Poor memory

I have always had a good memory still have, although sometimes I have a relapse I live in another country and consequently speak that language, I hope my native language never leaves me, I try to keep up with everything going on in the UK as it is important to me, thats why I appreciate GN daily, it keeps my mind occupied and is good for the memory I am sure.Occasionally if I am stresssed can forget things, as age is creeping up on me!

I was sexually abused from the age of 7 until I was 14 by a close family member.

Sadly, I can remember every detail of the abuse, but nothing of my childhood, and, although I won a place at grammar school, I could not retain the information and finished with very disappointing GCE results.

Perhaps the two were linked but it's too late to rectify it now.

It does concern me how much I rely on my phone for prompts and reminders. Not just for important things like appointments weeks or months in advance. If I think of something during the morning I want to do in the evening, eg phone a friend, I set up a prompt in my phone for the evening or I’d never remember.

I forgot to say (?) that I was lucky to have had a very happy childhood with no traumas.

My memory is appalling. I have friends with whom I trained in the early 60s who can remember people and incidents that, if asked, I would say had passed me by. One particular friend remembers the names of all the people in her set.

Now at 77, my short-term memory is struggling but, I am told, that could be partly due to the lock-downs this year. I also forget words that are there right up to the point when I mean to say or write it and then it just vanishes until later in the day. I would rather it were there when I needed it though. ☹️

That's fascinating OvertheHill.but how sad too.I can sympathize as I had a difficult Mother too growing up in the 1960s

My memory is a constant source of worry to me. I have a very good memory of my early years. I had to memorise a very long poem when I was about 13, for my English class. I can still recite the entire poem, and do so frequently, just to test myself. I do however, have lapses in memory, did I turn the iron off? Did I lock the outer porch door, and find myself repeating the acts to check. Invariably, I did it first time round. I did a short course in mindfulness and I think this is what I lack when carrying out certain functions, my mind is on something else, so I try to say out loud what I am doing, just so that I am in the moment, as it were. I had an extended course of chemotherapy some years ago, and it was after this that I began to notice my inability to recall names and general facts. I have heard this described as 'chemo brain' so I think that might add to my own problems. I also had an unhappy childhood, but I don't feel that this particularly affects my current state. I suppose as we age, things begin to slow down too, particularly the brain. Best wishes.

I've never remembered anything from primary school age and just a little from secondary. I remember late teens and twenties, then I got married at 30 and that's the years I'd love to forget! I've found now in my mid 50s, I forget peoples names quickly, names of products, etc. I've been blaming it on brain fog with the menopause. Only this morning I spoke to my friend telling her I couldn't remember one of my neighbours names and it's been bugging me. It's been going on a fortnight now and I've been up& down the alphabet to see if it will come to me, but no. I watched my uncle in a care home with others who all had dementia and it was heartbreaking for me.

I have a very good memory for faces and names. I remember everyone in my class at school and could probably name most of their siblings too. My husband is hopeless with names and anywhere we go has to ask me names of partners, children etc.

I cannot for the life of me remember dates of battles, kings, queens, prime ministers or anything else to do with history. My husband can rattle all these things off easily. Similarly, I can read a book and reread it a couple of years later and remember non of the characters or the plot. Husband knows immediately, on first paragraph that he has read it and can recite the plot, even from years ago.

I’ve always had an excellent but selective memory - can remember every word one person said and nothing another said etc. But post hysterectomy I would start a sentence and lose the train of thought. Frightening because I immediately thought Alzheimer’s. But it turned out to be a testosterone issue. As soon as I took the replacement problem solved. I wonder how many people are wrongly diagnosed.

This reminds of the subject being discussed on the Jeremy Vine show some years ago. One particular caller told the story of how, walking along the street one day she spotted a chap coming towards her whose name she just couldn't recall. He must have noticed her confusion because, as they met he leaned towards her and said " it's Peter, I'm your brother"
My memory is bad, but not quite that bad!

That’s amazing Sazz1. Like others on here I have trouble remembering things in the past. I was interested in what others said about the effect of trauma on memory because at the age of five my father died while we were on ‘home leave’ in England and we never returned to India, the only country I had known since birth. I was good at exams, being able to remember facts, however soon forgotten afterwards. I also have face blindness and find hard to remember or distinguish between similar faces. This has led to many an embarrassing moment and very difficult when I was teaching.

My long term memory is exceptional as I can remember the first time I walked at 18 months. I was between the wall and the sofa. My mum held me at one end and my dad held a silver lit cigarette lighter and called me to walk and blow it out. Also remember several things from early childhood at 2 3 4 5 years. I don't know anyone else who can remember that far back.

I too have always struggled to remember people's names. I can recognise someone I may not have seen for 40 years or more but I can't recall their name! I am more of a visual imagery person, and because I draw and paint, people's faces, features, expressions and mannerisms stick in my mind. I struggled with history lessons at school, all those kings, queens, battles and dates, and I'm useless at card games!

Now that we have grandchildren our DILs often ask did our sons do 'this or that' or at what age, and to my horror I can't remember! Things such as when they started walking or talking or what vaccinations they had should be etched in my memory, but they aren't. Perhaps it's because at the time it was simply another expected event in our busy daily lives. These days every small milestone in a baby's life is recorded and celebrated.

This last year we did a lot of tidying up and clearing out and DH remembers without fail where we put things perhaps 10 or 15 years ago and why we put them there. He's amazed that I don't remember, especially when it's something of mine. It's as if once it was out of sight my mind closed a door on it forever.

As I get older memories and incidents from my childhood and youth often spring to mind with great clarity, just like it was yesterday. But ask me what we had for dinner three days ago and I won't have a clue! I can remember my first ever bank account number from 54 years ago but I can't remember my mobile number! My GM had senile dementia for the last 10 years of her life and it started with a similar pattern of memory loss to mine, but I'm not going to worry about it I've got too many things to do which I hope will keep my mind active and reasonably sharp for a few more years. Now where did I put . . . . . . .

I forget simple words when I’m talking to someone. This happens umpteen times a day and started when I was about 20. I know the words haven’t been erased from my memory because I can easily use them in future conversations. But if someone offers me the word I’m looking for I think they must think I’m thick or stupid. Last night I couldn’t remember ‘National Health Service’. And it’s on TV all the time at the minute! I kept saying, “you know, the free one” then “the one everyone can use and not pay for it”. I felt so stupid when DH said it for me...

I had a difficult childhood, but not sure if that’s to blame for my poor memory. I too have difficulty with people’s names but will recognise faces. I know if I get stressed words just disappear.

I had a fractured skull from a RTA when I was a teenager. My long term and short term memory wasn't affected but my visual memory was. I can walk past people I know well in the street, including my own DC. Also can never remember the way anywhere unless I've been there 20/30 times. If I say out loud directions I remember that and also know people when they speak. The last time I ever found my way anywhere easily was the day I got knocked over by the bus.
Online visual memory tests show 40% but have never bothered to have it tested properly or mentioned it to GP. It is slowly getting worse as I get older.

My friend bumped into a lady who at best looked very vaguely familiar. They glanced at each other and she said hello. Then fell into the “how are you” lovely to see you” type of waffle while all the time wondering who she was talking to.

She was back home when she suddenly realised it was her ex SIL from 40 years ago. She’d had a very acrimonious divorce from her brother and described her at the time as the SIL from hell. She hadn’t clapped eyes on her for nearly 40 years and wouldn’t have acknowledged her if she’d recognised her.

Thank goodness I'm not on my own.
I had a fab memory until the last 5 years. Family issues have caused me so much stress my memory has just disappeared.
Events, names , what I just went to do , everything has just gone. Worry about alzheimers but don't think it's that.
I had such a lovely life until my adopted daughter turned on me when I refused to give her anymore money. The stress levels of what happened were enormous leading to court case and costing us our life savings in fees. No way of rembursment she has nothing.
We take things like memory for granted until it's lost. I hope mine returns as time goes by but if it doesn't I'll make new ones.

Unfortunately I had meningitis when I was 42 years old and lost quite a bit of my short term memory, I decided once I was well to go to college and do a travel & tourism course for 2 years because I was brought up to think ‘if you don’t use it you lose it’. I studied hard and I would say I got back 85% of my memory back which I managed ok with in my adult life until I had a terrific amount of stress about 10 years ago. Funnily enough I managed fine with paperwork etc during the stressful few years but once it was over and the menopause hit that was it, memory all but disappeared! DH will often say to my .....remember when we etc..... nope I have absolutely no recollection of said event to the point it’s extremely frustrating but the more I try to recall something and get stressed about it the worse my memory gets so I just have to leave it. It’s embarrassing sometimes but the good thing about getting older is I can blame age I suppose. I’ve been reassured by GP it’s not dementia so I try to stay as calm as I can.

Geography has always been my worst subject. This is reflected in my ability to drive, even to familiar paces, especially in the night. I get completely baffled and dazzled by the lights and quite often forget the turning to my daughters house.

I think some people are just born with that problem, in the same way that you are born with different coloured hair, eyes etc. Only this is your brain so you can't tell.

I got hell from my mum because I found it hard to remember things. My dad had the same problem as me and he also used to get told off. (I should point out that my mum was never wrong.) It just means that I've had to "overlearn" facts and figures, which isn't fun, but it works. One of my children has a similar problem. I've never told him off for it! In fact I feel guilty as I think it's in the genes and I passed it on to him.

I love it when I occasionally meet someone from my childhood or past younger adult life & they recall events I've forgotten. It opens up such pleasures and is a springboard to some wonderful memories. However on a day to day basis I recall very little of my childhood which I don't feel was generally unhappy. However, my parents were not happy together which I think means I might have shut down a lot of memories. I used to spend a lot of time outdoors which maybe was my coping mechanism for what was going on at home. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has memory "issues."

I was hit on the side of my head with a cricket ball never went to the hospital and now I find my memory is terrible, I can read a book and have no idea what it was about the minute I put it down

I am like you Wellbeck.

Gagajo, I am thinking these lockups and the stress caused has affected my memory in a similar fashion.. wish I could slow down, I am a naturally "fast" person