In Jan. 1990(at 51 yrs of age), I had a “Pontine” stroke. Prior to that I hadn’t been considered a “stroke candidate”, as I watched my cholesterol,plus wasn’t overweight, or had high blood pressure, etc. I had been a bicycler, swimmer, & runner, plus ate “healthy” food, so a stroke was very unexpected. Prior to my stroke, I had been a Child Psychologist at a Medical Center in Tulsa,OK for 20 yrs., but now could no longer work!!

I was in intensive care for 2 months(being only semiconscious for the first month), & then in the hospital’s “Rehab Wing” for 7 months more.

As my stroke was in an inoperable part of the brain, surgery wasn’t an option, so there I was: unable to talk( Dysarthria) or swallow(my throat was affected),& could only stand with much,much help(I couldn’t walk!), plus not being able to write ,as my left Hand was also numbed(I had been left Handed),as I was now hemiplegic. With the help of physical therapy & O.T’s, plus a Speech Therapist & a Psychologist, I did make some progress,& eventually went directly from the hospital to Bear Creek (post acute) Rehab Center in Denver, Colorado for 3 months, & there I learned better “survival” & adaptive techniques. From there I came home.

With more Speech, Physical, & psychotherapy I can now “croak” a conversation,+eat plus print with my Right Hand( sort of sloppily). I also learned computer skills(a really VERY, VERY BIG ( huge!) help, plus I finally got rid of some of my now new bad feelings.

I can now eat all food(carefully!),& tell others how to prepare foods, etc.

MY QUESTION:Now being 67, is my poor short term memory(I now write many,many notes )a function more from my stroke,or age, the same with my poor attention span?

Doctor Joshua’s Answer:

I don’t know when you started suffering from poor short term memory - if it was right after you recovered from the brainstem stroke, it may have been a sequelae of the stroke or complications thereof. However, an isolated brainstem stroke (pontine stroke) should not really affect one’s short term memory, so there may be some other causes for your short term memory loss.

At 67, some short term memory loss is acceptable. However, if the memory loss is worsening, it should be evaluated as an independent medical problem, keeping in mind that apart from age-related mild short-term memory loss, there are potentially treatable diseases such as vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and normal-pressure hydrocephalus to be taken into account.

I recommend that you discuss this with your doctor.