Memory worry

[Mistlethru]

My husband has COPD lately his O2 sats are down to 88%, he is having trouble with his memory and I wonder if the 2 are connected? I feel he should go and have a review with his nurse practitioner at his GP but he is reluctant. Thank you

[soulboy118]

He needs to go see if not the doctor then the nurse practitioner, being Ill does affect concentration and this effects memory, when my stats get low during exasabation or infection i can tend to just look inward and the outside world does tends to shrink in importance especially when im spending all my mental and physical energy on just breathing , hopefully like my concentration and memory your hubby will be back to normal once his stats come up again , hope this helps and best wishes to you both and as always breath easy

[SORRELHIPPO]

Agree with soulboy118 needs looking into, fatigue, from trying to cope will affect everything in life. One time I found myself standing at my kitchen sink, with a potato in one hand and peeler in the other, did not know what to do with them. Combination of fatigue, pain and dehydration.

[Ergendl]

Yes, a BLF leaflet says even mild COPD can cause occasional forgetfulness.

[Janzo54 in reply to Ergendl]

I didn’t know this!

Ive had two operations in a year and found this affected my memory badly for months after.

Keeping hydrated is key.

Looking after our brain is so important like doing crosswords or puzzles etc all helps.

Janzo

[stamford1234]

Plenty of fluids, as someone said. I find it very difficult to concentrate if I am SOB. COPD is very tiring sometimes I can't do more than sit in the chair. If my O2 levels get low I do get a bit fuzzy in the head. A few deep breathing exercises help

[anng18]

He might need an arterial blood test - just to be on the safe side and make sure that he has not got too much CO2 in his system - that definitely affects the memory. However, sometimes it is just the medication that we are on. Keeping hydrated, as has already been said is also important. Any kidney infection/imbalance can also affect the memory.

Hope everything goes ok.