Colloid Cyst

[Dondags07]

Hi...

7 weeks ago my partner who is 40 years old collapsed. Was taken to A&E and they discovered that he had a Colloid Cyst of the third ventricle obstructing hydrocephalus.

Unfortunately his brother died of the same thing 12 years ago.

My partner had a successful removal of the cyst but 2 days later developed fluid of the brain. That was successfully dealt with but throughout he was very confused and adamant he was seeing his brother throughout. To remove the fluid they had to fit a temporary drain, 3 days later they removed the drain but an hour after he had a grand mal seizure and then for days after had multiple seizures. Throughout the entire thing, he has suffered with short term memory loss. He is better than what he was 4 weeks ago and is undergoing rehab but I'm not seeing great improvements and he is getting quite frustrated with me when I try to get him to do the tasks suggested via rehab.

Is anyone else having to deal with post brain surgery short term memory loss? Does it get better with time? Any coping mechanisms?

Thank you xx

[cat3]

Welcome Dondags. Short term memory loss is one of the commonest problems among brain injury survivors and isn't a fixable issue but more a matter of management. Some people use memory aids to help them keep appointmemts or to ensure certain routines are maintained, such as taking medication, keeping up with chores, errands etc..............

I'm 5 years on from a bleed on the brain which resulted in various after effects including short term memory loss, especially recall of everyday words, names etc. But by daily exercising of my brain with crosswords & other word games, memory games and number puzzles, I feel a very gradual but significant improvement has taken place and is still in progress.

Your man's problem will be further compounded by his seizures but, at seven weeks, it's very early days for him. Further down the line you could ask his GP for a referral to a memory clinic, though I'd be tempted to wait a few more weeks (at least) 'til he's had chance to reach an equilibrium.

Keep us updated on your partners progress, and any more queries please ask. Best wishes, Cat x