Short-term memory difficulty in ESRF?

[kristina]

Hello, I have another question:

Do ESRF-patients sometimes experience a short-term memory difficulty shortly before
their end-stage-kidney-failure necessitates the start of dialysis?
I am wondering about this, because "usually" I am very much spot-on with my memory
and "usually" I hardly ever miss anything, but these days my memory leaves lots to be desired...

Thanks from Kristina.

[Michael Murphy]

I read your post and it made me curious so I did a google search memory problems with edrd.  The bad news is there were several articles describing this symptom.  (I wold talk to your Doctor about this) The good news is I now have a excuse when my wife is unhappy that I forgot something.

[MooseMom]

Kristina, my husband and I were talking about this very thing just last night, but HE was the one who was worried about his memory and HE was the one who was saying that he used to be so mentally quick but now is not so much.  He is not the one with kidney disease, but he is getting older and so has to fit more "stuff" into his brain.

Sure, esrd can cause cognitive problems, but lots of things can cause changes in memory.  I imagine you are under a significant amount of stress these days.  I know that now that you are seriously underway in your transplant preparations, you have much more on your mind.  Perhaps this might be the cause for some of your memory lapses?

[kristina]

Thank you Michael and thank you MM for your kind replies.
It could well be that my "grey-cells" are getting a little overcrowded these days
and I have to fit in so much more "stuff" and information into my "grey cells" at the moment...
... And it is true that my transplant preparations are getting seriously under way soon
and that is very much on my mind, because my husband wants to donate one of his kidneys
and I do hope he is not taking too much of a risk there...

[Michael Murphy]

I also should add that after my heart attack I was put on beta blockers and I became dumber,  Im a UNIX admin at least I was until I retired and my whole career was based on remembering huge amounts of tech trivia. Suddenly it was like I was stupid I could not put together facts and come to a logical conclusion.  I went to my doctor told him one of the many pills he had prescribed had to be a dumber pill.  He had me stop the beta blockers and over the next week I felt myself becoming smarter.  A strange feeling that was.  However the moral is if you are showing symptoms of any sort the person to tell is your doctor it could be the medicine you have been prescribed.

[talker]

(I do use coconut oil and have posted articles on my blog)(Also use coconut oil with oil of Oregano to keep my fistula surface in good shape)

(from) CoconutOil.com
Comments :My daughter told me about coconut oil after I started suffering severe and disturbing memory loss and brain fog to the point that I could barely have a conversation with anyone. I’ve been using it for over a year now and am very pleased to be myself again. The fog is gone and I’m able to drive safely again. I’ve been able to resume my hobbies: knitting and crochet because I can read and remember the patterns now. I use 3 or 4 TBSP per day, stirred into my coffee. I use organic virgin coconut oil which I order online because my small town doesn’t have it. Over time, I found an additional benefit: my joints have stopped cracking all the time and I’m much more flexible once again. I’m 65 years old. My father died after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Therefore, I am dedicated to trying to avoid developing it myself now that they have discovered there is likely a genetic link to the disease. To anyone who decides to try the oil, be patient. Not everyone has a rapid response. It was almost a week until I noticed a difference, and a month before I actually felt “normal”. Best wishes to anyone struggling with memory loss or who has a loved one who is struggling with it. Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s Research -
See more at: http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/coconut-oil-lifts-brain-fog-and-stops-memory-loss-for-65-year-old-women/#sthash.HstoptUd.dpuf

[MooseMom]

Kristina, you are exercising your brain by continuing with your music studies.  If you see continue to see progress in this regard and are still able to learn and enjoy your music, well, that's a lot more than a lot of people with ESRD can do!  I think you are doing really well!

[kristina]

Hello Michael, I am very sorry that you also had to go through the beta-blocker-experience.
I was once put on “Atenolol” for a few years and it made me very slow with my thinking and very lethargic
with ice-cold feet and ice-cold hands, whilst at the same time my high blood pressure got more and more out of control.
The doctors told me that I “was imagining these symptoms” and to prove their point they exchanged “Atenolol” with “Oxprenolol”,
but the new medication produced exactly the same symptoms,
because it was exactly the same beta-blocker but produced by another company... 
...Unfortunately for me, that was still in the days of no computers and I had no chance to check-it-up.
It took me ages to find out that “Oxprenolol” was actually “Atenolol” but produced by another company...
...unfortunately, by that time my blood pressure had gone irreversibly out of control and I suffered a stroke...

Thank you, talker for the interesting information about Coconut oil.
I shall try it out and perhaps use it in my green salads... I also have noticed that regular cross-word-puzzles
do assist to keep “the grey cells” a little keener to continue and be alert...

Thanks MM for your kind thoughts. It is true that I am still learning a lot about music
and how to play the piano and I certainly can see some progress with my continuous studies.
It is also great fun and I shall always keep it as my favourite hobby.
Perhaps I was recently getting a little “overcrowded”,
because I did not quite know the next steps and how things would develop,
especially after I realized that “my two little fighters” are not getting any better with their function anymore...
... Having consulted with the nephrologist helped me to see the future a little clearer
and it also helped me a lot to “untangle” the confusion and uncertainty...

Thanks again from Kristina.

[amanda100wilson]

This question always make me think of a 90's song by Chumbawumba.  First line "do you suffer from short term memory loss?  ... I can't remember...."  Always makes me smile but Yes I do, most definately.  Now what was the question?   

[kristina]

Very good, Amanda! You had me in stitches
and I appreciate that wonderful little twinkle !

Best wishes from Kristina. 

[skinnacat]

hi kristina
oh man my brain does not work well...in fact of the very high creatintine levels
thats the symptom that bothers me the most...i just feel weird and cant recall stuff like im supposed too
my brain feels like its swimming in water or something....i tell my coworkers i have kidney brain
its getting close to the end now..my creatinine levels jumped from 5.1 to 5.9 in just one month
so looks like i wont be making it to xmas with no dilaysis...oh well i sure did try....i have doc app
the beginning of dec so i am sure i will be getting the catheter for pd put in my tummy
its just alot of stress and i am starting to really not feel to hot anymore

[kristina]

Thanks skinnacat,
I hope with you, that you "can make it" 'till Christmas without needing dialysis
and hopefully your Creatinine gets better again.

The reason for my enquiring how other pre-dialysis people are doing "brain-wise" is,
that I had recently a phone call on Friday midday for an urgent appointment on Monday morning
and when Monday arrived, I had completely forgotten this phone call on Friday for the appointment on Monday morning
and I missed the appointment completely ...
That is extremely unusual for me, because "usually" I don't even have to write down my appointments,
because I remember "usually" every appointment I have at all times...

Perhaps my Urea-levels give me a reason to write every appointment into my diary from now on...

[skinnacat]

if i can ask...how close are you to starting dialysis??
do you know what your creatinine levels are at??
i am not feeling good at this point

[Zero]

A month ago I was uremic and didn't know.  I was used to being like that for months.  Some days I was normal and on bad days I would forget the simplest things and was unable to play with the kids after work. I feel awesome now btw.

[kristina]

Thank you skinnacat and Zero.
To be quite honest, I don't know yet, how close I am to dialysis,
because my Creatinine and my Urea go up a little and then they go down again...
So, it is a continous process and it would seem that my body and I are not quite "needy enough" for dialysis yet...
My hope is, though, that I may be able to hold on at least until February 2015,
because that would be the earliest for me to be considered for my transplant...
... I was also very anaemic and have to build-up my Epo better to be able and feel a little better
and at the moment the doctors "gage" how much Epo I need to inject myself with regularly to feel better...
Thanks again from Kristina.

[skinnacat]

well i wanted to share with you that i have been pretty
sick lately....very high creatinine levels...so my doc put a rush
on me getting my catheter for pd...and today i had the surgery...and wow theres alot of pain
afterwards....
 

[jeannea]

Skinnacat, after my PD cath insertion, I thought the worst pain was at the hole for the laparoscopy camera. The pain gets better soon. Hang in there. Swear a lot. Take whatever pain pill you're allowed to take.

[chook]

I have always had a bad memory but think it became worse as my idney function dropped and improved post tx. Still not good though   
Sympathies to Skinnacat on your PD cath insertion. I well remember the discomfort of having my PD cath put in. I'd searched for info on it and was expecting it to be pretty much all over in the one day. I have polycystic kidneys and think they may have taken a few bumps during the insertion. Took me about ten days to get back up to scratch. Hope you are feeling better soon and best of luck with PD.

[skinnacat]

thanks so much....yes the pain is pretty bad...especially inside...where they put the tube
the doc must have moved it around alot cuz in some ways that hurts worse than the actual incision spot
on my tummy...but i will get through it somehow....still sucks though..lol

[Zero]

I had a a pd  cath placed and removed twice. I currently am on he mo and don't have a pd cath. I do remember the pain though,so  it was lathroscopic or however you say that so my recovery was really quick.  Still hurt like doing a million crunches (never done that fyi) but if I was doing pd I think the pain and surgery cons are very minor compared to how well you feel once the toxins are out of 5

[cassandra]

Well said Zero! Dear Skinnacat you will feel better soon!

Keep strong, lots of luck, and love, Cas

[cassandra]

Oops there I nearly forgot the original question about memory. Mine is still great, I think I must have started from a very high point some decades ago. But I do have a tendency to forget all the horrible, or painfull, or scary things that have happened to me. That's to make space for the good stuff I'd say.

[dublin]

Hi dublin here i have the same problem before i was sick i was ok at remembering stuff no brain box but ok since i was and am ill i have asked the same questions about it and was told and am being told it comes with this illness when i started dialysis the next morning after being kept in hospital thats when it started for me the memory loss they said it was because i was so bad at the time kidneys both of them were working at 6% but when you and i and many others get the transplant done the memory comes back so i was told and have heard this of a few people who had transplants so please dont worry about it , have a great life.

Regards

Dublin

[kristina]

Thank you all for your kind replies, they are very much appreciated.

I do hope very much that skinnacat feels better?
My thoughts are similar as Cassandra:  I also tend to forget horrible and painful things very quickly
so that my memory has enough space for all the good things to remember...
Many thanks for your kind explanation about memory problems in ESRF, dublin, chook and Zero...

Kind regards  and thanks again from Kristina.

[OlManRivah]

  Interesting subject, Memory loss.

I too am losing short term memory.
Can't blame dialysis. Been on for 3 years and just started getting bad recently.
Can't blame stress.  I don't dwell on the bad stuff.
Getting older.. ..BINGO!