Yep, the struggle is real people. The stories are true. The effect is mind blowing, really. Your memory takes a nose dive with PTSD. Well, at lest mine has.
You kow those times that you go to another room, say the kitchen, and as soon as you get there, you forget what you were going to get? Well, I don’t even have to get up off the couch now and I have already forgot what I was planning to get once I got up from the couch and go to the kitchen…… Yes, it is that bad. I can easily go a whole day with this scenario playing out every hour on the hour, if not more often than that.
From what I understand, it has to do with the fact that the PTSD has kind of rewired your brain to work differently as you are enveloped by the trauma, side effects, syptoms and all around fun that it brings. Remembering what you need to do is the least of the concerns that your brain has. Its the perfect examle of how PTSD effects EVERYTHING in your life.
But I have found away around it, sort of. I make notes. Heck, I have even made notes to remind me about my other notes. I kid you not. I have to remind myself to check the calendar on my phone before I agree or decide to do something to make sure I’m free. That’s even if it is for something on the same day. My mind just can’t seem to hold on to anything too long.
Perfect example. I will call my wife to ask or say something that at the time seemed important. But if she picks up, I’m a blank and have no idea why I called her. I have to take a second an quickly scan my memory to see if I can remember why I was calling her. If she doesn’t pick up, she might as well not bother calling back, because unless I wrote it down, it’s gone. Sucked into the PTSD vortex, only glimpse of the memory to be seen as it swirls away.
Yep, PTSD and memory does not see eye to eye, except if it is the negative stuff. Those memories easily pop up and invade your thoughts non stop. But if you are trying to remember if you put your son’s agenda in his bag, forget about it. Not going to happen. If your out for dinner and having a good time, you can be assured that a PTSD memory will pull up a seat and plop down for you to endure for the rest of dinner. You can recall all the words spoken, the images engrained in your mind, the sights and smells but you can’t remember what you ordered as an appie.
PTSD affects your memory, or st least some of it.
Cracked Badge 