Memory Loss Post 2 Year Meningitis

[Jthollywood]

I was diagnosed with viral meningitis in Oct 2014. In hospital for 3 nights. I've only had 1 or 2 follow up appointments since.

I had a lingering headache that occurred almost every day for a year. These have subsided unless I have nights with little sleep

Now I'm starting to find myself forgetting things. My wife will tell me to do 5 things around the house, and I'm lucky to finish 3 of them. For a the life of me I can't remember the other items. I even find it difficult to watch TV series on Netflix, as I struggle to remember some of the episodes. There are times I'll hang out with my brother and the next day I can't remember what all we talked about

My wife gets very frustrated with my forgetfulness. I just recently told her that I think this could be due to my Meningitis. Are there tests that can be conducted to identify if there is damage To my memory? CAT scan?

Are there any helpful solutions to improve my memory?

[StrawberryCream]

Hi. Sorry to hear that you had viral meningitis in Oct 2014. It is not unusual to have ongoing headaches for a very long time afterwards and for a few it continues. That's good that yours have now subsided and it seems only occur as they would for anyone e.g. If you don't sleep well. You describe your forgetting things as a new problem. If it was due to the meningitis you would have been experiencing that difficulty since then and it would have been at it's worse in 2014 and then probably some improvement occur as you recovered from the meningitis until it either resolved or plateaued. There are other things that can cause forgetfulness and I therefore I suggest that you go and see your GP for a check up. The GP can then refer you for further investigation if required. You will not be able to be referred to a specialist or have a scan done etc without going through the GP. If you have had memory problems since the VM then you are most likely going to continue to have them and if that is the case your GP might refer you to a neuropsychologist for cognitive testing which would identify the areas of your brain which have been damaged. They would then advise you on strategies you could use to eg support your memory by using written lists etc. However, if your memory problems are newly occurring the cause needs to be considered and investigated if necessary otherwise a new problem could be overlooked. Do not assume it is a result of the meningitis unless it has been an ongoing problem since then. Or it has got worse. It is not unusual to not be offered long term follow up after Meningitis. Many people with time fully recover.

You could give the Meningitis Now helpline a ring and discuss your concerns with them as to whether your viral meningitis could be causing your memory problems occurring 2 yrs afterwards. They are very understanding, supportive and knowledgeable - Freephone 0808 80 10 388

Best wishes