Anyone else forgetful or foggy post-op?

I'm at seven weeks and noticed since surgery I've been forgetful, for lack of a better description. Try to recall something I said 10 minutes ago sometimes and draw a complete blank. Or when I try to get words out sometimes I stutter and stumble over them. A few weeks ago I thought it was anesthesia, but that's long since out of my system now. My B.P. went through the roof in Castle (200+), and night nurse said we had to get it down, didn't want me 'stroking out'. So then I began to worry I might have had a mini-stroke or something in the Castle. But this morning I searched the boards here and found out about 'brain fog'.

I still have an ovary left, am not on HRT, and am wondering how long this might last. Last night I was so spaced out, it was like pea soup fog, just could NOT focus. Then I got really angry/teary, just like bad PMS I had before. Hard to track where I would be at on my cycle since it was irregular pre-op. Judging by the swelled hands, tight jeans over the weekend and behavior last night, hormones are doing something. The thought of still suffering from PMS like I did before is very depressing, but the fogginess/forgetfulness is throwing me off a bit too.

Anyway, just curious and venting a little. I see where some sisters experience it, but I'm just wondering how prominent it is, especially for those who still have ovary(s) left?

Hi Kathy- I'm almost 6 weeks post-op and still feel like I'm dropping brain cells left and right. Since the surgery ( a SAH with both ovaries kept) I'm very forgetful, have trouble retrieving words, can't recall phone conversations, and have a hard time reading much more than magazines. It has gotten a bit better as I sleep more during the night (I now go at least three hours before waking up and falling back asleep again). People have said it's still from the anesthesia or sleep deprivation or hormones- I did have my regular PMS symptoms this month-yuck. The fogginess is worse at night and when I'm very tired. I do better when I get out and into the world- I think some of it is because I spent so much time inside. I think our brains work better when they're stimulated and interested in things. Good luck with your recovery!
LSN
SAH 2/26/03

I am going on 14 months post op and still have that nasty old It has gotten better but I am not where near as organized and can't remember half of the time all I was going to do during the day. I have found I have to write reminders to myself and post them right by the computer as I know I'll be online during the day.

Thanks for the input! I do agree that it does seem to help to get out and about or up and moving. I am sitting here zoning now and I have to get the taxes done. Yikes!

Here's a short quiz I found called "Do You Have Brain Fog?" They tell me I have 'moderate' brain fog At the end of the quiz there are some links for further reading, causes of brain fog (I guess it's the drop in estrogen we can relate to?) and tips to sharpen brainpower. There's a couple more quizzes here and an article geared towards women that looks very interesting. Will save it for later, if I read it now I won't retain a word of it!

EDIT: That second link to additional quizzes/ article isn't working for some reason. The article is called "Memory Loss: Why It Happens And What To Do About It". If you're interested and the link doesn't take you there, perhaps it can be reached by doing a title search with I-Village's search engine.

Ohhhhh yeah. I'm at 5 weeks, my physical recovery has been rapid, and I'm actually back to doing some "brain work", but there are lots of little mixups going on. I had 'em for two weeks even after minor surgery (laparoscopy) in January, at which point my hormones were still mostly normal. I do have some insomnia because I tend to get flashy at bedtime. We'll see if it improves when I find out in June whether HRT agrees with me.

Good luck,
Juliepede