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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
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01-09-2006, 04:51 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 108
Hysterectomy: October 6th, 2005
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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
I'm back again. Went to a party Saturday night at a former co-worker's house. I've been there numerous times. Went to the wrong house, knocked on the door, tried to go in. The nice lady pointed across the street and four doors down. What a dunce.
Instead of cavities, I say calories. Instead of Snooky's Cafe, I say Hooter's Cafe. When I picked up my tortilla chips today instead of bite size, I thought it said bite me and I laughed at my chips.
I made the decision over the weekend to stop the estrogen. It makes me feel horrible and it isn't helping my brain. I don't have any menopause symptoms UNTIL I take the estrogen. Isn't that weird? I guess I'll have to figure out a new way to think of myself - because if this persists, I need to get used to it. My brain and IQ are how I think of myself, how I perceive who I am. Need to go do some deep thought now.... If I can remember to...
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01-09-2006, 05:14 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 49
Hysterectomy: November 10th, 2005
Surgery Type: LAVH
Ovaries: Removed both
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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
Homesick Gypsy,
Thank you for making me laugh! I can just see you standing in the grocery store laughing at the chips! It makes me giggle just to imagine it...I think because I easily picture myself doing that!
For the most part I don't mind laughing when something totally stupid comes out of my mouth, but today I was in a meeting and had to stop several times to think of a word. Oh well. I consider this a very small price to pay for the absolute relief I feel since the surgery!
cm
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01-13-2006, 01:38 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 108
Hysterectomy: October 6th, 2005
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Here's a study I found - what do you think
1: Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2002;13(3):193-8.
Effect of surgical menopause on cognitive functions.
Farrag AK, Khedr EM, Abdel-Aleem H, Rageh TA.
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Assiut University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt.
To investigate the effect of estrogen deficiency on cognitive function in surgically menopausal women, a prospective study was conducted at the University Hospital in Assiut, Egypt, during the period of July 1997 to August 1999.
Remainder of article can be found here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract
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01-13-2006, 02:29 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 126
Hysterectomy: December 19th, 2005
Surgery Type: TVH
Ovaries: Removed both
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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
I think it's like most research -- it's still inconclusive -- or at least there's a lot it doesn't prove, and it doesn't mean the results are permanent.
1) Other kinds of surgeries show similar problems in cognitive decline following surgery -- so it might be that surgery in general produces these results, not just hysterectomy. Unless they did a "placebo" surgery on the control subjects (which I can't even imagine!!!) then there's no way to tell if it isn't an effect of the process of surgery itself (e.g., as opposed to estrogen). Like I said, my husband showed the same cognitive issues for a few months after open-heart surgery, too.
2) a logical follow up study would be to test whether estrogen replacement after surgery makes a difference or whehter the same cognitive decline is seen. And,
3) 35 is an awfully small sample to draw conclusions.
I'm sure there is a cognitive effect to hysterectomy for at least some of us (cause I sure seem to have it), but I doubt it's permanent, and I imagine some of it has to do with estrogen levels some has to do with effects of anesthesia, being off work, etc. I'm trying to keep doing crossword puzzles, reading, etc., since those are the things that seem to protect against cognitive decline in cases of Alzheimer's. (I'm a psychologist, so I know at least some of the research...)
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01-13-2006, 02:33 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 197
Hysterectomy: December 9th, 2005
Ovaries: Kept 1 or both
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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
So early brain fog may be from anesthesia, but later on,(after a few weeks) it's hormones. Makes sense to me!
Thanks, Patty
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01-13-2006, 02:41 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 108
Hysterectomy: October 6th, 2005
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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
I guess with all the research I did pre-surgery I'm surprised that I didn't see anything about cognitive dysfunction. Or maybe I thought that I could get my hormones adjusted and I would be fine. All my life, whether I was rich or poor, married or divorced, thin or fat, I always had my IQ and my photographic memory. It's what my image of myself is. (sorry - bad grammar). I'm fine one day and I wake up the next day and half my brain is gone. I lost most of my time in the hospital - have very little memory of four days. In the weeks following, it hasn't gotten much better. Estrogen makes it worse. I have a post under Menopause Jungle too, trying to figure something out.
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01-13-2006, 02:58 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 24
Hysterectomy: December 16th, 2005
Surgery Type: TVH
Ovaries: Removed both
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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
So glad I'm not alone! I can't find the right word for items. Just try telling your kids to bring your the...... and have them look at you like you are insane. I also homeschool and am finding that I can't figure out the math, something I've never had trouble with as they are only in 4th & 6th grade. Also haven't been able to read anything, just no attention span to go with the dull feeling! From the other posts, it seems like this may be with me for quite a bit longer. Maybe we should wear ID bracelets when we go out so some kind person can call our DH when we get lost! LOL
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01-13-2006, 02:58 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 126
Hysterectomy: December 19th, 2005
Surgery Type: TVH
Ovaries: Removed both
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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
Well, Gypsy, I wouldn't worry too much yet -- you're only a couple to 3 months out, right? I imagine that at the very least some of your cognitive ability will come back up to normal. Probably because you do have a lot of cognitive ability, you notice the change in it more.
Plus, not having memory of the hospital time is most likely NOT cognitive decline, it's due to the fact that when we're under the influence of drugs the memory doesn't get stored in the first place, so there's no way to retrieve it later -- that isn't related to the cognitive dysfunction/finding words kinds of stuff. It's the same thing that happens to alcoholics when they have "black outs" -- they may seem conscious, but the memories aren't getting stored due to interference by the drug. My dh was on pain meds for the heart surgery for at least a month, and he doesn't remember most of that time.
I'm pretty attached to my view of myself as smart, too, but I also know that with aging some day I may not be as sharp as I once was. It's a scary thought to imagine that I would decline so much that I wouldn't be able to keep my job for instance. But I really think that's getting ahead of things and worrying about what may never be an issue! If you're still feeling impaired in another 4-5 months, (and your hormones seem to be pretty well adjusted -- including the other hormones that might affect cognitive function, like testosterone) then I'd consult with a neurologist or neuropsychologist. But I think, if I'm remembering other research on surgery right, that anesthesia effects can actually go on for several months, long after the anesthesia is actually gone from the body.
Oh -- and all of that is NOT to say that it isn't a big deal --- it's awful, and sometimes when it happens to me, it's scary. I am just trying to be at least a little reassuring that it's probably not a permanent condition.
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01-13-2006, 04:18 PM
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Posts: 15,365
Hysterectomy: November 29th, 2005
Surgery Type: TAH
Ovaries: Removed both
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Whew!
Thank God I'm not alone! I thought maybe I had a lobotomy during surgery (TAH/BSO), too! I tried the estrogen for a couple of weeks (mainly for migraines), but quit taking it for several reasons. I figured the sudden case of "the stupids" was due to hormones and bio- changes. I returned to work last week -- what a challenge! It is aggravating, for sure!!! My husband thinks it's kind of cute, though. At least somebody's amused!
Now, what was I doing?
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01-13-2006, 04:23 PM
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Guest
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Posts: 174
Hysterectomy: December 14th, 2005
Surgery Type: LAVH
Ovaries: Kept 1 or both
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"Post-hysterectomy cognitive dysfunction"
I'm glad I am not alone!!! I can't remember a thing. I will tell my DH something and he will say.....that is the 3rd time you told me that story. I don't rememeber telling him the 1st time. I'm worried it will effect me at work and I have a job that requires me to remember alot of facts and numbers.
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