# Caretaking question?



## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

My 66 year old sister suddenly lost all of her short term memory a few months ago. She lives with her husband not far from me...about 6 miles. The neurologist she has been seeing cannot figure out what the problem is and or what caused the memory loss. The doctor is sending a referral to Barrows Institute in Phoenix to see if they will take on her case.

Now the question: Sis's IQ is intact, she can still do all the activities of daily living except driving as it was discovered that she is having some absence seizure activity unrelated to the memory loss. Have any of you experienced such a thing or had a spouse experience such a thing? She has trouble making decisions as she forgets the question etc. Obviously she is frustrated and fearful as she goes through all the stages of grief over this loss. She has been an RN for the past 45 years and this just happened suddenly one week. No evidence of Alzheimer's or any other brain disease that would show up on an MRI or EEG. What can I do besides continue to encourage her to stay active and realize that her life will go on? Thanks in advance. Sis


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

No suggestion here. Just a comment. If they don't know what is causing the memory loss, how can they say that the seizures are unrelated?


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

Maybe because they have the seizures stopped and there is no change in memory function???


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Any new medications? Perhaps thats how they stopped the seizures and the 'cure' is affecting her memory.

When something suddenly goes, its usually because something new (like a medicine) was introduced to the person


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

nope nothing newer than the anti seizure they began after the memory was already gone.


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