Memory Victories – A Huge Reason to Celebrate!

A few years ago I began wondering what it was like to be an Alzheimer’s patient…knowing that you are not who you used to be and not being able to do anything about it.

Up until six years ago, I had an incredible memory. I didn’t need to keep a calendar. I worked 60 hours a week and remembered every phone call, deadline and appointment. I always remembered to provide additional information that was requested. One quick read over the data I needed to do my job, and it was cemented in my brain. No one ever reminded me about anything.

Next came my son, Colson. After his birth, I tried to continue at my previous pace and suffered terribly for it. Among many other problems, my memory was shot. Not just shot, but almost completely gone. People routinely call it “mommy brain” and I took some comfort in knowing that I was not alone. I kept waiting for the “mommy brain” to end and my steel trap mind to return. Surely when Colson and I  began to sleep through the night my brain would return. I waited and waited, and my memory got worse during the first five years of Colson’s life.

It seemed that I misplaced almost everything and would waste hours a week looking for stuff. I couldn’t readily recall the data that I used in my profession. Meeting preparation took much longer, and I had to actually write down notes about what I was going to say! I forgot relative’s birthdays. And more.

I experienced the smallest glimmer of hope upon meeting Ken Morehead, my Dr. of Oriental Medicine www.orientalhealthsolutions.com. Ken said that my digestion was sluggish and I was not able to absorb vitamin B12 adequately. B12 is important for memory. He prescribed a sublingual B12 supplement, and in combination with his treatment, I experienced minor memory improvement. I was still far from recovering my memory and the improvement made hardly any real impact.

As you read in past posts, I experienced a profound health failure the five years after Colson was born, several new health challenges, and I had a big mountain to climb. Two years ago, I began to gently approach the mountain under the guidance of Ken. A year ago I started actually climbing that mountain. No more slowly moving through the base camps of Mt. Everest for me…it was time to kick this journey into high gear! The amazing thing is that, unlike climbing Mt. Everest, the higher I climbed, the better my brain worked!

It is amazing how simple the health journey can be and how long it takes to learn about and understand its simplicity. Almost a year ago Ken placed my family on the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet (www.gapsdiet.com) to address Colson’s seasonal allergies. In addition to greatly reducing his allergies, lifting Ryan’s ADHD brain fog, curing my seasonal allergies, quickly finishing the reversal of my premenopause, and so much more, my memory began to return.

I started noticing significant memory improvement about four months ago. Every now and then I would remember where I put something. I would get so tickled by those occasional victories. Then they happened more and more. This memory momentum became stronger literally on a weekly basis. More frequently I would say to Ryan that I remembered where I put things and have a little victory celebration each time. The longest it takes me to find something now is only a minute or two, and most times it only takes a few seconds of reflection to REMEMBER where I put it! I even know where Ryan and Colson have put things that they have misplaced.

Another area of victory involves shopping. Before losing my memory I wouldn’t need to keep a shopping list. I always knew what I needed and very, very rarely did I have to go to the store for something I forgot. After my health crash, I would have brief thoughts of what I would need to purchase. They were so brief there was not time to write them down. In and out - just quick flashes and the thoughts were gone. I would then need the product and have to go to the same store again, sometimes in the same day! I had to make lists when the number of items I needed to purchase was more than two, and sometimes even when it was only two. So frustrating. Today, I still need to make shopping lists, but I can make the list, they are usually complete, and I rarely have to double back on my trips. Sometimes, when the number of items is short, I can even remember them without a list.

Yesterday was my first lengthy, intense, professional meeting in a couple of years. It lasted three hours and there were lots of mental gymnastics. I was able to stay fully focused the entire time. Last year that would not have happened.

I now multi-task again. While Ryan, my corporate trainer extraordinaire husband, reminds me that multi-tasking does not improve effectiveness, that is not an option when homeschooling a high energy six year old and consulting from home. Colson’s schedule is more complicated than mine ever was. One of the new benefits of my recovered memory is that I am able to handle all the different demands on my time without trepidation. During my failing brain power years I had a hard time scheduling activities because I did not have the ability to deal with so many things. The stress of that limitation was so… stressful!

For those who have not suffered with a deteriorating memory, my schedule may seem routine, but for me, it is HUGE that I am able to be fully engaged in life again. I am so glad that I had the wisdom to do what Ken Morehead told me to do. I owe so much to Ken…more than I will be able to express. I am profoundly grateful to Ryan and Colson, who have taken this journey with me and supported me fully along the way. And thank goodness for Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and her Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet.

Comments

[Reem El Shafaki]

Laura, your story is VERY inspiring. You're lucky to have such a great doctor, but most importantly the will to follow through with all the changes you had to make.

[Desiree]

I think that this is probably what I need, but I find it incredibly hard to get started. Did you start with just broth and work up to the full diet? Or did you begin on the full GAPS diet? Do you feel full after drinking the broth? I am concerned about not feeling full after these meals (I eat a lot, and carb-load a lot) I never thought finding a health-ful diet and sticking with it would be so hard, but I'm finding it to be incredibly tough. Kudos to you for doing it!