Hi, I was diagnosed with RRMS last month. Still not started any treatment as waiting for an appointment but I was wondering, has anyone experienced short term memory loss and confusion? I know that these are supposed to be symptoms of this disease for some of us, but can anyone tell me if cognitive function has improved for them since starting medication? I know it’s different for everyone but, if you have experienced this and then started medication, could you tell me if there was any improvement for you? I’m so worried I’ll behave like I have dementia forever! Love, me xx
hi just me
sorry but i’m going to say do not get stressed about it.
the more i try to remember the worse i get.
sorry because you’re in a stressful situation and i say don’t get stressed.
it’s true though, stress is the enemy.
it may or may not improve with medication but will only get worse with stress.
mindfulness medication helps ask your gp if he/she can refer you to a course.
carole x
I don’t know.
A few entirely non-expert thoughts though: there is a lot going on right now and it probably isn’t going to be easy to tease out what is causing what. You are dealing with all the stress and upset of a life-changing dx and that might well be temporarily affecting your thought processes in powerful ways. You might have a fair bit of disease activity going on - and many people find, in the early stages of RRMS at least, that most relapses heal fairly well or completely over time. It might be that MS has been doing its stealthy work in your brain for some time now and that it has taken the edge off your memory and processing speeds in a way that you might be stuck with - to some degree at least. All, any or none of these things, singly or in combination, might be at work. It is too early to tell, and you might never.
However, it does seem clear to me that the best way to give yourself the best chance of getting and staying as well as you can is to get on a DMD that is effective for you and that keeps your MS at bay - I am glad that you have it in mind to do this. My own philosophy is to concentrate on the bit I have some control over (taking medication and trying to stay healthy) and to shrug and take the rest as it comes…on the grounds that there’s nothing I can do about it anyway!
Good luck with it all.
Alison
Hi
I think you’ve answered your own question, by saying “it’s different for everyone”, that’s the truth of it. It’s kind of impossible for anyone to know whether your cognitive problems will remit or not. And that will include your MS nurse and neurologist.
Cognitive problems are difficult to treat with drugs. And of course DMDs aren’t designed to help with day to day symptoms, but with prevention of relapses. But some drugs you might be offered could help. If you suffer fatigue, then you might find a drug to help fatigue will also help with cognition, especially if you can persuade a neurologist to prescribe Modafinil (this is off label and most neuros don’t like to prescribe it any more!).
Remission of a relapse is likely to help at least some extent.
Reduction of stress as Carole has said may also help. And as you get beyond the first few months of diagnosis, you may find your stress level improves.
Also, you can manage things like memory trouble by keeping records, diaries, calendars, notes, etc. Today’s world of smart phones and tablets with all the apps you can imagine are a total boon to the memory challenged! Personally, I use a calendar for everything, keep a health diary, use reminders with alerts, a notes app, I can’t remember what else!!
Sue