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I’ve never been able to remember anything from my childhood up to 12-13 years old (19 years old now) and was wonder if long term memory loss is even possible at my age? I drowned when I was 3 and was underwater for 3 mintues and was unconscious and was wondering if side effects could even occur after that? I don’t remember even bits or pieces it’s like that part of my life never happened I’ve tried multiple ways to help me get memory back but nothing has ever worked.
Replies to "I’ve never been able to remember anything from my childhood up to 12-13 years old (19..."
@sunshine45
Hi there,
Sounds like your a very lucky young man. I can relate to your memory loss. I lost all my memories from age 15 back from being in a coma from seizures. That was 51 years ago. None of those memories ever came back. I suffered from Retrograde amnesia which is the loss of current and previous memories. Although I believe in miracles at this point I doubt any of your memories will return.
My first thought is Anoxia or lack of oxygen which can cause memory loss. I’d assume your oxygen loss was severe or your memory probably would have returned by now. In mild hypoxia memory loss is usually temporary.
Another possibility may be Anterograde amnesia if your hippocampus was damaged in both hemispheres of your brain.
Anterograde amnesia is an inability to form new memories whereas Retrograde is loss of existing and previously made memories.
Have you seen a Neurologist and had an MRI or other imaging of your brain?
What do your doctors say about your memory loss?
Health and happiness,
Jake
Hello @sunshine45
While members of Mayo Connect are not generally medical professionals and can't give medical advice, I can imagine your concern about memory loss at such a young age. Have you recently been evaluated at a good neurological center? I'm thinking of a specialty center that deals with neurological problems. Perhaps a research and/or university medical school or a Mayo facility? If not, I would certainly try to make an appointment for a thorough work-up.
What type of recent neurological work-ups have you had? What has been gained from the medical opinions of doctors that you have seen? Have you been tested by a neuropsychologist? Have you had any cognitive therapy?
Are you working with a neurologist?
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Hello, @sunshine45 - just wanted to let you know that I've moved your post on long-term memory loss here to this discussion, "Long-term memory loss," so you can interact with others who have also faced memory loss about your missing years of memory and whether memory loss is possible for a 19-year-old. They may also have some thoughts on the impact of your drowning incident at age 3 and whether memory loss could be a side effect.
Hoping that @aarniek @lorirenee1 @jakedduck1 @sirgalahad @hopeful33250 will have some input for you on this.
sunshine45, what have you tried thus far to try and get your memories back from your childhood up to age 12-13?