every cell of our body while recollection is one of the processing functions of the brain.

Reminders always seem to trigger my memories, so i have counted on this for getting by. So far, so good. (49 years out).

yep me too and then just for fun every now and again i think I am doing better just to be reminded soon after that I'm not really and I never will be. Oh well it could be worse and we have to remember that and it always could have been worse. We've made great recoveries and we should be glad for what we can do, not down about what we can't do but I know how it is. The fact that it could be worse helps me laugh at it, its better than crying right

hey Elaine, just thinking if you are often losing stuff have you started to make a conscious effort to always put things back were they belong. I know this may sound stupid but I find if I am very strict with myself about always putting things were they belong, they are easier to find again. There will always be things you put away wrong or just don't think what you are doing when you put them down but if you do get strict with yourself and always put things back where they belong it helps allot.
Can be good to sort out all your papers in to a couple of folders or however many you need to the next time you need any papers you know exactly where they will be. Keep things all together so it becomes easier to sort through them. good luck

yes, my difficulty with my memory has proven slightly problematic for me. I often have trouble thinking of things off the cuff, but sometimes with some clues to help me remember it makes it easier. My friend and I were discussing this the other day. It is frustrating, because the memory is often there, I just have trouble accessing it when I need it. I have found that in testing situations, I am often better at multiple choice tests, than essay questions. Sometimes people get frustrated with me, because I rent the same movies over and over again, not realising that we have watched them before, but it can be kind of nice for me, because I can watch movies from my own collection and not really remember for sure what is going to happen. I found that drinking really effects my mental processes, so for me that is a no no.

I was just thinking about that today. After 6+ yrs. recovery, at first my mem. was getting better w/ fish oil pills. Overall its better, but still forgetting some!

I don't even remember how my memory used to function. I can only assume it was better since I'm wearing pants in my old photos and I held down a job for 13+ years.

I'm content with making new memories and laughing at myself when I forget the little things (like pants).

I understand Lanie... hate it too...in fact of all the injuries I received from the MVC, my memory loss is the one that upsets me the most.

As Nat said, be extra cognizant of where you put things each and every time. I am very strict with myself that I put things in the same place each time..I follow strict routines with certain things, all in the name of dealing with my memory loss. It's just how we have to cope now.

Hi again Lanie. I dont mean to sound glib, but I do miss my old memory too at age 56 ( and as far as I know I don't have a brain injury- other than sport related concussions and injuries which apparently add up) ). My wife Donna does though and her memory of course has been significantly affected. She is pretty good at remembering people's faces, and used to remember names like a politician. My brain just aint as quick as it used to be. Sometimes I'll strain to remember a persons name or the name of a place and it'll pop into my head 5 or 10 minutes later, which of course is usually too late. Donna has the memories in there too she just cant find them.( without some assistance) I like Drambulle's answer. Anyway, you're certainly not alone and don't be too hard on yourself if you need to write things down or ask point blank... I forget your name. ..Life is not a memory test and there are no marks awarded at the end for memory. Marks are awarded for being loving and truthful. I'm sure you're doing fine there !Take care :)

The hard thing right now is that our house is a construction zone. So things are constantly moved from room to room. Pre-TBI this would have been no problem for me. But with the TBI, sheesh, it's a constant strain on my abilities.

On a good day, I can joke and say, ok, this is just preparation for what work will be like. On bad days, I spend hours walking around my house trying to find something.

This bothers me too. I've been watching this post for a while I wanted to make sure I gave it a great deal of thought before responding.

I think we are harder on ourselves than many of the folks we come in contact with. In the beginning of our recoveries we were graded by our memory or the lack of retention. It was put to us as if the #1 thing wrong with most of us.

We were judged by everyone doctors or not. I had a really hard time with that because when someone who didn't have a BI forgot something it was fine or even funny but...not when I forgot. Talk about a double standard!

Maritimer is right! With age memory loss is normal as well as accepted as normal. I believe he he makes some great points.

All any of us can do is...do the best we can.

I feel for you Lanie...when things are out of order I struggle more too!!

Sporty, I love your perception of things. You always make me think about everything a little bit harder and in a different perspective than I did before. I think you are right on!

I miss my good memory too. I work so much harder everyday than others around me, yet I never let anyone know the struggle. But we do judge ourselves a lot harder than others do. At least I do. I have learned many new strategies to keep up in this world since my injury.