Well, if you have been depressed or a little down, that can affect your memory too. I've only been dx'd a little over a year....think fatigue can also be a factor, when I am real tired the brain shuts down. Take care.

I told the doc the same thing but I knew it was from lack of sleep since I get up quite a bit to use the restroom. He gave me a B12 shot & I feel alot better....we don't absorb nutrients like everyone else does from food and then add on stress; its a recipe for disaster! Hope you feel better soon!!!

Which medications are you on?

I think our minds get so consumed with medical jargon and thinking about the what ifs that we are to exhausted to remember much else.

Lialda, just stopped prednisone, and Remicade

100 percent I believe that the prednisone I am on has given me memory loss. Sometimes I also find it very difficult to understand what people are tryng to communicate to me. I've been on 60 mg since Jan.

Prednisone gave me fogginess. Remicade gave me a huge memory loss and short term memory deficiency. It was the main reason that I switched to Humira before ultimately getting surgery. Remicade had me so messed up that I couldn't remember how old I was or which soap to wash my face with. It was an extreme case and the docs/company all claimed they had never heard of it, but I know it was the Remicade. I would just walk around straight stupid on that drug. I still have memory issues, but not nearly that badly. It's things like I'll double check to make sure I locked the door or turned the stove off. It has gotten better though. I'm about a year and a half past surgery and about 2 years since I've taken the Remicade and I've finally just noticed a difference that I'm double checking less than I used to. Surgery is worth it to be rid of that irritation alone. Good luck.

I kinda thought it was the Remicade too...This week would be my infusion, but I was instructed to stop taking the Remicade because it is causing my brain to swell and give me migrains and its possible to get aseptic menengitis....So needless to say no more remicade for me, possibly start the prednisone again to float me until surgery which is in 20 days, not like I'm counting ;)
Thanks for your help!

YES!!! I am so glad I found this site. I have this problem as well.

Eek. I'm a little scared now because I'm supposed to start Remicade within a week and my brain is already foggy! I appreciate the heads up though so if more fogginess happens I won't freak out.

Yes, I went to a neurologist as well and had scans done and an EEG and was told to stop taking it immediately. (I had already made that decision). It will go away, just give it time and be patient with yourself.

I went to a neuro also because of the migraines i was having, thats when he told me to stop taking remicade because he thinks that its making my brain swell and it could give me aseptic menengistis... but the only way to test that is to have a spinal tap... Eeekkk
Pretty soon is the surgery and no more meds!

Mine was drug induced MS. Some crazy stuff. But you definitely KNOW that something is wrong - it's not like hmmm I wonder if I'm imagining that....Surgery is amazing once you get through it. I'm excited for you. Check out the J Pouch group on here - it's a spinoff of this one.

Not a bad idea to request bloodwork. Vitamin B12 deficiency can create memory loss. If you're not taking a B12 supplement I would (provided your doc thinks it's a good idea). Do some research on the best way to take it though - I've read it's best to take with B6 at the same time. I take an inexpensive B12, B6, Folic acid combo that I got at Trader Joe's.

Anxiety and depression symptoms can also lead to memory loss. In fact, the more insight your have about your memory issues, the more likely it's caused by psychological factors. People with organic memory loss often aren't aware of the problems. When you're mood is off it can get in the way of your ability to attend to things that you would normally focus on with no problem. Inattention can cause what seems like memory loss - when really you just aren't encoding the information efficiently.

I've worked with some great neuropsychologists at University of Chicago and that's what I learned from them, for whatever that's worth. Hope it's helpful.

Thanks for the advice and help everyone!