After my car accident- experiencing memory loss/ forgetfulness...what is wrong?

soon2b,

 

I wish I was posting an answer for you, but I am hoping that either you have found an answer elsewhere, or someone new on this site may have one for us both.

 

I was involved in a car accident 6/22/09 and it has been less than two weeks but I'm finding my sympoms become more and more evident. Here's what happened:

 

I was stopped at a stop sign, and another sedan was stopped behind me. The third vehicle was the at fault, he didn't expect to stop, braked late, and hit the middle vehicle, which hit me. Luckily, I was the only one injured in the accident. My head hit the headrest pretty hard, and I felt some neck and back pain/tenderness but refused medical transport that day (I had my 3 year old son in tow). The next morning I absolutely had to go to the ER, was there for 5 hours and had an exam and x-rays. Doc said I had whiplash and a strange curvature in my neck, and sent me home with 10mg Flexeril and 600mg Ibuprofen every 8 hours.

 

Not only do I find that the medication is completely necessary, but I find I am having issues with short-term memory and depression. I'll admit, I've been depressed in the past, but before this accident I was doing so well, I wasn't nearly depressed.

 

I will continue my research, as I may be seeing a Neurologist if the Spine Center I visit today doesn't have any direction/answers for me. Good luck, and please update me if you learn anything helpful.

 

 

I am also very interested more information.  I too was in a car accident in March/07.  I was stopped at a red light when the van coming toward me in the oncoming traffic did not stop, she ran the red, hit the back end of the car pulling out on the green, causing the van to spin and slam into me.  Since then, I have been experiencing memory loss and forgetfulness.  It is very frustrating when you cannot remember from one minute to the next or where you even are when driving somewhere.  :(

I lost control of my car the other night on black ice' hitting into traffic lights and railings. I bumped my head very hard on the steering wheel' i was wearing my seat belt.  I had total memory loss but still managed to drive my car on 3 wheels for a least 5 mile without knowing! The police found me sat in my car round the corner from where i lived 12 yrs ago!! I cant remember even hitting the traffic lights never mind driving to where i was found' but i can remember everything before the accident ie; where i had been' i even remember travelling down the road towards the lights!! I was taken to hospital and stayed there for the night (No Xrays) just woken every hour and checked' sent home the next morning with 2 massive black eyes' a massive bump on my forehead and briusing to my chest.  Its been 3 days now since the accident and im suffering short memory lost' finding it very hard to concentrate on this typing' usually i would of typed this in seconds but it seems i cant even remember where the keys are!! If anyone else as ever had a similer incident please reply to my post. Thanks 

I was 8 years old when I was hit by a car while riding my bike home from school. I have no memory of my past but enjoy like to the fullest. Once in a while someone will say something that will trigger a thought or a memory.

Just for the record, I was in coma in Toronto Hospital for almost six months and when I awoke I had no recollection of the accident, I did not recognize my parents, friends or even myseld. I had to learn who my parents were and so on

 i have same problem  i end up rear ending a guy but at the same time i hit my head on the sterring colum, and i had short-term memorey loss, trying to remebering names little things i hate it. it was so hard and, i had whip flash also. I just hope it's not permnit for me  how can i fix it. sincerly love me tender

I was involved in a car accident two weeks ago. While stopped at a light, I was hit pretty hard from behind which caused me to hit the car in front of me. I think this "double hit" may have caused the whiplash to be worse. I still feel some mild soreness in my neck, but the main problem is with my memory and also a feeling of fogginess and a lack of ambition. It's not seriously interferring with my job. I can still get things done, but I feel myself straining to remember certain things like dates, and I feel less secure about my memory, I seem to be more easily distracted as well. One thing that seems to increase my sense of alertness is exercise. After a little workout I feel much better. I'm going to continue exercising and hope that this fogginess goes away. Other people have written that it can take a few weeks, months, or years (yikes!) to get back to normal. Keep moving and don't give up!

Wow, I'm not alone. In June 2009 I turned off my computer and went to bed like always, except I woke up in the hospital! I remember fuzzily waking up and asking the people who were treating me why I was there, and they told me I was involved in a car accident. After a week in intensive care I gradually regained my consciousness and alertness. I was told then that apparently I lost control of the car for some unknown reason, hit a boy who unfortunately died, and hit the car in an electric tower.

I can't be sure whether I hit my head in the accident or not, but a tongue injury tells my I probably did hit my head and bit my tongue. Long story short, I'm now quite forgetful; I can't keep a short list of items in my head for more than a few seconds. I forget people A LOT! I spent six months in prison for "causing an accident that resulted in the death of a person", and I've been out for less than a year, yet I remember very few people from prison. It has affected my work, though not severely.

 Also, there is a general and constant feeling of fogginess as the poster above me described. I am no longer capable of deep concentration. At least not nearly as much as before.  I always feel as if I'm watching myself live instead of actually living. When I'm somewhere, I don't really feel that I'm actually THERE, but more like I'm watching my surroundings in a TV screen or something.

 I'll try exercises like the poster above me suggested - anything to get back my sharp clear alertness. 

Hey :) I was in a car accident on April 3 2010.We were going down the highway about 160 kms/hr.The driver slowed to 110 km/hr because there were two cars coming on the other side of the highway.The driver looks at his gf and smiles and wiggles the steering wheel.She then(DRUNK!!!) pulls the steering wheel to the right.We almost then went into the slushy frozen ditch but the driver tried to gain control.Then again almost went into the ditch on the other side of the highway(the left),the driver overcorrected and we were going sideways on the highway until the front passenger side wheel caught in the ditch.The vehicle whipped around...almost doing a 360 then lifted off the air.We were airborn rolling(rolled about 4 times) the vehicle was smashed.all the windows were out and all of the doors were crunched shut.I WAS THE ONLY PERSON NOT WEARING A SEATBELT OUT OF THE ENTIRE Dodge Durango!!!!

There was me(the sober babysitter)the 2 jack asses in the front and their 2 children right beside me.(the kids were fine...not a scratch!!! :) ) The drivers head was bleeding(smashed his window with his head),the woman who caused the accident had BROKEN HER ARM !!! KARMA),and THOUGHT I had a big cut on the top of my head (but I didnt).My head was covered in "eggs"and it had looked like some huge giant had put his lips around my head and gave me a HUGE hicci on the top of my head!!!Since that accident,there are many things and even people who I dont remember.I even forgot some basic math .... like fractions ... some of my favourite recipies ... etc.and this is coming from somebody who once had a photographic memory...not anymore.I havent felt right since that accident and suffer with neck pain 24/7 since that day.But...what I was getting to was that our memories are stored in the front cerebral cortex on the outer layer of our brain,and if it gets damaged,well thats were are memories are stored.Sometimes it comes back sometimes it doesnt.With all of our medicein and science theres still alot we need to find out about our brains..sugnificant being we are...:) dont you think..we heal so miraculously!

Hi,

There are a number of people who may have mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) after a car accident. The injury may not show up on scans, but people with mTBI do experience slower processing speed, poorer memory and some concentration difficulties. feeling tired more easily is also common.

Sometimes the thinking difficulties resolve over weeks/months, but if you continue to experience these changes for a longer period, it would be better to make minor rearrangements to your lifestyle (e.g. keeping pen and paper handy to write down things to remember, using your mobile phone for appointment reminders etc). 

If the changes are more serious (e.g. difficulty holding a job), then it would be important to seek a neuropsychological assessment.