Hi
I have memory problems, mainly short term and from around the time of my trauma. I had a lot of word-finding problems for a couple of years, and we weren't sure if it was due to head injury, the pain medication, or lack of sleep/PTSD. It was so embarrassing for me as one of my key skills has always been communication. It got a lot better and then I had a bad week last week (alone, partner away, no sleep, pain, medication again) and it got really bad again - losing words multiple times in the space of an hour. It was awful and I was so upset that it had come back. It seems to be improving again, but as I am still not sure if it is PTSD or the pain meds, I have been opting for pain the last few weeks as I've had to do a lot of presentations, and it would be awful if I lost words there (at my new job, hardly anyone knows).

The other weird memory thing is that my trauma was around the time of a loved ones birthday, and for a whole year I couldn't remember this person's birthday! I didn't realise why. Then one day I saw the diary for that week and realised that I had somehow hidden this memory. Even now, when I know, I have to think 'ah, her birthday is next to the trauma, so that means it is trauma-1'.

I can remember the names of people I met once at a conference from before the trauma, but not the person who sits next to me every day!

I think sometimes I lose whole days and weeks because if alone I can do nothing but eat my nails and gaze into space for whole days. Not surprising I can't remember anything about it.

Worst thing is, I used to be great on pub quiz teams... and now I'm hopeless.