Doris,
I had my RTL in March 2008. I definitely have problems with memory.
Often people do not understand the terms short term and long term in
relation to memory. There are actually 4 things that influence memory.
Sensory memory, what we taste touch hear smell is the first level of
memory, it how we learned when we were babies. Then there is short term
memory, conversion of memory to long term, and long term memory.
Short term memory is defined as the memory that lasts only a few seconds
to minute. It is the memory that helps you type and remember what
letters and words you typed last, for example. It is what allows you to
look something up and use the information right away, whether it stores
in long term memory depends on how much you concentrate and repeat the
memory in the short term process. The process of converting short term
memories to long term memories happens, for most people, in the right
temporal lobe. An RTL then makes it more difficult to store memory for
short term use, and convert new things to long term memory. So, for
example, you will remember all your previous stored memories and be able
to recall them, but converting new things to long term memory becomes
harder, requiring more time and concentration.
Long term memory is memories your brain stores for later use, even if it
just later that day. It is the information your brain stores because
you concentrate on it more, you "make a point" of trying to remember
it. Such as your own telephone number. When you first get a new one,
most people have to have it written down and keep looking at it until
they have used it over and over. At some point your brain decides it is
important enough, and converts it to long term memory for recall later.
I definitely have issues with short term memory, and converting memory
into long term memory. For example, when I type, I have to reread
everything I type several times, because I will literally repeat words
because I forgot I just typed that word 2 seconds earlier. That is a
short term issue. I will open the refrigerator for something, and
forget why, short term memory issue. I cannot go to the store for even
2 things without writing them down, that is actually long term memory,
information I stored earlier to recall when I got to the store. My son
attends a virtual academy, if I learned what he is working on when I was
in school, algebra for example, I can recall it easily and help him.
Long term memories from before surgery. If I pre-read what he is doing
tomorrow because I didn't learn it in school, I have to re-read it the
next day because it didn't convert to long term memory.
Also, I have found that concentration matters, and sensory input is very
distracting to the process of converting short term memory into long
term memory. For example, if I am reading and someone makes noise
around me, I have to re-read what I just read because the noise
disrupted the process of converting it to long term memory. For
example, I am typing this email and my son is working on Spanish, and my
husband is outside mowing the lawn, those two things combined have made
typing this email difficult, because the distraction means I can't
concentrate, short term memory is disrupted, and I have to keep
re-reading what I just typed to get back on track.
In part, what effects happen after an RTL vs. an LTL depends on which
side is dominate for memory in that person. For most people, the left
side if memory dominate, storing long term memory, while the right side
is responsible for short term memory and the conversion of that memory
to long term. In some people it is the other way around. This is part
of why they do nuero psych tests and a WADA test before surgery, in
addition to finding out which side is dominate for hearing and speech.
Kelly
On 9/26/2011 10:14 AM, DorisY wrote:
> If you have had the surgery, either left temporal or right temporal,
> have you experienced difficulty with short term memory?
> Doris
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