Memory

[Faerie]

Hi. I'm a newcomer here. I might be consired too young by some of you, but I would prefer to post my messages here. I'm a 19 year old lady from South Africa. I've had type 1 diabetes for 16 years, some complications with my eyes but nothing serious :bird: . My sugar is relatively under control, but these last few months I've experienced memory loss which has made it really difficult for me to study. Have any of you experienced this? What can I do about it? Do vitamins help, mental 'workouts' etc? Or is the only solution near perfect control? BTW. Great site.

[lgvincent]

I haven't had any problems with memory loss but like the elephant, I have nothing to remember. I do have problems with recall when my blood sugar is low, but I'll usually be able to remember things, like hours after the exam is over.

[Harold]

Hi Faerie and Welcome to the Forums. :wavey: Your not too young, there are some here that are younger and a few that are around your age. Obviously while trying to commit something to memory while low and high would be futile. :banghead: I have experienced problems recalling or learning while in the middle of rapid swings. Yes control in that it's all inclusive of many factors is the key, but with the tools we have available avoiding these episodes seems elusive. The last ten years have seen a lot of improvements, but untill we have CGMS and possibly better meds that mimic how normal people control bg's, perfect control will not be reasonably possible.

[TAutry]

Faerie,

Too young? Heck, we don't even require members to have diabetes, much less put an age restriction on membership or posting. If you've been living with diabetes for 16 years, you more than qualify to be a member here and to post.

Welcome to the forums!

Travis

[Dewey]

Hi Faerie,

Welcome to our family. I wanted to give a little input here (about memory). I have noticed that if I experience alot of stress or issues with blood sugars, I have a much harder time remembering homework and test questions (or maybe that's just brain block? :D). Hope you find many new friends here and lots of helpful info. :thumbsup:

[klpants]

Hi
Welcome, I'm new here too!

Yes, I've experienced memory difficulties and retaining information, been type 1 diabetic for almost 20 years.
I've read medical papers also which have found that diabetes can impair cognitive ability so unfortuantly another complication of diabetes.......

[MarkMunday]

.... these last few months I've experienced memory loss which has made it really difficult for me to study. Have any of you experienced this? What can I do about it? Do vitamins help, mental 'workouts' etc? Or is the only solution near perfect control? .....
I have often wondered about this. I have been T1 for 28 years. And my memory has been deteriorating steadily for many years. According to the doctors, diabetes doesn't affect memory. A very low blood sugar will cause brain cells to die. But it has to drop to below 1.0 mmol/dl. And that never happens to me.

I wouldn't blame the diabetes for your memory loss. It could be caused by a host of other things. It could even be psychological ...

Cheers,

Mark

PS - I trust that SA is treating you well. I used to live in Jo'burg until we moved to Auckland 6 years ago. And I really miss the fantastic weather!

[Faerie]

Mark: As usual SA is great. I don't think I could ever move away from here.

Thanks for the input guys. This 'mental block' is really new for me, as I have always been very academic. And, for obviuos reasons, I'm stressing about going to varsity next year, as I don't know if I'll be able to cope.