In the past year or so, I've been experiencing problems with memory loss. It's very acute. I can literally forget what I am saying in mid-sentence (and frequently do so.) I also constantly forget what my friends/fiance was just talking about. It's not that I don't pay attention, because I do. It happens so quickly though, and I have to ask the person I'm with "What were we just talking about?" I have noticed this for a while, but have not taken any action.

Anyway, I was just having a fight with my fiance. We had been arguing, and he said something that riled me, and as I was about to respond, I suddenly forgot what he just said to rile me. I sort of just choked on my own words and was like "...I can't remember what you just said." Then he says "How can you argue with someone if you can't even remember what they just said?!" I burst into tears because...well, I don't know how I can forget, I just do, and I hate it. It makes communicating so difficult.

Just to note, this only happens when I'm speaking. I never forget what I'm typing or anything like that. Also, I'm 21 years old (so age isn't a factor) and don't drink very often, and I've never used drugs.

Also, not sure if this might be linked, but a few months ago, I was having vision problems with one eye and was referred to a retinal specialist for it. He said what I had was called optic neuritis, which basically means the nerve that connects the eye to the brain was short circuiting.

I know it sounds silly, but maybe my thoughts are short circuiting. It definitely feels like it. I'm afraid to ignore the problem, but I also don't know if it's really worth seeing a doctor for. I'm on my parents insurance right now, and I don't really want to trouble them or get the insurance company angry with me, since I was frequently going to the doctor for the optic neuritis a few months ago.

I really need advice on whether to see a doctor or not and any thoughts/advice would really be appreciated.

I gave a short reply Pippa when I welcomed you to the site in our Introduction thread. I personally would like you to try and see a Neurologist. Is this something that your GP or PCP has mentioned to you?

Optic Neuritis is often (but NOT always) a symptom of another neurological condition, and if you add that to your short term memory loss, then a Neurological disorder of some kind is rather suspicious.

Try not to get any more worried over what I just said because there are plenty of non-serious and curable, even temporary, neurological problems around. Not all are chronic, not all are life threatening, but I would think that your sypmtoms need further investigation.

It is not normal for a 21 year old to have short term memory loss. Something has to have triggered it, and until you find out what, you are going to be stressed out, and stress will probably only compound the problems that you're already experiencing.

I do hope you get some answers soon, but I'd definitely be going back to discuss this with your GP. At least that would be a starting point.

Thank you for the advice, Koala. I've been looking up some neurologists. I'd rather not go to my primary care physician. We're not really on good terms, mostly because the staff at his office is so unprofessional, and I've had some pretty bad experiences there. My parents have been looking into finding a new one, but they haven't gotten around to it yet. Before the ON, I thought since I was young and had no health problems, I could get away with just going to an urgeant care for a while. Naturally, this wasn't the case.

Tomorrow I'm going to call and inquire about co-pay/becoming a new patient to a neurologist I found that isn't too far from where I live.

Thank you for the advice, Koala. I've been looking up some neurologists. I'd rather not go to my primary care physician. We're not really on good terms, mostly because the staff at his office is so unprofessional, and I've had some pretty bad experiences there. My parents have been looking into finding a new one, but they haven't gotten around to it yet. Before the ON, I thought since I was young and had no health problems, I could get away with just going to an urgeant care for a while. Naturally, this wasn't the case.

Tomorrow I'm going to call and inquire about co-pay/becoming a new patient to a neurologist I found that isn't too far from where I live.

That's excellent news Pippa.

Thanks for letting me know, and don't forget to keep us updated.

Yesterday, in my left eye, I noticed a blur in my periphral vision, and in dim light, the flashing strobe. I sort of just figured I was freaking myself out, or maybe I just needed to take my contacts out and clean them.

This morning, without any contacts in, the blur is still there, and it's worse than yesterday. The strobe is more noticable.

I told my mom the ON has come back, and she agreed I need to see a neuro. The last time I had ON, I had an MRI done and it came back normal. The retinal specialist said it would more than likely never happen again, but if it did, to see a neuro.

I can't deny that I'm really freaked out now, especially with this happening again and exams being next week. Maybe this was brought on by stress?

Well it sounds like you could possibly be having another episode of ON Pippa, and I don't know why the specialist said it wouldn't come back. I've had ON around 6 or 7 times......in both eyes now, but never in both at the same time.

There are other tests for ON apart from MRIs too, and the one I had was called Visually Evoked Responses, or VER for short.


Although stress may increase the symptoms that you're having, something physical like O.N. cannot be caused by stress alone. You can't (as far as I'm aware) cause your self to have blurred vision, just because you're stressed out.

There is however, another possibility for your blurred vision and flashing lights. Migraine Headaches have similar symptoms, and I do believe that stress can trigger those.

I'm glad that your mother will help you get a neuro Appointment, as a short course of Cortisone therapy would probably clear this episode up quickly if it is indeed ON. If it turns out to be migraine headaches, then there are medications to control those as well.

May I also suggest you post in our Headache Forum Pippa, as we have lots of members there who get migraines, and they'd have a better idea than me if your symptoms sound more like migraines than Optic Neuritis at the moment.

Here's the direct link: http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum32.html

I hope that's been some help for you, and do try and get that Neuro appointment as something sure isn't right. Good luck Pippa. I hope you get some answers soon.

I'm pretty confident it's ON. I do have migraines occasionally, but I haven't had one in probably six months or longer. There was no pain with the ON last time, and there is none this time either. Since I last posted, the ON has gotten worse. I haven't been able to schedule an appointment with a Neuro yet because it's Memorial Day and medical offices (aside from hospitals) are closed. The ON is annoying, but I can live with it until it goes away on it's own. I'm more worried about what two episodes two months apart could mean, especially in conjunction with the short term memory loss. I won't jump to conclusions. It's just that I want answers right now, and I can't have that.

The retinal specialist I saw referred me to a neuro. My appointment is next Wednesday. Maybe I can figure out what's going on once and for all.

I'm really pleased to hear it Pippa, and it's great that you don't have a long wait to see the Neuro.

You don't say where you're from, but most Neuros have a waiting list from 2 months onwards, so you did very well with that appointment. I'm wondering if your referring doctor has now realised how important it is to get this checked out quickly.

Please let us know how you get on, and while you're waiting, check out some of the other forums and join in anywhere you like.