Hi Dawn l had a Bri in 1997 and your a nurse so you know about viral encephalitis. I had and still have a little memory issues. When l first got out the hospital l didn't know my house or children so l had to relearn everything. My children were young and l was working 2 jobs. I didn't have to but l worked at the hospital and they were just like a part of my family. I worked also at the secretary of state office. And l thought you couldn't terminate someone with a disability. I worked so hard with my speech therapist to relearn things l should have learned with a occupational therapist but l did still have problems with my speech. When l went back to work l could feel they were going to get rid of me and they did just that. My supervisor at that time told me her husband got disability and l could get the same. That was an insult to me because l have worked ever since l was 13. Well l had the same issues with anger and l was depressed. My husband and l had moved to a new house with five children and from having three incomes to one was alarming to me. Oh and l brought a new car. I didn't know if we would eat, lose the house and car and maybe the children taken away because we weren't going to be able to support them. But until this day l still am thanking God because even though we had a storm in our lives we didn't lose anything. So l did beat my daughter and accused her of getting pregnant. But that was because l wasn't taking my meds but she did become pregnant twice with different guys and she would always lie and steal. My oldest son was going to college for awhile and his girlfriend now wife kept him from that. And he left our house to move in with her family. Then my middle son after he graduated from high school didn't tell us he signed up for the military and when he graduated they were there to pick him up for boot camp. My youngest son also went enlisted and we knew he was going to do that but he got married to his girlfriend now wife before he left. And her mother and stepfather took them to the justice of piece and we didn't even know it. My husband and l was going to real estate school and my middle son's supervisor was telling us about it but didn't know it was my son but God let me know it was him. My youngest daughter after she graduated from college she told us she was closing on her condo and living with her boyfriend which is now her husband. So the doctor thought l was so depressed after the Bri that l was put on antidepressants for years. I always would watch wheel of fortune to help me with some of my memory and l was driving. I went to college and received my diploma as a occupational therapist assistant in 2011. I kept falling because of my mobility and my eyesight was getting a little bad. When l was doing my clinicians l thought l wouldn't be able to do it because of my memory and it wasn't easy but you know God was with me. I had to write down notes to remember and when l would write them l wouldn't be able to remember where l put them. So now l have an app and l put my meds in it to remind me when to take it. I journal things l hear doctors say and also what l am suppose to do for the day. My doctors appointments and how l feel for the day. Also my weight, blood pressure, headaches and so forth. Which l find out everyone forgets at some point. If they say they don't well that was a good lie for the day. So in 2014 l went on a women's convention with the church. My daughter had my granddaughter while l was away. When l came home she brought the baby over and l was holding her and thank God l gave her back when l did. I fell back and that's all l remember. My family told me they thought l overdosed on my antidepressants because l had 3 different strenght in my pill box. I knew that wasn't true. I just kept my pills in my pill box because my psychiatrist kept changing it up and down because l couldn't sleep sometimes. So they gave me so many meds that l became allergic too and l was only allergic to codeine. Now l am allergic to so many drugs they are scared to give me anything. So they took me off the antidepressant and now l don't take any. Then l had elevated ammonia. And before I never had anything wrong with my liver. I use to get my liver checked while taking the antidepressant. So l was put in icu and this had been my 2nd time since my Bri. I wasn't doing so good and they didn't know what to do with me. So they wanted to send me to a nursing home but the Lord instantly blessed me to get out of what was happening. I went to rehab to help with walking, memory, occupational therapy and speech therapy. I did very well. This was the 3rd time l was in inpatient rehab and so many times in outpatient because of balance issues. So l prayed to God about restoring my memory and now l am able to remember more things. Plus l had so many diagnoses in 2014 l didn't know what was going on. I do have extra veins in my liver because of medications and seizures that l was told l had from my first neurologist who l trust. I really think it might have been allergic reactions or l was completely healed from them. I like the second one better. And then l was told l have depression, anxiety and conversion disorder but if a person really know what a person goes through with a Bri then they would think twice. Sometimes doctors are quick to diagnoses instead of trying to find the answer and we are quick to give meds also. And we categorize everyone the same. So now they are starting to see the misdiagnosed l had to endure but we all learn from our mistakes. And you just can't be hard on yourself. I learned in school that we have scales where everyone one should be. I ggmj1btdfkmjy your one year old you should be walking and saying 4 words or so. Well that's not true we all learn differently. When l walked l was over one because my father would always pick me up not because l was not on the scale. If my patients didn't go to college or was on drugs don't mean l am going that way. They thought l had dementia because it's in my family line but l knew thatvwasnt so. And l wasn't going to except that. The doctors know l won't accept everything they say because they don't know everything. And you can get all or most of your memory back. And if you really want to be honest everyone has something wrong with them we are not perfect. So each day try something new it might take a week or a month or forever how long just don't give up and don't let anybody say you can't. Good luck.